New Mexico’s two Democratic Senators, Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall, formally requested that the Obama Administration reverse its plan to delay construction of the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement-Nuclear Facility for at least five years in letters to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Energy Secretary Steven Chu last week. The Senators called the NNSA’s plan to use existing facilities to absorb the planned mission of the new facility a “high risk option” that “may not meet national security requirements for stockpile stewardship, and which will likely take 10 years to implement and cost an additional $800 million.” The Obama Administration said it would save $1.8 billion over the next five years by deferring work on the CMRR-NF, which was estimated to cost between $3.7 and $5.8 billion. “Rather than delaying work on a replacement facility for the planned five years, we believe the administration should present a more specific alternative plan and make the necessary preparation to properly design and implement it,” the Senators wrote. “Until there is a feasible alternative, the least risk option is to continue pursuing a replacement facility. In order to meet cost restrictions, we believe changes in the planned facility could reduce its price tag significantly, without compromising safety, while allowing us to still meet our commitments under the New Start Treaty and the 2010 MOU between DoD and DoE.”
The Senators also noted that the existing CMR facility is more than 60 years old and would be closed in 2019. “Our national labs are premier facilities, with scientists and engineers who deserve to work in an environment where not only their work is appreciated, but their safety is not at risk because of funding decisions made in Washington, D.C. We look forward to working with you on this issue as well as the need to adequately fund the national laboratories to compete for other vital mission areas such as non-proliferation and energy security,” the Senators wrote.
