Regional Coalition of LANL Communities Announces Successful Meetings in Washington, D.C. Addressing Department of Energy Contracting and Cleanup
Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) October 01, 2015 -- The Regional Coalition of LANL Communities sent representatives to Washington this week to attend the first Department of Energy (DOE) National Cleanup Workshop. Mayor Javier Gonzales, Vice-Chair of the Coalition and Mayor of the City of Santa Fe, Kristin Henderson, Secretary/Treasurer of the Coalition, Chair of the Los Alamos County Council and Treasurer of the Energy Communities Alliance (ECA), and Andrea Romero, the Executive Director of the Coalition met with the Energy Facility Contractor’s Group (EFCOG) and DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM).
On Monday Coalition members met with the ECA and EFCOG and discussed a proposed process in which the respective energy communities, DOE-EM, and contractors can accomplish desired outcomes when structuring cleanup contracts at DOE-EM sites across the nation. The ECA and EFCOG came up with a joint statement on the necessary actions to be taken by DOE-EM to help ensure a pragmatic approach to contracting with DOE contractors working to complete the EM mission.
"The communities surrounding Los Alamos National Laboratory are all affected by the cleanup decisions made by the DOE and its awarded contractors,” stated Mayor Gonzales. “We are excited to have a united regional voice around the negotiating table to express the need for continued community commitment."
September 28-29, Coalition members continued to participate in the national discussion with EM, contractors, and community stakeholders. Workshop attendees heard from Secretary Ernest Moniz heading the Department of Energy, and Dr. Monica Regalbuto, the recently appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management. Agenda items for the workshop included an update on resuming operations at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) and an acquisition forecast for DOE-EM over the next five years.
The Coalition’s next board meeting will be held on October 9 in the Taos County Chambers, though it will mostly be a closed session to review annual progress made by the Executive Director. The next full-length meeting will take place on November 13 in Jemez Pueblo.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Lindi Douglass
(806) 584 1076
lindi(at)jlhmedia(dot)com
ABOUT THE REGIONAL COALITION: The Regional Coalition is comprised of nine cities, towns, counties and pueblos surrounding the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Founded in 2011, the Regional Coalition works in partnership to ensure national decisions incorporate local needs and concerns. The organization's focus is environmental remediation, regional economic development and site employment, and adequate funding for LANL. The 2015 Board of Directors includes Chair, Commissioner Barney Trujillo, Rio Arriba County; Vice-Chair, Mayor Javier Gonzales, City of Santa Fe; Secretary/Treasurer, Councilor Kristin Henderson, Los Alamos County; Mayor Alice Lucero, City of Española, Commissioner Henry Roybal, Santa Fe County; Andrew Gonzales, Town of Taos; Commissioner Mark Gallegos, Taos County; Governor Earl Salazar, Pueblo of Ohkay Owingeh; and Governor Raymond Loretto, Pueblo of Jemez; http://regionalcoalition.org.
Lindi Douglass, JLH Media, http://www.jlhmedia.com, +1 8065841076, [email protected]
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