Udall pushes oversight for labs, NNSA

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - The U.S. Senate has approved a move to reform oversight of the nation's nuclear facilities including Los Alamos and Sandia national labs.

The measure, sponsored by Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., creates an advisory panel to oversee the National Nuclear Security Administration.

It comes following major management issues, cost overruns and security breaches involving NNSA facilities.

Last month three members of the Los Alamos National Laboratory security forces team were fired because they allowed unauthorized people onto the shooting range.

And shortly before that it was revealed that a security system installed at Technical Area 55 cost nearly $41 million more that expected.

Cost overruns also have hampered a major LANL project, the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement facility now on a five-year delay after being pulled from the federal budget.

Delays and overruns have driving the cost of the project to as much as $5.8 billion, nearly six times its original estimate.

The House still has to pass a similar measure to get it to the president's desk.