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New Mexico's senators comment on Laboratory contract competition

New Mexico senators Jeff Bingaman and Pete Domenici offered comment this week on the status of the contract competition for operation of the Laboratory.

At a confirmation hearing for Samuel Bodman, who has been nominated to become the next Department of Energy secretary, Domenici, R-N.M., said he received a commitment from Bodman that no Laboratory employee or retiree will lose an existing pension or health benefit as a result of the management contract competition.

At the hearing, Bingaman, D-N.M., reiterated that a higher priority should be given to the benefits package for Laboratory employees, something which Bodman agreed to do, according to a news release from Bingaman's office.

"The outcome of this competition, as you might suspect, is causing concern among a number of superb scientists at the lab to the point that some are indicating that they may be considering retirement rather than trusting the outcome of the competition. I have tried to assure them that they should not do that, and that the process will protect their interests and benefits," Domenici told Bodman, according to a news release from Domenici's office.

Bingaman said, "If we are going to prevent the early retirement of the Lab's invaluable senior scientists and retain the best and brightest of the young scientists, I believe more emphasis needs to be placed on ensuring the benefits package is as good as or better than the one currently offered by the University of California."

Bodman is currently a deputy secretary in the U.S. Treasury Department.

Today is the deadline for submitting comments on DOE's draft request for proposals for operating the Laboratory. The University of California's contract to operate Los Alamos ends Sept. 30.

To read news releases from Domenici, click here / (Release 2).

To read a news release from Bingaman, click here (Adobe Acrobat Reader required)

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