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NNSA field office briefs Los Alamos Council on pit production goals, staffing, NEPA and power line plans
Summary
Ted Wieca, NNSA Los Alamos Field Office manager, told the County Council the lab is shifting from growth to mission execution, expects more hires in 2025, projects 37 transuranic shipments this fiscal year and is advancing a site-wide EIS and a power-capacity upgrade that will require a new transmission line.
Ted Wieca, manager of the National Nuclear Security Administration's Los Alamos Field Office, told the Los Alamos County Council on March 18 that his office is focused on contract oversight, safety and maintaining a cooperative relationship with the county while several major laboratory projects proceed.
Wieca said the lab is moving from growth toward "mission execution" and expects to hire more than 1,000 people in 2025, a level intended to replace average annual attrition of about 900 and add roughly 100 additional staff. He said the federal field office recently lost nine employees through a deferred-resignation program and must prioritize core oversight work.
The NNSA manager highlighted several items of local interest: pit production goals, environmental reviews, electrical capacity upgrades, transuranic waste shipments and wildland fire preparation. On nuclear pit work he summarized federal targets: NNSA intends a minimum annual production in the enterprise of about 80 plutonium pits per year across sites, and a target for Los Alamos National Laboratory to reach a minimum of 30 pits per year by 2028.
Why it matters: the lab's work drives local employment, infrastructure demands and regulatory reviews. Several projects described by Wieca have direct county impacts: transmission corridors for added electrical capacity, consultation requirements with Tribal nations, and potential land-transfer work in Rendija Canyon tied to unexploded-ordnance clearance.
Key details and next steps
- NEPA and public comment: Wieca said the lab has published a draft site-wide environmental impact statement (EIS) and notified the public on Jan. 10, 2025. Virtual and in-person hearings followed; the public comment period was extended to April 10, 2025. He said technical briefings have been offered to Pueblos and tribes and are available to the county.
- Electrical Power Capacity Upgrade (EPCU): The project aims to add a third transmission line and internal distribution upgrades before 2027, when existing lines are expected to reach capacity. Wieca said tribal consultation and cultural-resource agreements are underway with the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, participating Pueblos, the New Mexico State Historic Preservation Office and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.
- Rendija Canyon land transfer and clearance: NNSA is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to scope an interagency agreement to estimate the cost to clear unexploded ordnance to a depth of about four feet over roughly 28 acres connected to a proposed recreational-vehicle park and rights-of-way. Wieca said the Corps contract and a six-month analysis are expected to follow the scoping work.
- Waste shipping and Area G: Wieca said the lab projects about 37 transuranic waste shipments this fiscal year and is coordinating with DOE's Office of Environmental Management on cleanup milestones for Area G.
- Operational and fire readiness: The field office described ongoing thinning work in Rendija Canyon and other mitigation around TA72 and Barranca Mesa, a completed RCRA inspection with no violations, and interagency wildfire drills. A Type 3 helicopter was scheduled to be onsite on April 14 and an interagency briefing on April 23.
Council questions and clarifications
Councilor Reedy asked about staffing numbers; Wieca said the field office's FTE level had been 157 and was down by roughly 14 vacancies plus nine deferred-retirement departures, and that the office is leveraging enterprise resources. Councilor Hand asked for an update on the Rendija Canyon transfer; Wieca said the Corps contract is being worked out and the more detailed 6-month study would follow.
Wieca cautioned that some items (for example, final routing and mitigation for the new transmission corridor) remain subject to Tribal consultation and required cultural-resource agreements. He also noted EPA Region 6 approval for a narrow tritium-drum processing action and that subsequent NMED approvals and seasonal constraints could push that work into late spring or summer.
Ending
Wieca closed by offering technical briefings to the county and stating his office's continuing interest in local coordination on safety, staffing and infrastructure.
