DOE says LANL chromium system is not operating; commenter presses for cleanup

Stanley Pyram cited roughly $400,000 in monthly maintenance costs; Abby Shepherd urged accountability for legacy waste.

LANL desk
Friday, Nov. 6, 2026In the Friday, Nov. 6, 2026 edition

DOE and N3B representatives at a witness table facing legislators in a State Capitol committee room — DOE and N3B representatives brief the Radioactive and Hazardous Materials Committee on LANL legacy cleanup in State Capitol Room 307 on Nov. 5. — Source: New Mexico Legislature webcast (@10:05:06 AM)

LOS ALAMOS — LANL's chromium interim-measures system is not operating, Stanley Pyram, acting manager of DOE's Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office, told the Radioactive and Hazardous Materials Committee Thursday (@9:53:51 AM).

A December 2024 expert review recommended restarting part of the system while investigations continued. NMED's Nov. 18, 2025 directive ordered injection stopped, citing chromium above standards beneath Pueblo de San Ildefonso (see our Oct. 26 and Nov. 2, 2026 stories).

Pyram said maintenance costs about $400,000 monthly (@10:48:01 AM). N3B President and General Manager Brad Smith also presented; their handout reported 89 FY2026 transuranic-waste shipments to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (see our Nov. 5, 2026 hearing preview and county tour story).

During afternoon public comment, a Santa Fe resident urged lawmakers to hold LANL accountable for its legacy waste (@2:51:07 PM).

The revised agenda schedules Friday's public-comment period at 2:15 p.m. MST.

Drafted by AI from the linked public source. Approved by a Daily News Editor.

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