By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

The public will again be able to weigh in on the newly amended nuisance code.

Los Alamos County Council unanimously approved a nuisance code implementation review task force charter. Council further directed the County Manager to recruit task force members and return to council with letters of interest for appointment at the March 28 meeting. The task force will consist of five members and sunset after one year.

The charter includes a work scope, which contains the following items:

• Independently reviewing the implementation and interpretation by staff of requirements in the new code;
• Reviewing one year of data and reports (from Jan. 7, 2023, to Jan. 6, 2024) including monthly property maintenance code enforcement reports, courtesy letters, notices of violation, citations, and photographic evidence;
• Engaging with directly impacted members of the public as well as relevant Community Development Department (CDD) staff;
• Reviewing the communication of programs that support implementation of Code requirements, including assistance programs; and
• Preparing and presenting a report on any identified issues and associated recommendations to County Council for consideration of future actions.

It also is stated in the charter that the task force will present a mid-year status update for the first two quarters by Sept. 1 and the final recommendation will be given by March 31, 2024.

Council Vice Chair Theresa Cull, who made the motion to approve the charter, said she did not envision sending out a survey for feedback on the code.

“I think we really want to gage the implementation, primarily,” she said.

In an unrelated matter, council unanimously approved to increase its subscription to the Carbon Free Power Project (CFPP) from 1.8 megawatts to 8.6 megawatts.

Department of Public Utilities Manager Philo Shelton discussed the CFPP during the meeting. The project is a proposed nuclear electric generation facility to be constructed at an Idaho National Laboratory site that would utilize small modular reactor technology. The plant is projected to be operational by 2030.

Shelton said CFPP secured a grant with the Department of Energy, which will pay for 79 percent of the development cost share … up-to-date as well as over this next year. Despite this, Shelton said the challenge for this project is that the capital cost has increased. The expenses for concrete and steel have risen, interest rates have increased and there are issues with labor.

Shelton pointed out that rising costs are not unique to the CFPP, any capital project is facing these issues.

“… if we look for a project cost, it doesn’t matter if it is renewable, nuclear or geothermal … all the costs have increased due to the inflation, supply chain and labor costs,” he said. “We kind of look at what’s our alternative (and) at this point in time we still feel this is a real viable project. It’s a real project, there’s real money invested … there’s a significant investment already. As the project develops it starts going exponentially …”

“I think it is a good business risk right now,” Shelton added. “… in our development cost share agreement …(we) basically put a performance guarantee. They are going to work on securing a subscription at an 80 percent level as well as a guaranteed $89 per megawatt. Both of those conditions need to be met in order for the project to move forward. Otherwise, they are going to reimburse us for the majority of the cost.”

The advantage of CFPP, Shelton explained, is that it is dispatchable and firm. In fact, it is even more firm than coal because one module can refuel while the others still operate. Shelton added the CFPP is superior to any carbon emitting plants.

This does not mean the County is ignoring renewables. Shelton pointed out the County’s Integrated Resource Plan recommends bringing in renewables. Different attributes are needed to support the system, he said, but nuclear power would cover the base loads.

Increasing the County’s subscription to the CFPP received strong support from council.

“There’s been a lot of due diligence done by DPU staff and BPU … I believe we need to do everything in our power, pardon the pun, to get to net zero carbon free power by 2040,” Councilor Suzy Havemann said. “I like that this helps diversify our power portfolio and I like that it provides an option for dispatchable, firm power. I also think our exposure is somewhat limited with this option and we can still revisit it in the future. I just hope it is wildly successful …”

Councilor Randall Ryti also voiced his support while pointing out the challenges the CFFP faces.

“I hope that we can get the 55 percent of the plant subscribed in … in a less than one year timeframe,” he said. “That’s going to be challenging.”

Ryti pointed out there needs to be discussion on what energy resources the County can receive before 2030 as well as other options for carbon free power.

In other business, council:

• Heard a presentation about the 2022 Community Survey. The results showed positive views for public safety, health and wellness, transportation, parks and recreation opportunities and natural environment quality but gave low marks for utility infrastructure, economic health and trust and confidence in local government.
• Unanimously approved a resolution to certify the 2023 road mileage for the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT). Public Works Director Juan Raul explained the certification is required by the NMDOT to apply for funding opportunities.
• Voted 6-1 (with Councilor David Reagor opposed) to approve the amended 2023 strategic leadership plan.