U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich participating in an Appropriations Subcommittee hearing Wednesday to review the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Submission for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Screenshot/LADP

From the Office of U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich:

WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) participated in an Appropriations Subcommittee hearing Wednesday to review the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Submission for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).

To watch the video, click here. Download link here.

During the hearing, Sen. Heinrich asked Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and Administrator of NNSA Jill Hrubry about coordination efforts between the agency, Los Alamos County, and U.S. Forest Service to ensure there is a maximum defensible space for Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in the wake of recent fires.

Administrator Hruby said she was “happy to say over the last three to four years Los Alamos has done a terrific job of clearing fuel on the laboratory property and as a result of this fire actually lent the machines to help clear fuels, to the Forest Service and other areas that would provide even a greater barricade.”

As of Tuesday, May 17, the Cerro Pelado Fire in New Mexico was over 70 percent contained and additional containment is today.

After recently seeing response efforts in Los Alamos firsthand, Sen. Heinrich stated that he would like to see these agencies be more proactive in enhancing preparedness efforts ahead of potential fires.

During the hearing, Sen. Heinrich also brought up the Restore and Modernize our National Labs Act, legislation he is cosponsoring that was introduced by U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) to authorize $30.5 billion for infrastructure in national labs. Sen. Heinrich sits on the bicameral conference committee finalizing a major jobs and competitiveness bill that includes consideration of this legislation.

Sen. Heinrich asked Administrator Hruby about the importance of this funding and what it would mean for American competitiveness. Hruby responded that inclusion in the final bill “would provide us the ability to actually reinvest in the laboratory science capabilities for our NNSA programs” and “be tremendously beneficial to keep our R&D programs, keeping them second to none”.

Witness testimony and an archived video of the full hearing can be found here.