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Nuke-leak probe focuses on Los Alamos National Lab

By WTOP Staff

JERI CLAUSING
Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Officials investigating a mysterious radiation leak from the government’s underground nuclear waste dump in southeastern New Mexico have turned their focus to Los Alamos National Laboratory, a state regulator said Thursday.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s accident investigation team has been at the lab in northeastern New Mexico for about three weeks, New Mexico Environment Department General Counsel Jeff Kendall said.

A canister shipped from Los Alamos to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad burst in the mine on Feb. 14, contaminating 22 workers and shuttering the nation’s only permanent repository for waste from decades of building nuclear bombs. Officials also are monitoring whether hundreds of other barrels from Los Alamos that are currently stored at the nuclear waste dump, Los Alamos and a facility in West Texas are at risk of bursting.

The investigation by the Department of Energy’s accident investigation team is one of just nine underway, Kendall said. The state is among those investigating the accident, and Kendall said he expects administrative actions and fines will be levied against the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant and Los Alamos as more information is uncovered.

Initial probes by federal regulators into the leak and an underground truck fire six days earlier identified a host of management and safety shortcomings. Communications between Los Alamos and the contractor that packaged its waste for shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant have raised questions about oversight by the lab.

The waste was packed with cat litter to absorb moisture, and teams of scientists are trying to determine whether a switch from inorganic to organic litter is to blame for helping fuel a chemical reaction.

More than 500 barrels of so-called transuranic waste from Los Alamos were packed with the organic litter. More than 350 of those are already underground at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. More than 100 are in temporary storage in West Texas and 57 are at Los Alamos. Those potentially suspect drums have been specially packed and are under constant monitoring, officials said.

Additionally, documents posted on the lab’s website indicate that several of the drums have been singled out for special scrutiny, but lab officials have declined comment on why or whether investigators are getting any closer to determining what caused the barrel to leak.

Also unknown is how long the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant will be shuttered.

Kendall said he expects the Department of Energy to come to the state in July with details on “how the recovery plan is working, deadlines, dates and timelines” for cleaning up the contaminated mine and reopening it.

Kendall made the comments during a New Mexico Court of Appeals hearing on the environment department’s dispute with the watchdog Southwest Research and Information Center over the process it followed in issuing a permit for a new type of barrel for some of the waste that is shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. None of those barrels have been tied to the leak.

Asked if it was possible the nuclear dump would never reopen, Eileen McDonough, a Justice Department attorney representing Department of Energy, told the judges “I don’t foresee that. Nobody is contemplating a closure of WIPP. “

But she estimated it would be at least 2016 before it could reopen.

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Follow Jeri Clausing at https://twitter.com/jericlausing

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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