Assistant Secretary of Environmental Management Tim Walsh and his leadership team recently visited the EM Los Alamos Field Office, seeing firsthand the progress achieved for the Los Alamos National Laboratory legacy cleanup. August 4, 2026
Office of Environmental Management
August 4, 2026
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Assistant Secretary of Environmental Management Tim Walsh, left, meets Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos LLC waste operations crew members supporting the Los Alamos National Laboratory legacy cleanup mission at Technical Area 54, Area G.
LOS ALAMOS, N.M. — Assistant Secretary of Environmental Management (EM) Tim Walsh and his leadership team recently visited the EM Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA), seeing firsthand the progress achieved for the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) legacy cleanup.
It was Walsh’s second visit to Los Alamos since taking the helm of the EM program in October 2025, emphasizing the priority for legacy cleanup in northern New Mexico.
“Taking a deeper-dive tour in Los Alamos provided a greater understanding of the significant progress being made to advance the LANL legacy cleanup and support our national security mission,” said Walsh. “The visit underscored EM-LA and N3B’s commitment to safety, efficient and effective cleanup, and opportunities to accelerate the disposition of legacy waste at LANL.”
Assistant Secretary of Environmental Management Tim Walsh, second from left, observes high-energy, real-time radiography of legacy waste containers at Technical Area 54, Area G. This process is an important step in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Central Characterization Project to certify waste prior to shipment to WIPP.
A stop at Technical Area 54 (TA-54), Area G, highlighted how EM-LA and legacy cleanup contractor Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos LLC (N3B) support the LANL legacy cleanup mission. There, the team safely manages, processes and certifies legacy transuranic waste for shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, New Mexico.
Over 90% of the above-ground legacy waste inventory at TA-54, Area G, has been safely shipped to WIPP. To date in the fiscal year (FY) ending Sept. 30, EM-LA and N3B have completed 66 transuranic waste shipments to WIPP — a 53% increase so far over FY 2025. The shipments in the current fiscal year included nearly 300 cubic meters of transuranic waste — comparable in size to about 30 standard-sized dump trucks — a 54% increase over FY 2025.
Additionally, 977 cubic meters of low-level waste from soil and groundwater investigation and remediation across LANL have been shipped to offsite disposal facilities in Texas and Utah to date in FY 2026
Environmental Management (EM) Los Alamos Field Office Acting Manager Stan Pyram, center, explains the above- and below-ground legacy waste remaining at Technical Area 21 to EM Assistant Secretary Tim Walsh, left, and EM Chief Operating Officer David Brunnert.
During the visit, Walsh toured Technical Area 21, a cleanup site where plutonium processing and groundbreaking research was conducted during the Manhattan Project and Cold War. Walsh met with N3B workers who monitor the site to maintain safety, security, and public and environmental protection.
-Contributor: Stephanie Gallagher
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