Los Alamos moving ahead with new lab building
Posted at: 10/06/2009 1:51 PM
By: SUE MAJOR HOLMES Associated Press Writer
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - The federal government has released $47 million toward a long-planned research lab at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Los Alamos officials call the project vital. Nuclear watchdog groups contend it only positions the U.S. to build more nuclear weapons.
The Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement building would replace an aging lab where scientists analyze samples of plutonium and other radioactive materials.
Greg Mello of the Albuquerque-based Los Alamos Study Group contends the nation can maintain the safety of the nuclear arsenal without it.
He says the building positions Los Alamos to make large numbers of new plutonium pits - the triggers of nuclear weapons.
Los Alamos officials say the building is needed to maintain analytical capabilities not only for plutonium, but also for elements used in biomedicine or geology.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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