Los Alamos director expects operations to resume next month

Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Peter Nanos Wednesday told University of California regents that he expects most operations at the facility to resume next month, after having been shut down in the wake of several safety and security breaches, the Associated Press reported.

Nanos said that, while he cannot guarantee there would be no more problems at the New Mexico nuclear research facility, the shutdown provided managers with an opportunity to address existing weaknesses in the system.

Meanwhile, an advisory panel yesterday urged the university's governing board to bid to maintain management contracts for the laboratory, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The university might have to find an industrial partner to pursue a bid to continue operating the nuclear weapons centers at Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Northern California, said William Friend, chairman of the advisory council. He recommended that the university do so, despite the recent scandals at Los Alamos.

"We on the council believe very strongly that the regents and administration should be proud of [the university's] performance over the years," Friend said.

University regents are not expected to decide for months whether to pursue continued management at the facilities, the Times reported.