About the Board:
The Northern New Mexico
Citizens' Advisory Board (NNMCAB) is a community advisory group that was chartered in 1997
to provide citizen input to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on issues of environmental
monitoring, remediation, waste management, and long-term environmental stewardship
at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).
Regarding LANL:
LANL is a Department of Energy
national scientific laboratory, located in Los Alamos,
New Mexico. Known as the birthplace of the atomic bomb, activities at LANL over the past
sixty years have produced a legacy of technological innovation. With that progress the Lab
has also generated a legacy of waste that needs special care and handling for generations
to come. The Laboratory is now engaged in environmental remediation activities for legacy
waste and stringent waste minimization programs for newly generated radioactive and
hazardous industrial wastes and contaminants produced from current and continuing
Lab operations.
The Board's Mission:
At NNMCAB, we are dedicated to
increasing public involvement, awareness and education relating to environmental
remediation and management activities at LANL. The CAB strives to ensure that decisions
about LANL include informed advice from the community, and we openly solicit public
participation in all of our deliberations. It is our goal to make it easier for
members of the public to make their voices heard by the decision-makers at DOE.
Another major responsibility
of Board, regarding Environmental Management at LANL, is to provide meaningful
opportunities for collaborative dialogue among the diverse multicultural communities of
Northern New Mexico, the Department of Energy (DOE), the Los Alamos National Laboratory
(LANL), and state and federal regulatory agencies. The Board’s responsibilities
include providing advice and recommendations on DOE EM’s programs regarding
environmental restoration, waste management, monitoring and surveillance, outreach, future
land use and long term environmental stewardship, and associated environmental issues. The
Board requests early ongoing community access to information including its interpretation
and implications facilitating dialogue that ultimately improves the quality of the
decision-making process of DOE and LANL.
Community Involvement:
The Board interacts with the
DOE to provide advice on matters within its scope, on behalf of the citizens of Northern
New Mexico. These matters may be raised by Board members, the public, DOE, or federal,
state, or local regulatory agencies. The Board seeks a free and open two way exchange of
information and views between Board members and the participating agencies. Board members
may request access to independent technical advice, staff, and training. The Board will
remain accountable to the public and DOE and seek to promote multicultural community
involvement.
You don't have to be a formal CAB member to serve on a committee or come to a Board
meeting. To get involved call the CAB office at (505) 989-1662. The staff can direct you
to the next meeting that interests you.
If you have any suggestions on
how we can better serve New Mexico--
please let us know.
