DOE Fund to Help Los Alamos Employees Impacted by Fire

[Susan Gawarecki <loc@icx.net>]

Department of Energy Establishes Fund to Help Los Alamos Employees
Impacted by Fire--Northern NM Fire Recovery Fund Starts Collecting Money
on Monday

U.S. Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson today announced the
establishment of a disaster relief fund intended to help federal and
contractor employees of the Department of Energy's Los Alamos Area
Office and contractor employees at the department's Los Alamos National
Laboratory (LANL). The Department of Energy (DOE) Northern New Mexico
Fire Recovery Fund will begin accepting donations on Monday.
"The Department of Energy has an obligation to help our federal and
contractor employees as well as the communities suffering because of the
fire," said Richardson. "While there are relief agencies providing
on-the-spot assistance, we know this will be a long and difficult
recovery process for our employees and surrounding communities. This
fund is intended to assist our employees and communities as they will
surely face many unforseen and uncovered expenses in the coming months."

Richardson established this special fund following his visit to Los
Alamos last Thursday. The Northern New Mexico Fire Recovery Fund is
authorized to accept gifts from all public and private sources.
Donations are tax deductible. Richardson has directed the department's
Chief Financial Officer to administer the fund. An Executive Board will
be designated to accept and review applications and distribute the fund.

Financial donations can be forwarded to:
U.S. Department of Energy
Attn: Northern New Mexico Fire Recovery Fund
P.O. Box 500
Germantown, MD 20874-0500

Checks should be made payable to the Department of Energy and indicate
they are for the Fire Recovery Fund.

The DOE's Los Alamos Area Office suffered smoke damage from the fire,
and will remain closed until safety engineers determine the building is
safe to occupy. In the meantime, the department is planning to
temporarily relocate the Los Alamos Area Office to the LANL
administration building, once the lab is back in operation.

The DOE's Los Alamos Area Office employs 65 workers, of which 56 are
U.S. government salaried employees and 9 are contract hourly workers.
The department is in the process of trying to contact Los Alamos Area
Office employees to schedule an all-hands staff meeting to explain how
the office will operate in the days and weeks ahead, assess employees'
needs and provide employees with information about available assistance
including detailed information about how to apply for funds from the
Northern New Mexico Fire Recovery Fund. Los Alamos Area Office employees
who have not yet been contacted by DOE are urged to phone the
department's Albuquerque Operations Office at 505-845-6036.

While the Los Alamos National Laboratory is a Department of Energy
operation, its approximately 8,000 employees are contract workers and
are not U.S. government employees. Richardson praised the University of
California, the prime contractor at LANL, for unveiling a comprehensive
emergency response plan which includes a $150,000 relief-fund donation,
low interest loans, an expanded leave with pay policy and additional
counseling services. "Everyone associated with the Department of Energy
has been saddened by the fire's destruction and recognizes that the road
to recovery will be a long one," added Richardson. "The community has my
assurances that the Department of Energy will do everything within its
powers to help our employees, our contractors and the impacted
communities."
-- 
==================================================
Susan L. Gawarecki, Ph.D., Executive Director
Oak Ridge Reservation Local Oversight Committee, Inc.
136 S Illinois Ave, Ste 208, Oak Ridge, TN 37830
Phone (865) 483-1333; Fax (865) 482-6572; E-mail loc@icx.net 
==================================================
************************************************************************
The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription
information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html