Albuquerque Journal - Lujan Calls for Local Consortium to Run NM's National Labs

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By Kevin Robinson-Avila

Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., called on New Mexico's political leaders on Thursday to consider forming a public-private consortium to bid on future federal contracts to run one or both of the state's two national labs.

Lujan, who addressed a joint session of the Legislature, said a local management team for Sandia National Laboratories or Los Alamos National Laboratory might work harder to hold on to more of the federal dollars that flow into the labs.

"We need to do more to leverage the labs to drive economic growth and job creation," Lujan told state legislators. "Too many dollars are simply passing through the labs and not staying here."

Lujan said with New Mexico contractors at the helm, more opportunities might become available for local businesses.

In particular, Lujan said he is pushing federal agencies to more aggressively engage entrepreneurs and investors in public-private partnerships to transfer promising technologies out of the labs and into the marketplace.

Lockheed Martin Corp., and a partnership between Bechtel and the University of California currently manage Sandia and Los Alamos, respectively, under contracts with the National Nuclear Security Administration. But those contracts could be put out to bid in the next few years.

Lockheed's contract at Sandia runs through April 2016, with a one-year extension option. The Bechtel-UC partnership is contracted through 2017, with one-year extension options to 2023, depending on annual performance reviews.

"We as a state should set a goal of having a New Mexico-led consortium as prime contractor for one or both of our national labs," Lujan said. "It will change the way those dollars flow through New Mexico, having New Mexico at the front of what will be happening day in and day out."

The congressman called on New Mexico's representatives and senators to approve a joint memorial to bring public officials, universities and the business community together to study how New Mexico can take a leadership role at the labs.

Lujan said such initiatives are critical to spur economic growth in New Mexico, which is lagging behind other states in recovering from the recession.

"The rest of the nation is bypassing us," the congressman said. "We need to chart a new course that puts us back on the road to prosperity."

Lujan urged legislators to put aside political differences and work cooperatively to provide more opportunities to New Mexicans. He said good-paying jobs can come from promoting more renewable energy development, and by protecting the state's natural resources, which provide tourism and agricultural employment opportunities. He also called for greater investment in education, even if that means digging further into the Land Grant Permanent Fund.

Lujan, who represents the 3rd Congressional District in northern New Mexico, is the third U.S. representative to address the Legislature this week. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., and Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-N.M., also appeared.

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