Los Alamos National Laboratory. Courtesy/LANL
By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post
caclark@ladailypost.com
The federal government is on track to shut down at midnight Saturday, Sept. 30, if agreement is not reached in Congress. Should this happen, the federal government will curtail agency activities and services, cease non-essential operations and furlough non-essential workers. Only essential employees in departments that protect human life or property will be retained. The shutdown may also disrupt state, territorial and local levels of government.
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has made preparations to continue operations should the shutdown occur.
“In the event of a government shutdown, Los Alamos National Laboratory has funds in place to continue operations,” a Laboratory spokesperson said today in response to a request for comment from the Los Alamos Daily Post. “We will continue to focus on maintaining the safety and security of our employees and facilities.”
While LANL intends to continue operations, two popular sites around Los Alamos may have to close or greatly reduce services during the shutdown: Bandelier National Monument and the Valles Caldera National Preserve.
According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, in the event of a lapse in annual government appropriations, National Park Service (NPS) sites will be closed. This means that the majority of national parks will be closed completely to public access. Areas that, by their nature, are physically accessible to the public will face significantly reduced visitor services. At NPS sites across the country, gates will be locked, visitor centers will be closed, and thousands of park rangers will be furloughed. Accordingly, the public will be encouraged not to visit sites during the period of lapse in appropriations out of consideration for protection of natural and cultural resources, as well as visitor safety. Visitors should expect that many of the services and facilities they depend on at national parks will be closed or largely unavailable during a shutdown.
“We remain hopeful that a lapse in government funding will not occur,” Bandelier Supervisory Park Ranger Zachary Whitlow stated in a text he sent today to the Post. “Because we are reviewing the NPS contingency plan and working to determine specifics at Bandelier, I don’t have additional specifics to share at this time. The NPS contingency plan is available online at www.doi.gov/shutdown and fact sheet outlining general information about what to expect in national parks is available in the Department of the Interior’s newsroom: https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/government-shutdown-will-close-americas-national-parks-impede-visitor-access.”
Valles Caldera National Preserve’s Chief of Interpretation Dave Krueger also addressed the looming situation today.
“After reviewing the contingency guidance, Valles Caldera will OPEN normally on Sunday, Oct. 1, regardless of the status of government funding. If there is a lapse in appropriations, the park facilities would then be CLOSED starting Monday Oct. 2 until the day after appropriations are secured. People will be able to enter park grounds through the pedestrian gates from dawn to dusk.”