Monica Witt, the deputy facility operations director for the Utilities and Infrastructure Division and leader of the Lab’s sustainability program, recently outlined what the Lab is doing to meet the requirement that every federal agency achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Her guest column appeared in the Jan. 20 issue of the Albuquerque Journal and focused on sustainable transportation.
“It’s a heavy lift for everyone, but at Los Alamos we’re taking concrete steps to make it happen on this nearly 16,000-person, 40-square mile laboratory. Our strategies include switching to carbon-neutral electricity, storing renewable power, making all buildings independent of carbon-emitting energy sources and implementing carbon capture,” Witt wrote. “Transportation is a big piece of the puzzle.”
Key takeaways for transportation
- Provide electric-vehicle charging stations on-site
- Convert Lab’s fleet of passenger vehicles and light trucks to electric
- Transition bus and shuttle fleet to zero-emission vehicles (we’ve ordered the federal government’s first hydrogen-fuel-cell bus!)
- Test pilot coming soon for off-site parking in Pojoaque and shuttles for employees to get to the Lab
- Launch a vanpool program and promote carpooling with priority high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) parking
- Improve transit around the campus with electric bikes and better multi-modal pathways
“Planning for net-zero emissions by 2050 requires a systems approach, connecting operations and sustainable transportation to every organization and every person across the site. As the Lab grows, we have an opportunity and obligation to grow responsibly and efficiently,” Witt wrote.
Read the full column as it appeared in the Albuquerque Journal.