National Labs

Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories employ some of the best and brightest minds in the country and are indispensable to our national security. The labs also strengthen our economy by providing high-paying, high-skilled technology jobs in our great state and I will always fight to protect their missions.

As an engineer, I bring a unique perspective to the U.S. Senate in advocating for New Mexico’s national laboratories. I have consistently fought to protect the national security missions of the labs while strengthening their diversity in areas such as energy, homeland security, and nonproliferation. I also remain focused on looking for ways to better leverage our laboratories’ resources and competitive strengths in partnership with universities and the private sector.

Our labs will continue to have a vital role in addressing the nation’s most pressing challenges, including energy independence. Additionally, the completion of the cleanup of defense legacy at Los Alamos is an important commitment that Congress and the Department of Energy have made to the community and the State of New Mexico, and that should remain a top funding priority. 

Latest

  • Heinrich Renews Push To Protect Energy Grid from Cyber-Attacks

    U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today renewed his push to protect critical U.S. energy infrastructure from potentially catastrophic cyber-attacks by cosponsoring the Securing Energy Infrastructure Act. The legislation, which was introduced by U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), would examine solutions to defend the U.S. energy grid including possibly using a "retro" approach that has shown promise as a safeguard against cyber-attacks by replacing key devices like computer-connected operating systems, which can be vulnerable to cyber-attacks, with less-vulnerable analog and human-operated systems. Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich Praise Enactment of American Innovation and Competitiveness Act

    WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich praised the enactment of S. 3084, the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act (AICA), a major science bill that includes a number of significant provisions Udall and Heinrich championed to help boost New Mexico's economy. The bill, which passed both houses of Congress last month and was signed into law by President Obama today, contains measures to boost technology transfer initiatives, strengthen and grow manufacturing, and encourage private-sector innovation.  Read More

  • Heinrich Announces Funding For Innovative STEM Education Program At KAFB And Other Key Advancements In Annual Defense Authorization

    ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Dec. 20, 2016) -- Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced $25 million in authorized funding for the continuation of the nationwide STARBASE program, which motivates fifth grade students to explore Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) through hands-on learning in collaboration with military installations. The program in New Mexico is based at Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) La Luz Academy where scientists, engineers, and military volunteers from AFRL and other Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) organizations apply abstract principles to real world situations by giving students interactive demonstrations on the use of STEM in different settings and careers. Read More

  • Heinrich Statement On Federal And National Lab Employees Working On Climate Change

    - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, made the following statement in response to reports that the Trump transition team is asking the U.S. Department of Energy for the names of federal and national laboratory employees who have worked on climate policy during the Obama Administration: "Reports that the Trump transition team is asking the Department of Energy for the names of any federal or national laboratory employees who worked on climate policy during the Obama Administration are extremely concerning. While we don't yet know what the President-elect intends to do with this information, we do know about his troubling climate denial statements and the record of some of his key appointees in attacking climate science. I will not tolerate any efforts by the incoming administration to intimidate scientists and researchers in the government or at our national laboratories who are tackling some of our nation's greatest challenges, including climate change." Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich Announce Over $18.6 Million for STEM Education at Hispanic-Serving NM Universities

    WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced that five New Mexico universities will receive more than $18.6 million to support Hispanic and low-income students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The University of New Mexico Valencia Branch Campus, New Mexico Highlands University, Eastern New Mexico University–Roswell, New Mexico State University–Carlsbad, and Eastern New Mexico University-main campus will receive grants through the U.S. Department of Education Hispanic-Serving Institutions STEM Program. The schools will receive $3.7 million in total funding this year, and it is anticipated that each grant will be renewed for the next four years, for a total of $18.6 million over the next five years. Read More

  • Meeting gets small businesses, DOE in touch

    CARLSBAD - A meeting hosted by U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich encouraged small area businesses to look into opportunities to provide products and services to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant and other Department of Energy facilities on Wednesday. Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich: NM is Ideal Location to Expand Defense Innovation Hub

    WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced that they have asked Defense Secretary Ashton Carter to consider opening a "Defense Innovation Unit Experimental" (DIUx) office in New Mexico as part of the military's mission to widen the technology gap between the United States and its adversaries. Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich, Luján Announce $225,000 Grant For Los Alamos Manufacturing Company To Develop Solar Energy Technology

    U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Ben Ray Luján (N.M.-03) announced that UbiQD, LLC, a New Mexico-based quantum dot manufacturer, was awarded a $225,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The 12-month grant award will help fund research and development of luminescent solar concentrating glass windows with quantum dot coatings. In July, the company expanded its license to include the proof-of-concept work on this technology, originally developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Read More