From our Washington office…

US Senator Pete Domenici, a long-time protector of the national labs and perhaps the biggest congressional advocate of nuclear power, has announced he will retire at the end of his term next year (AP, CNN). Domenici has reportedly been diagnosed with a degenerative brain disease (CNN).

News reports have focused on the New Mexico Republican’s departure as the latest sign of a crumbling Republican party (Washington Post, CNN). He is one of several Republican Senators who will be stepping down next year, making an already difficult election even harder. But his departure will spark particular interest within Energy Department laboratories. Known alternatively as an old budgetary hawk and a master of political pork [Funds distributed to curry favour – ed.], Domenici has spent the past 35 years ensuring that Los Alamos and Sandia, in particular, get the money they need – if not a little more. These talents have earned him the moniker “Saint Pete”, frequently employed by critics and supporters alike.

Although his influence will surely be missed among many in the Land of Enchantment, it’s unlikely that New Mexico would elect a successor who is openly hostile toward the national laboratories, which bring several billion dollars into the state each year. On the other hand, Domenici has been the biggest backer of a controversial Energy Department proposal to revive nuclear reprocessing in support of a global expansion of nuclear power. It is unclear who will carry the torch on Capitol Hill in his absence.

Jeff Tollefson, Reporter, Washington bureau