Los Alamos – Working agreements and public communications
Awaiting response
- Agency
- National Nuclear Security Administration / Department of Energy
- Reference
- 3142931
- Filed
- September 1, 2026
We know very little about the actual agreements and communication between University of Michigan and Los Alamos. We are requesting information around their operating agreements, communication between UofM/LANL/Triad (Triad National Security, LLC is a management and operating contractor for LANL) around how to handle public communications.
We are within the response period and will post when we receive an official response.
PLEASE NOTE: To our community – there is a lot of talk around nuclear power generation happening on-site at the Textile road property. This is not possible for many reasons – see here for the writeup. Los Alamos National Laboratory, however, does fall under the jurisdiction of the NNSA (National Nuclear Security Administration) and the DoE (Department of Energy). That is the only reason you see the NNSA mentioned in this request.
The paper trail
Original Request
To the NNSA FOIA Officer: Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552,and DOE regulations at 10 C.F.R. Part 1004, I request copies of the following recordsconcerning the proposed research computing center in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, tobe operated in partnership between the University of Michigan and Los Alamos NationalLaboratory. Time period: January 1, 2024 to the date this request is processed. Part A —Public communications and community engagement All communications betweenNNSA or LANL personnel and the University of Michigan concerning publiccommunications, community engagement, public meetings, or media strategy relatingto the Ypsilanti Township site. Records concerning any NNSA or LANL review, approval,or comment on public statements, printed materials, mailings, or FAQ content about theproject — including any postcard or direct mail sent to Ypsilanti Township residents in oraround August 2026. Records showing whether any NNSA or LANL funds, or funds underthe LANL management and operating contract, were used for public outreach,advertising, printing, or mailing relating to the project, and any invoices or cost recordsfor such activity. Records concerning the September 9, 2026 public town hall, includingany NNSA or LANL participation, preparation materials, or anticipated questions andanswers. Part B — Project agreements and scope Any memorandum of understanding,lease, license, use agreement, or draft thereof between NNSA or LANL and the Universityof Michigan concerning occupancy or use of the facility. Records sufficient to show theplanned allocation of computing capacity between LANL and the University, and theelectrical capacity planned for LANL's use. Records concerning whether classified workwill be performed at the Ypsilanti Township facility and any associated securitycategorization or facility clearance determinations. Records concerning LANL's siteselection process that led to the University of Michigan partnership, includingalternative sites or institutions considered. Agency records. Records in the possession ofTriad National Security, LLC, as the management and operating contractor for LANL, thatwere created or obtained by the agency and are subject to agency control are agencyrecords subject to the FOIA. I refer you to Los Alamos Study Group, OHA Case No. FIA-22-0021 (July 11, 2022), in which the Office of Hearings and Appeals granted an appeal of adetermination that responsive contractor records were not agency records. Pleasesearch contractor records accordingly, and if you decline to do so, please state thatposition explicitly so it may be appealed. Fee category and waiver. I am a non-commercial requester. I request a waiver of fees under 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(A)(iii):disclosure is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to publicunderstanding of the operations and activities of the government, concerning afederally funded facility proposed in a residential community, and it is not primarily inmy commercial interest. The records will be published and made freely available to thepublic. If a waiver is denied, please provide an itemized estimate and contact me before
incurring costs above $50. Format: native electronic format with metadata intact,delivered electronically. Segregability. If any portion is withheld, please cite the specificexemption for each record and release all reasonably segregable non-exempt portionsas required by 5 U.S.C. § 552(b). For any record withheld under Exemption 5, please statewhether the foreseeable harm standard of 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(8)(A) has been applied.Please treat this as a request to preserve all responsive records. Sincerely, AndrewMelicharReceipt of Request -- 26-00657-M
RECEIPT OF FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST
Dear Andrew Melichar:
This email acknowledges the receipt of your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) FOIA Office received your request on September 1, 2026.
Your request stated the following:
I request copies of the following records concerning the proposed research computing center in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, to be operated in partnership between the University of Michigan and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Time period: January 1, 2024 to the date this request is processed.
Part A — Public communications and community engagement All communications between NNSA or LANL personnel and the University of Michigan concerning public communications, community engagement, public meetings, or media strategy relating to the Ypsilanti
Township site. Records concerning any NNSA or LANL review, approval, or comment on public statements, printed materials, mailings, or FAQ content about the project — including any postcard or direct mail sent to Ypsilanti Township residents in or around August 2026.
Records showing whether any NNSA or LANL funds, or funds under the LANL management and operating contract, were used for public outreach, advertising, printing, or mailing relating to the project, and any invoices or cost records for such activity. Records
concerning the September 9, 2026 public town hall, including any NNSA or LANL participation, preparation materials, or anticipated questions and answers.
Part B — Project agreements and scope Any memorandum of understanding, lease, license, use agreement, or draft thereof between NNSA or LANL and the University of Michigan concerning occupancy or use of the facility. Records sufficient to show the planned allocation of computing capacity between LANL and the University, and the electrical capacity planned for LANL's use. Records concerning whether classified work will be performed at the Ypsilanti Township facility and any associated security categorization or facility clearance determinations. Records concerning LANL's site selection process that led to the University of Michigan partnership, including alternative sites or institutions considered. Agency records. Records in the possession of Triad National Security, LLC, as the management and operating contractor for LANL, that were created or obtained by the agency and are subject to agency control are agency records subject to the FOIA.
It is the practice of the NNSA, in accordance with Departmental policy, to process FOIA requests in the approximate order of the date that the NNSA FOIA Office receives the requests. Your request is now out for a search for responsive records. A number of requests received prior to yours are pending, and we will process your request in turn. Please note that NNSA locations that are geographically separated from this office will need to search for records responsive to your request, thereby triggering the “unusual circumstances” provision of the Open Government Act of 2007. See 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6). We will make every effort to respond to your request as quickly as possible. However, we estimate that we will not be able to provide a response in 20 working days, as we need more time to complete the search, review the record(s) for release, and prepare the response to you, as some requests, depending on the volume of records, the complexity of the search, and/or the sensitivity of the subject matter, require additional time to complete. Reformulating or otherwise narrowing the scope of your request may result in quicker processing time.
In you request, you stated your willingness to pay up to $50.00 to process your request if a feww waiver is denied. With respect to your request for a waiver of fees, pursuant to 10 C.F.R. § 1004.9(a)(6), please note that NNSA does not charge fees for searching and processing FOIA requests if they amount to $15.00 or less. We have not determined, at this time, the costs involved in handling your request; however, we will consider your request for a waiver if we later determined that costs would exceed $15.00.
You may contact NNSA’s FOIA Public Liaison, Annie Maxfield, by telephone at 1‑866‑747‑5994, by email at [email protected], or by mail at Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Office of the General Counsel, PO Box 5400, Albuquerque, NM 87185, for further assistance and to discuss any aspect of your request. Additionally, you may contact the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) at the National Archives and Records Administration to inquire about the FOIA mediation services they offer. Contact information for OGIS: Office of Government Information Services, National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road-OGIS, College Park, Maryland 20740-6001, email [email protected]; telephone 202‑741‑5770; toll free 1‑877‑684‑6448; or by facsimile 202‑741‑5769.
If you have questions about the processing of this request, please contact me by email at [email protected], or write to the above address. Please reference Control Number FOIA 26-00657‑M in your communication.
Sincerely,
Delilah Perez
Government Information Specialist
DOE/NNSA JAG Abq-Complex, NA-GC-10
