Offic ials at the National Nuc lear Security Administration's Pantex Plant have slightly lowered the estimate for repairing the damage from historic flooding in July, but an ongoing debate about how much money to spend on preventing damage from the next flood has made the estimate a moving target. Laura Bailey, a spokeswoman for plant contractor B&W Pantex, told NW&M Monitor late last week that the plant has spent $8.8 million on initial flood recovery efforts and needs another $17.2 million to address "critical, but less urgent, damage" to the plant such as damage to roofs, walls, doors, pipes, and electrical systems. But she said another $25 million could be used to prepare the plant for future deluges, though the NNSA has chartered a study to assess how much is actually needed to protect against what has been termed a once-in-a-millennium flood.
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