Critics ‘guardedly optimistic’ about energy policy changes

Suzanne Struglinski

Wednesday, May 12, 2004 | 9:41 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- The usual critics of the Energy Department's security policies approved of changes announced by the department Friday, but want to see the fixes actually implemented.

Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said on Friday the department will re-examine security polices for nuclear weapons facilities and national laboratories, which includes the Nevada Test Site, create a federal force of security guards, and improve computer security, among other new policies.

Danielle Brian, executive director of the Project on Government Oversight, a watchdog group that has been trying to get the department to improve its security, said the group is "guardedly optimistic," on the new policies at a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing Tuesday.

"This is the first time a DOE secretary has recognized and admitted the extent of the change necessary to improve security in the weapons complex," Brian said.

She said the Office of Security and Safety Performance will have to confront the National Nuclear Security Administration, which controls the facilities, and its "insidious efforts to delay, delay, delay any security improvements until they fall off the radar screen."

Brian noted the department's decision to ship nuclear material from Technical Area -18 at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico to a more secure site at the Test Site, 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, was four years over due.

"I hope this Committee holds NNSA's feet to the fire until the TA-18 materials are permanently moved to the Nevada Test Site," Brian said.

Meanwhile, Robin Nazzaro, director of the General Accounting Office's Natural Resources and Environment Team, told the committee the department's new policies were "significant" and "positive" but expressed concern about how the new plans were going to be implemented.

GAO issued a report last month that said the security plans for the weapons facilities need to be improved.

Deputy Energy Secretary Kyle McSlarrow said there is plan in place to get the reforms done. The department will also complete a study by next year that looks at consolidating material from the labs and what the weapons complex will require during the next 20 years.