Democrats and Republicans have fought over many issues this
year, but members of both parties criticized the University of
California’s management of Los Alamos National Laboratory on
Thursday in a hearing in Washington D.C.
Testifying before Congress, UC President Richard Atkinson said
the university takes full responsibility for the management
problems at the lab and is working hard to fix them.
“We remain committed to … restoring the American
public’s confidence in Los Alamos and the university’s
management of it,” Atkinson said.
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham decided
to place the lab management contract up for competitive bids in
2005 because of “widespread” management problems.
Security concerns have grown in recent years amid allegations
that laptops and hard drives with classified information are
unaccounted for, and other property is missing.
Department of Energy investigations have also revealed
unauthorized lab spending and employees trying to buy personal
items like camping gear with government funds.
As a result, leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee
from both parties have criticized the UC’s management.
“There is a great deal of blame to spread around, but most
of it belongs on the backs of the University of California,”
John Dingell, D-Mich, the committee’s ranking Democrat, said
in a statement.
Atkinson defended the university’s practices, saying the
UC took “strong action” after it became aware of the
problems at the lab.
“The record will show that the university has responded
quickly and that it has responded well,” Atkinson said.
When Abraham made his decision Wednesday, he praised the
“vigorous action” the university has taken since
discovering the problems at the lab, but said the UC is responsible
for the lab’s management failures.
Atkinson said he relies on the lab’s director to manage
the lab, and former Los Alamos managers did not tell him about
problems quickly.
The National Nuclear Security Administration’s consistent
rating of lab operations as “excellent” gave Atkinson a
false impression.
Linton Brooks, acting National Nuclear Security administrator,
told Abraham this evaluation process needs to change.
Brooks also recommended the lab contract should be placed up for
a competitive bid. Abraham followed this idea, to the satisfaction
of members from both political parties.
“Periodic competition should be the normal and necessary
procedure for such an important contract,” said committee
chair Billy Tauzin, R-La., in opening the hearing.
The UC has managed Los Alamos without competition since it was
created to form the world’s first atomic bomb 60 years
ago.
Atkinson told members of Congress his instinct is that the UC
should compete for the contract, but it is not his decision to
make.
The UC Regents will need to determine what it will take to
compete and whether the UC should actively pursue a contract to
manage the nuclear lab, he said.
Regardless of the regents’ decision, Atkinson pledged the
university will continue to improve its business practices at Los
Alamos until the current contract ends.