March 17, 2014

ENERGY SECRETARY SEEKS STRONGER PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN NNSA, SITES

By ExchangeMonitor

During a visit to Los Alamos National Laboratory yesterday, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz suggested a stronger partnership between the labs and NNSA could help solve the management issues that have plagued the agency over the last several years. Moniz visited Los Alamos as part of his first official visit to New Mexico as Energy Secretary while a Congressional advisory panel on NNSA governance held an organizing session outside Washington at the same time. “The key issue is how does one maximize the contribution of the laboratories and the production complex to nuclear security in particular,” Moniz said during a brief press conference at Los Alamos. “I believe that will be maximized with the national security laboratories within the Department of Energy. I believe we need more integration rather than less, but that will be a dialogue with this panel.”

Among ideas that may be discussed by the committee are issues involving removing, loosening or reorganizing DOE’s current responsibilities. Meanwhile, Moniz said federal officials and the lab directors, who have met frequently on the governance issues, will be tackling some of the current challenges. “We will be moving to streamline our security approach, and then we will do the same with safety, so we can get our work done more efficiently,” he said. The committee planned to visit DOE and NNSA headquarters today for meetings and briefings with key DOE and NNSA leaders.

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