DOE news from "What's New"

[Susan Gawarecki <loc@icx.net>]

<<WHAT'S NEW   Robert L. Park   Friday, 26 May 00   Washington, DC

1. NIF: RICHARDSON IS FURIOUS AS WAR BREAKS OUT BETWEEN LABS. 
The cost of the humongous laser facility at Livermore is up from
a 1997 estimate of $1.2B to $2.1B.  Now, the General Accounting
Office says the real cost may be $3.6B.  That prompted Sandia
Labs VP Tom Hunter to issue a statement warning that delays and
cost overruns will "disrupt the investment needed at the other
[weapons] labs by several years."  Energy Secretary Richardson
exploded: "Mr. Hunter's views will be totally disregarded."  Like
ballistic missiles, press releases can't be called back, but
Sandia's Director, Paul Robinson, says they're sorry: "We regret
Sandia's inadvertent action in releasing an internal document." 
An accompanying note states: "Sandia plans no further public
comment, and no Sandia official is available to elaborate on it."

2. DOE: NOMINEE TO HEAD SCIENCE OFFICE TELLS IT LIKE IT IS.  In
her confirmation hearing, Mildred Dresselhaus warned the Senate
Energy Committee against overreaction to spy scares: "The defense
labs must have contact with the rest of the world."  And she took
exception to a call by Sen. Murkowski (R-AK) for "benchmarking"
basic research projects.  Dresselhaus patiently explained that
you can't set a schedule for basic discoveries.  MIT Institute
Professor of physics and electrical engineering, Dresselhaus was
President of the American Physical Society in 1984.

THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY (Note: Opinions are the author's
and are not necessarily shared by the APS, but they should be.)>>
-- 
==================================================
Susan L. Gawarecki, Ph.D., Executive Director
Oak Ridge Reservation Local Oversight Committee, Inc.
136 S Illinois Ave, Ste 208, Oak Ridge, TN 37830
Phone (865) 483-1333; Fax (865) 482-6572; E-mail loc@icx.net 
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