[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

RE: Security at U.S. Nuclear Labs Called Unacceptable



Markey's latest comments in the Boston Globe cite DOE for its lack of

security.  He says that the in last 10 years it has dropped by about 50%.

Who was the President in eight of the last 10 years?  Why was it lowered?

Was it the Budget?  Always blame the Department or the Government even if

you are part of it.  



These are my own comments and not those of my Agency.



Edmond J. Baratta

Radiation Safety Officer

Tel. No. 781-729-5700, ext 728

FAX: 781-729-3593





-----Original Message-----

From: Dukelow, James S Jr [mailto:jim.dukelow@PNL.GOV] 

Sent: Tuesday, August 20, 2002 4:24 PM

To: 'Sandy Perle'; radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu; powernet@hps1.org

Subject: RE: Security at U.S. Nuclear Labs Called Unacceptable





Markey has certainly provided us with a lot of dribble and drivel over the

years, but he is, happily enough, a Representative, not a Senator, AND the

point he is making about current Administration budget games and their

impact on laboratory security seems entirely germane.



Best regards.



Jim Dukelow

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Richland, WA

jim.dukelow@pnl.gov



These comments are mine and have not been reviewed and/or approved by my

management or by the U.S. Department of Energy.



-----Original Message-----

From: Sandy Perle [mailto:sandyfl@EARTHLINK.NET]

Sent: Tuesday, August 20, 2002 12:28 PM

To: radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu; powernet@hps1.org

Subject: Security at U.S. Nuclear Labs Called Unacceptable





More dribble form the honorable senator from MA:



Security at U.S. Nuclear Labs Called Unacceptable



WASHINGTON Aug 20 (Reuters) - The Bush administration is not doing 

enough to secure U.S. nuclear weapons facilities from terrorists, who 

could quickly use materials stored there to make atomic bombs, a 

Democratic congressman alleged in a new report on Tuesday. 



Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Edward Markey said lax security at 

Department of Energy ( news - web sites) facilities such as New 

Mexico's Los Alamos National Laboratory and California's Lawrence 

Livermore National Laboratory posed "an unacceptable level of risk 

that terrorists could successfully target these sites." 



Markey, a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, 

blamed Bush administration budget cuts and foot-dragging by the 

Energy Department almost a year after the Sept. 11 attacks. 



"It is clear that the DOE has continued its long tradition of 

aggressive indifference to the security of its nuclear weapons 

facilities," he said. "Incredibly, the White House has twice refused 

to fund security activities described by the secretary of energy as 

'urgent security needs."' 



The report was based on more than 250 pages of documents provided to 

Markey by the Energy Department. Ten major U.S. nuclear facilities, 

many located near urban areas, hold enough weapons-grade plutonium or 

enriched uranium to build crude nuclear bombs, it said. 



The Energy Department in March requested almost $380 million in extra 

funds to bolster its nuclear security measures, but the bulk of the 

request was denied by the White House Budget Office. 



Congress then included $138 million for nuclear security in a recent 

emergency spending bill, but President Bush ( news - web sites) said 

he would not spend that money, or another $5 billion in other 

congressional priorities, due to budget constraints. 



"The president is playing a dangerous game when he vetoes critical 

security resources as a strategy to revive the economy," Markey said. 

The report said the Department of Energy had reduced the numbers of 

security guards at nuclear facilities by nearly 40 percent in the 

last 10 years, he said. 



Energy Department officials were not available for comment on 

Tuesday.



-------------------------------------------------

Sandy Perle

Director, Technical

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service

ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue

Costa Mesa, CA 92626



Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100  Extension 2306

Fax:(714) 668-3149



E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net

E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com



Personal Website: http://sandy-travels.com/

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com/



************************************************************************

You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,

send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu  Put the text "unsubscribe

radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.

You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/

************************************************************************

You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,

send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu  Put the text "unsubscribe

radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.

You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/

************************************************************************

You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,

send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu  Put the text "unsubscribe

radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.

You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/