Statement of Congressman John D. Dingell
October 18, 2000

This latest DOE coddling of its contractor, the University of California, demonstrates ‘business as usual’ at the DOE and its labs. Since 1999, there have been two major security breaches at the Los Alamos lab and many other security problems. The cause has been pinpointed in numerous reports as a failing of lab officials and employees to make security a priority.

Nothing has changed. No one has been disciplined at Los Alamos, except for Wen Ho Lee. No one has lost his or her job, except Wen Ho Lee. And now the Department has rewarded the University of California with yet another five-year contract for these cosmetic actions which were actually lab-initiated responses to their bad press. The absence of accountability is alarming, but no longer surprising.

(For further information, contact: Edith Holleman
or Brendan Kelsay at (202) 226-3400)