Obama eyes Pentagon control of federal labsThe Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Feb 4, 2009 12:58:17 EST
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Obama administration is considering moving the nation’s federal weapons complex, including New Mexico’s Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories, under military control, ending decades of civilian oversight.
The Albuquerque Journal, in a copyright story Wednesday, said an internal memo it obtained shows the administration is looking into turning over control of the labs to the Department of Defense. They currently are controlled by the Department of Energy.
The Office of Management and Budget memo, which carried no date, said such a change would not occur until at least 2011.
The chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., said Tuesday he told OMB chief Peter Orszag he had concerns about such a plan, which he called shortsighted.
“I will fight it tooth and nail if they intend to proceed with it,” he said he told Orszag.
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