Los Alamos Employees Send SOS to Congress

[babylonsister]

http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/0321-02.htm

Los Alamos Employees Send SOS to Congress
Employees Cite “Gross Mismanagement” and Request Congressional Investigation

WASHINGTON - March 21 - Current and former employees from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Los Alamos Site Office have sent an administrative SOS to the U.S. Congress asking for an investigation into the office’s rampant management problems.

The letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), refers to problems that include chronic understaffing, cronyism, constant and haphazard reorganizations, and inadequate training.

“The ‘we’ who have authored this letter constitute a group of current and former employees of the Los Alamos Site Office (LASO) and the New Mexico DOE Complex,” the employees add. “As a group our personnel have a sum of more that 100 years of experience. We can say with confidence that we have never in our careers, either in public service or the private sector witnessed such gross mismanagement as seen at the Los Alamos Site Office.”

The University of California and Bechtel last year won a questionable competition to continue managing the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), although US has held the contract for decades. The NNSA then initiated a “pilot program” that allows the contractor to oversee itself.

“It was ludicrous to think that the same contractors who couldn’t manage the lab for years would suddenly be able to manage the lab,” said Danielle Brian, POGO’s executive director. “When employees who have more than 100 years of combined experience decide to ask Congress to look into the problems you know you’ve got a real mess on your hands. I hope Congress heeds the employees’ call.”

A .pdf copy of the letter is attached here .

Founded in 1981, the Project On Government Oversight is an independent nonprofit which investigates and exposes corruption and other misconduct in order to achieve a more accountable federal government

[helderheid]

1. k

[Lilith Velkor]

2. Egads.

:kick:

[robinlynne]

3. humm.