Though management at the Los Alamos National Laboratory may not have engaged in an actual cover-up attempt, lab officials did not act correctly amid allegations of theft and missing equipment, according to a Department of Energy report released Thursday.
The report, conducted by the office of DOE Inspector General Gregory Friedman, did not conclude if officials at the lab, which is managed by the University of California, intentionally hindered investigations, though their actions, especially the firings of two investigators, frustrated efforts to solve problems at LANL.
The firings, along with other cases of mismanagement, “raise doubt about Los Alamos’ commitment to solving noted problems ... and were inconsistent with Laboratory and University of California obligations,” wrote Friedman.
The report does not recommend the DOE rescind the university’s lab contract, though it calls on the UC to make improvements, including increased accountability for lab property and better internal controls.
Ralph Hall, D-Texas, ranking member of the House Science Committee, called for better management to prevent illegal activity.
“While the IG found no evidence of criminal intent, it is likely that the systems management in place allowed criminal activity to occur. That must change,” he said.
In a statement, the UC said the DOE report was generally consistent with the university’s findings.
Since the university substantively agrees with the report, the university will not file a response.
“When you find that the conclusions are consistent, I don’t think that there’s anything to respond to,” said UC press aide Michael Reese.
The UC has rehired the two investigators, Glenn Walp and Steve Doran, who were fired by lab managers in November after criticizing management’s handling of alleged thefts. The UC concluded they were improperly terminated, and assigned them to assist the university in finding business and security problems at the labs.
The firings were “incomprehensible,” wrote Friedman.
Other problems detailed in the report include official instructions telling LANL employees to “resist the temptation ‘to spill your guts,’” and 363 computers lost, stolen or missing in fiscal years 1999-2002.
Numbers on missing computers were provided by LANL management, and not independently verified by the DOE report.
The report also did not assess the labs’ claim that no classified data was compromised by the loss of the computers.
The UC is undertaking drastic restructuring of management at LANL. In addition to hiring of former Vice Admiral George “Pete” Nanos as interim director, the university has replaced senior management in security, business and auditing positions.
With reports from Daily Bruin wire services.