Tri-Valley CAREs works to strengthen global security by stopping the development of new nuclear weapons in the US and by promoting the elimination of nuclear weapons globally. Tri-Valley CAREs monitors nuclear weapons and environmental clean-up activities throughout the US nuclear weapons complex, with a special focus on the Lawrence Livermore Lab and surrounding communities.
Eliminating NNSA- A Letter to the Editor from Tri-Valley CAREs Board Member Beverly King
Dec29
The Independent Newspaper
Mailbox/Opinion, December 29, 2011
Eliminating NNSA
Beverly King
Livermore
The semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) was carved out of the US Department of Energy (DOE) in 2000 in response to perceived national security needs, primarily related to nuclear research labs including our local Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. NNSA has added costs and often duplicated existing DOE functions at its sites. A recent DOE Special Report called "Management Challenges at the DOE," questions how effective, serviceable and needed the semi-autonomous NNSA is.
The answer is obvious to me. In these times of needed budget cuts, reducing or even eliminating NNSA would create much need savings. It would also reduce bureaucracy and cut red tape. Duplicating operations does not increase security, but it does double costs which we cannot afford.
There is an agreement between the DOE and the National Academy of Sciences to study each of NNSA's three labs, including Livermore Lab, to evaluate the quality of the science and engineering. Hopefully this study uncovers ways to improve economic efficiency at these facilities and provides useful information for evaluating the re-incorporation of NNSA into the DOE's organizational structure.
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