Energy Secretary Limits Role In Lab Oversight
Energy Secretary Steven Chu Limits His Oversight Of Research
Labs To Avoid Conflicts
WASHINGTON,
Feb. 6, 2009
(AP) Energy Secretary Steven Chu is
limiting his direct involvement in overseeing three of the Energy Department's
premier research laboratories to avoid potential conflicts of interest.
A
department spokesman acknowledged Friday that Chu has informed the department's
ethics office that he will recuse himself from contract, financial and certain
work performance related decisions at the Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore
national laboratories. They are managed by the University of California, the
secretary's former employer.
Chu has
also said in the past that he would recuse himself from certain issues
involving the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory where he was director until
chosen by President Barack Obama to be energy secretary.
Los
Alamos and Livermore are two of the government's premier nuclear weapons
research facilities, but they also conduct other research. The Berkeley lab has
been in the forefront of research into renewable energy.
Despite
the recusals, department spokesman Dan Leistikow said Chu remains
"actively engaged in oversight of the labs, is in frequent contact with
the lab directors and is regularly briefed about the security situation"
at the facilities.
Leistikow
characterized the kinds of decisions that Chu will not get involved in as
"mostly lower level" that normally would be taken care of by
subordinates. "He put these recusals in writing so there would be no
question about how seriously he takes matters of public trust," said
Leistikow in an e-mail.
But the
recusals, which largely involve contract and financial issues, raise questions
as to what extent Chu could get involved in lab performance and possible future
disciplinary action. The department's power to discipline a laboratory is
largely limited to withholding fees paid for poor performance or mismanagement.
Los
Alamos in New Mexico over the years has had a string of security lapses that
have reverberated to the highest levels of the Energy Department and prompted
fines and several management changes at the lab. Lawrence Livermore also has
had past problems involving security and environmental issues.
Chu's
recusal letter, dated Jan. 6, was first reported Friday by The Energy Daily
trade publication.
(This version CORRECTS the secretary's name to Steven Chu instead of David.)