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January 30, 2003

Energy Department Calls Firing Of Whistleblowers "Incomprehensible"

By Robert Gehrke
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON   —   Los Alamos National Laboratory officials failed to act to address problems in managing lab property and discouraged employees from expressing concerns, according to a report released Thursday by the Energy Department's inspector general.
    The report corroborated many of the claims about weak internal control and property management at the lab made by investigators Glenn Walp and Steve Doran. The report said the lab's firing of the two men last November after they blew the whistle on the problems was "incomprehensible."
    "It is impossible to imagine that this action would not have had a chilling effect on other employees who might have contemplated speaking out about problems at the laboratory," wrote Energy Department Inspector General Gregory H. Friedman.
    Walp had not seen the report when contacted Thursday morning at his Santa Fe home by The Associated Press.
    However, based upon the introductory section read to him, Walp said: "It obviously, absolutely, confirms and supports everything that Steve and I have been saying from the very beginning as it concerns mismanagement, theft and rampant corruption at the Los Alamos lab."
    The report said lab managers failed to take appropriate, timely action to address the theft and security of lab equipment and inadequate controls over purchasing. They also did not provide sufficient guidance on when law enforcement should be notified of matters at the lab, and issued directives discouraging employees from raising concerns.
    "Whether intended as a cover-up or not," Friedman wrote, the actions "resulted in delayed identification and resolution of the underlying property and procurement weaknesses."
    Officials from the lab and the University of California, which runs the lab for the Energy Department, did not immediately comment.
    "I am disappointed in what we learned today about Los Alamos National Lab," said Rep. Ralph Hall, D-Texas, the ranking member on the House Science Committee, which has sought an investigation by the General Accounting Office, Congress' investigatory arm. "While the IG found no evidence of criminal intent, it is likely that the systems management put in place allowed criminal activity to occur. That must change."
    Walp and Doran reported to the lab that $2.7 million worth of computers and other equipment was missing, and that lab employees had misused lab-issued charge cards   —   including one who tried to buy a souped-up Ford Mustang.
    After they were fired by the lab, the two investigators were rehired as advisers to the University of California, which manages the lab for the DOE.
    Five top lab managers have been toppled since the allegations came to light, including former Director John Browne. The FBI and several congressional committees are also investigating the lab and congressional hearings are expected next month.
    It was the latest in a string of embarrassments for the lab, most notably of which was the botched investigation into classified material mishandled by lab scientist Wen Ho Lee.
    The lab was born from the secret Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb during World War II.
    "This raises serious questions about management issues at Los Alamos National Laboratory   —   many that were supposed to have been addressed in the wake of the Wen Ho Lee investigation," said House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert. "One of the main conclusions I can draw from this report is that this further investigation is certainly warranted."
    The inspector general interviewed more than 60 lab employees, as well as Walp and Doran, and reviewed thousands of pages of records. The inspector general did not verify each of Walp and Doran's claims of missing equipment.
    Investigations by the inspector general and the FBI into those matters are continuing, the report said. The report said it did not find that the lab deliberately covered up criminal activity.
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    Associated Press reporter Leslie Hoffman in Albuquerque contributed to this report.