Journal North:  Home | Sports | Opinion | Obits | Entertainment

          Front Page  paperboy  text  north

January 24, 2003

California Lab Faces Scrutiny Amid LANL Problems

   
   
   
The Associated Press
    WASHINGTON   —   The University of California is facing heightened government scrutiny of its management of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, even as it tries to deal with problems at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
    Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., on Friday asked the Energy Department's inspector general to investigate allegations of mismanagement and retaliation against a whistleblower at the Livermore lab in California.
    "These allegations, if true, would indicate that the recent disclosures at Los Alamos National Laboratory may represent just the tip of the iceberg," Markey said.
    The university runs the labs for the Energy Department.
    In the allegations that prompted Markey's request, a government contractor said nearly $6 million in government funds were improperly diverted and a former lab employee said she was retaliated against after she reported misappropriation of funds, falsification of records and other problems.
    The Energy Department, in a letter, also has told the university official in charge of lab management to expect that its investigation of management problems at Los Alamos will be broadened to include Livermore.
    The letter was obtained by the Project on Government Oversight and posted on its Web site. Energy Department officials confirmed the existence of the letter, but would not release it.
    Calls to the university's Washington office were not immediately returned Friday.
    The Energy Department, the FBI and three congressional committees already are investigating alleged instances of fraud and mismanagement at Los Alamos, which UC has run for 60 years.
    There are allegations of $2.7 million in lost computers and equipment and $4.9 million in questionable or unaccounted-for credit card purchases, including one employee who allegedly tried to buy a souped-up Ford Mustang with a lab card.
    Los Alamos announced Thursday that its audit office   —   now under direct UC oversight   —   will take over fraud, theft and abuse investigative responsibilities from the lab security office.
   

---

    On the Net:
    Project on Government Oversight: pogo.org/
    Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory: llnl.gov/