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In 1993, the Department of Energy proposed developing the Atlas Pulsed Power Experimental Facility (Atlas) as part of its effort to assure the reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile after the moratorium on below-ground nuclear weapons testing. The $49 million facility was intended to produce more than 30 million amperes of electric current for weapon-physics experiments to allow validation of certain elements of nuclear weapons computer codes. Once authorized, Atlas was assembled within budget and on time. The assembled facility is currently undergoing acceptance testing and in December, 2000, Atlas discharged 28.7 million amperes of current, duplicating the world record for current produced by a capacitor bank with only 75 percent of the facility's design voltage used. According to the Director of Physics at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, given the success of its operation to date, the Atlas facility was expected to become a valuable tool for stockpile stewardship experimentation. The objective of the audit was to evaluate issues that have been raised relating to the need for Atlas.

The Need for the Atlas Pulsed Power Experimental Facility

EM-1 Related Memorandum

Response to several FOIA requests - Renewable Energy, February 09, 2001, 11501_11750.pdf

Response to several FOIA requests - Renewable Energy, February 09, 2001, 11501_11750.pdf

Recently enacted appropriations law required agency Inspectors General to report within 60 days on the collection of information about individuals accessing agency web sites. With limited exceptions, the Department of Energy is prohibited from collecting personal information from individuals accessing its public web sites, and must post conspicuous privacy notices containing clear and unambiguous explanations of any permissible data collection activities and their purpose. The most prominent example of an impermissible collection method is through the use of "persistent cookies." Persistent cookies are small files containing unique identifiers that a web server places on a site visitor's computer that can be used to retrieve information about the user. These files remain embedded in a user's hard drive and can facilitate information collection until they expire or are removed. The objective of our audit was to determine whether the Department's method of collecting data from its public web site visitors was consistent with applicable Federal regulations.

Internet Privacy

We reviewed the Department of Energy's (Department) progress in implementing the Federal Managers' Financial Integrity Act (FMFIA) of 1982. The review was made to assist you in determining whether the evaluations of the systems of management, accounting, and administrative controls were carried out in a reasonable and prudent manner by the Department for Fiscal Year 2000.

Federal Managers' Financial Integrity Act Audit Report

The Department of Energy’s laboratories, including those managed by the National Nuclear Security Administration, conduct research involving biological select agents and select agent materials (e.g., DNA or select agents and subunits of toxins derived from select agents). For example, the laboratories are currently working to develop detection and response systems to improve preparedness in the event of a domestic attack involving the use of a biological select agent as a weapon of mass destruction. Biological select agents include about 40 viruses, bacteria, rickettsia, fungi, and toxins whose transfer within the United States is controlled. This is because such agents pose a substantial threat to public health and safety.