Testimony by the Inspector General

Request to testify regarding recent allegations associated with occupational medical services and tank farm vapor exposures at the Hanford Site. During the Cold War, the United States’ nuclear weapons complex generated large amounts of hazardous and radioactive waste. The Department of Energy is responsible for the cleanup of numerous contaminated sites and facilities that supported nuclear weapons production activities. Associated with this is the need to protect the
safety and health of the Department’s workforce and the citizens in the communities surrounding these cleanup sites. For several years, my office has identified environmental cleanup and worker and community safety as significant challenges facing the Department.

Testify regarding physical security athte Department of Energy's facilities. The Department’s activities range from nuclear nonproliferation, to cutting edge research and development, to weapons programs. The sensitive and critical nature of the Department’s work necessitates that its security operations be robust, and for the last several years, the Office of
Inspector General has identified security as one of the most critical management challenges facing the Department. Therefore, our office devotes a significant portion of its resources to reviewing the effectiveness of those operations. Our work has been extensive and across the
security spectrum, including physical security, personnel security, cyber security, and the protection of Department assets, such as computers, firearms, and nuclear materials.

Request to testify on the Office of Inspector General's (OIG) reviews of management practices at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (Laboratory). In February of this year, I testified before this Subcommittee regarding our Special Inquiry report on Operations at Los Alamos National Laboratory (DOE/IG-0584, January 2003). That report noted a series of actions taken by Laboratory officials, which obscured serious property and
procurement management problems and weakened relevant internal controls. In March, I testified before the House Committee on Government Reform on the Department of Energy’s (Department) contract administration activities, including the need for the Department to more
effectively manage certain aspects of contract operations at Los Alamos.

Request to testify on the Department of Energy's (Department) contract administration activities. The Department is one of the most contractor dependent agencies in the Federal government. It places great reliance on contract operations to accomplish its mission. The basic premise of this relationship is that contractors manage the day-to-day operations, while the Department is responsible for administering the contracts to ensure
that the taxpayers receive fair value for their money and that the contractors are held accountable for their performance.