ASHINGTON, April 22 — The White House cut 93 percent of a recent request by the secretary of energy for money to improve the security of nuclear weapons and waste, according to a letter from the secretary.Posted on 04/24/2002 10:57:29 AM PDT by goldylight
ASHINGTON, April 22 — The White House cut 93 percent of a recent request by the secretary of energy for money to improve the security of nuclear weapons and waste, according to a letter from the secretary.
The secretary, Spencer Abraham, said in the March 14 letter to Mitchell E. Daniels Jr., the director of the Office of Management and Budget, that the request, for $379.7 million, was "a critical down payment to the safety and security of our nation and its people."
The money, for guarding nuclear weapons, weapons materials and radioactive waste under the Energy Department's supervision, was part of a $27.1 billion emergency spending bill before Congress, the second such measure to be considered since the Sept. 11 attacks.
"Failure to support these urgent security requirements is a risk that would be unwise," the letter said. The New York Times obtained a copy from someone who favors more spending on nuclear security.
But Mr. Daniel passed on to Congress only $26.4 million of the request. Congress has not acted on it.
To improve the security of weapons and weapon material in storage, the letter listed areas for which the department wanted $138.3 million. They included equipment to detect explosives in packages and vehicles entering Energy Department sites ($12 million); better perimeter barriers and fences ($13 million); and improvements in Energy Department computers, including "firewalls" and intrusion detection equipment and increasing the ability to communicate "critical cyber threat and incident information" ($30 million). The request also asked for $41 million to reduce the number of places where bomb-grade plutonium and uranium was stored. All were turned down.
Also turned down was $34.1 million for increasing security at Energy Department laboratories.
The Energy Department did get $368.7 million in the first emergency spending measure of $40 billion, which Congress approved soon after the Sept. 11 attacks. It could get more money for the items that the White House rejected, because Congress has historically been willing to spend more than the administration on nuclear security.
"If they say we need money to secure nuclear warheads, apolitically, you think we'd agree to do that," said a Congressional aide familiar with the letter.
In his letter, Mr. Abraham noted that the department designed, manufactured, assembled, stockpiled and refurbished weapons and took them apart when they were retired. (The Defense Department controls deployed weapons.)
"We are storing vast amounts of materials that remain highly volatile and subject to unthinkable consequences if placed in the wrong hands," he wrote. "These materials permeate the departmental complex."
The first emergency spending bill "helped respond to the most urgent near-term security needs," Mr. Abraham wrote. But, he added, "the department now is unable to meet the next round of critical security mission requirements."
Asked to comment on the letter, Jeanne Lopatto, a department spokeswoman, said, "We're not going to get into details of discussions we have with the administration."
She added that "our nuclear weapons complex is among the most secure facilities in the world, and we are constantly assessing and evaluating security at the weapons complex."
She said that the department might shift funds from other programs into security and that the administration could possibly request more money from Congress.
"Our discussions with the Office of Management and Budget are ongoing," Ms. Lopatto said.
Critics of the Energy Department have argued that it is not prepared for attacks by suicidal terrorists, a threat not obvious before Sept. 11.
For example, the critics say, terrorists might enter areas where uranium or plutonium from bombs is stored, and rather than try to flee with material, giving defenders a chance to intercept them, they could assemble a bomb on the spot and cause a nuclear explosion. They could also enter with explosives and blow up a tank of nuclear waste, critics say, releasing vast amounts of radioactive material to spread with the wind.
David J. Sirota, a spokesman for the Democratic minority on the House Appropriations Committee, said the $138.3 million requested to protect storage of nuclear weapons and materials and the $100.8 million for security at nuclear weapon cleanup sites were worth providing.
Mr. Sirota asked: "Should we give Enron executives the $250 million tax break President Bush proposed, or should we use that money to secure our country against a nuclear attack using our own nuclear materials?"
The committee's ranking Democrat, David R. Obey, of Wisconsin, sought more money for nuclear weapons security in November but was voted down on party lines in committee in November, and the House voted, 216 to 211, not to debate the idea.
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Spencer Abraham was sworn in as the tenth Secretary of Energy on January 20, 2001, following his confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Prior to becoming Energy Secretary, Abraham represented Michigan in the United States Senate from 1995 to 2001. Elected in 1994, he served on the Budget, Commerce, Science and Transportation, Judiciary, and Small Business Committees. He also chaired two-important subcommittees: Manufacturing and Competitiveness, and Immigration. A forceful voice for the business community and free enterprise, Abraham endorsed policies and practices that promote and enhance America's competitiveness and global leadership. Among other things, Abraham was a leader in the Senate on support of free trade, legal and regulatory reform, and tax reform. Representing Michigan in the Senate made Abraham keenly aware of the many issues impacting manufacturers, businesses, and consumers. In addition, Abraham was widely viewed by his colleagues and most observers as the Senator with the best understanding of high-tech policy and issues and the contributions this important economic sector makes to America's economy and global success. Among other accomplishments, Abraham authored the Electronic Signature in Global and National Commerce Act, establishing a federal framework for on-line contracts and signatures; the Government Paperwork Elimination Act, and the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, which protects Internet domain names for businesses and persons against copyright and trademark infringements. Maintaining affable relationships with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle, Abraham authored twenty-two pieces of legislation that have been signed into law, an unprecedented accomplishment for a freshman Senator. Before his election to the Senate, Abraham served as co-chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) from 1991 to 1993. Prior to his tenure at the NRCC and following a successful term as the Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, Abraham was tapped to serve as Deputy Chief of Staff to Vice President Dan Quayle from 1990 to 1991. In this senior position, he worked closely with the Vice President and senior administration officials, managing the daily operations of the Vice President's office, budget, and staff. Abraham was also active in the affairs of the Vice President's Competitiveness Council, the Vice President's operation designed to provide administrative leadership on issues pertaining to U.S. business competitiveness. At 30, Abraham was elected to serve as chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, a position he held from 1983 to 1990. Abraham took over a party deeply in debt and not holding any major positions in the state government, but quickly began to reestablish the party as one of the strongest state political operations in the country. Spencer Abraham and his wife, Jane, live in Michigan and Virginia with their three children. He holds a law degree from Harvard University and is a native of East Lansing, Michigan. |
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Interesting that he was able to get Abraham's earlier internal letter to OMB- shows how deep into the fed bureaucracy the Dem's tentacles run.
Oil to the Elites? You don't drive a car?
As to the funds, I agree with the above poster: if these were so important, shift funds from the windmill program.
do away with the Department of Energy and transfer the responsibility to the military
Exactly!
The DOE couldn't secure Nuclear secrets from Wen Ho Lee and the Chinese, let alone a "bag lunch."
Their security is a joke. If it's that important use the military/law enforcement assests of the FED/STATE GOV.
Better yet, just close the DOE and save a few bucks.
How else would we pay for President Bush's increase in education spending, airline bailout and increased welfare payments? We got to cut the budget somewhere if we are going to pay for all of Bush's social programs. Why not cut funding to guard nuclear materials if the President need the money to pay for important items like Welfare payments to illegal aliens?
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