Safety oversight trimmed at U.S. nuclear labs

The Department of Energy (DOE) is planning to streamline the way it oversees the safety and security of its national laboratories. The move is raising the hackles of groups that worry about breaches of nuclear security. A March 16th memo from Daniel Poneman, the deputy energy secretary, states that the department is aiming for "near-term relief from specific low-value burdensome requirements", and wants at least a 50% reduction in safety and security directives from the oversight office.  Peter Stockton of the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), says that high levels of oversight should be strengthened, not streamlined.  He cited recent security failures including a mock terrorist attack staged in 2008, in which defenses at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory were penetrated. "We think this is all wrong," he says.  POGO's work on nuclear security is supported by Ploughshares Fund.