ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – Los Alamos National Laboratory plans within a year to remove all weapons-grade nuclear material from a part of the lab that has raised security concerns, according to an internal federal document.

The National Nuclear Security Administration document said the highly enriched uranium and plutonium in Technical Area 18 would be moved to a facility at the Nevada Test Site starting this month.

An NNSA spokesman would not immediately comment Friday on the Aug. 20 document, which was obtained by the watchdog group Project on Government Oversight.

Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham has said he is committed to moving the nuclear materials out of the research center because the area is difficult to defend and vulnerable to terrorist attack.

The lab, operated by the University of California under contract with the Energy Department, has recently suffered a string of embarrassing management failures. In June, the keys to Technical Area 18 were missing for 16 hours before a security guard noticed. An investigation determined that no security breach occurred before the keys to the area were found in a security vehicle, a lab spokesman has said.

Other problems include reports of financial abuse by employees, two misplaced computer hard drives with secret nuclear-related material and the firing of two lab investigators who raised concerns about management.

Pete Stockton, a senior investigator for Project on Government Oversight, said it is the first time that the NNSA has committed to moving all the weapons-grade material from Technical Area 18 by a certain date.

“We’re still cautiously optimistic that this will happen,” said Stockton, a former special security assistant to former Energy Secretary Bill Richardson. “The problem is we’ve heard these things before and the proof is in the move.”

The document said the move would be complete by September 2005.



On the Net:

NNSA document: http://www.pogo.org/p/x/2004nuclearweapons.html

AP-ES-09-17-04 1939EDT


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