Committee on Appropriations [...]
U.S. House of RepresentativesHouse Report 107-112
on H.R. 2311ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT APPROPRIATIONS BILL, 2002
[excerpts on security]
SECURITY AND EMERGENCY OPERATIONS
Security and emergency operations provides a domestic safeguards and security program for protection of nuclear weapons, nuclear materials, nuclear facilities, and classified and unclassified information, including cyber systems, against sabotage, espionage, terrorist activities, or any loss or unauthorized disclosure that could endanger the national security or disrupt operations. The Committee recommendation for security and emergency operations is $249,927,000, a reduction of $19,323,000 from the budget request of $269,250,000.
The Department's safeguards and security programs seem to careen from one incident to another--alleged loss of nuclear weapons secrets, misplaced computer hard drives with classified information, and alleged discriminatory actions toward visitors. The Department of Energy spends over $1 billion annually on safeguards and security activities, but none of these security incidents were caused by lack of funding. The Committee urges the new Administration to review the underlying basis for each of the Department's security practices to determine if current procedures result in excessive costs without commensurate protection for employees, facilities, and national security programs.
Public access to DOE facilities- The Committee is concerned about the practice used by the Department of Energy to require identification of citizenship as a security screening tool. The Committee notes that the Department of Defense, whose security needs are no less important than those of the Department of Energy, does not use this procedure at the Pentagon. The Department of Energy's practice to require identification of citizenship for entry into its facilities, even for unclassified visits in non-secure areas, fosters the perception of racial profiling no matter how well intended. In a recent alarming incident, admittance to DOE headquarters was refused to a Chinese-American Member of Congress, who was participating in a DOE celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The Congressman was asked three times if he was an American, and two guards refused to accept his congressional identification for admittance or that of an Asian American aide who accompanied him. The Committee directs that the Secretary of Energy review security procedures for access to DOE facilities to determine whether the use of identification of citizenship is a proper, effective, and sensitive method and is consistent with procedures at other Federal facilities where classified information is kept. The Secretary shall report his findings to the Appropriations Committees of Congress by September 1, 2001.
Nuclear Safeguards and Security- The nuclear safeguards and security program provides policy, programmatic direction, and training for the protection of the Department's nuclear weapons, nuclear materials, classified information, and facilities. The Committee recommendation is $108,000,000, a reduction of $13,188,000 from the budget request of $121,188,000. Funding for outside contractor assistance has been reduced. The Committee has also included $2,000,000 to continue the procurement of security locks that meet the Federal specifications for containers that hold sensitive classified material.
Security Investigations- The security investigations program funds background investigations for Department of Energy and contractor personnel who, in the performance of their official duties, require access to restricted data, national security information, or special nuclear material. The Committee recommendation is $44,927,000, the same as the budget request.
Corporate Management Information Program- The Committee recommendation is $20,000,000, the same as the budget request.
Program Direction- The Committee recommendation is $77,000,000 for program direction, a decrease of $6,135,000 from the budget request of $83,135,000. With a Headquarters staff of 329 Federal employees, the Committee believes that funding for technical assistance and expertise from outside contractors should be reduced.