H. Res. 534

In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

July 17, 2000.

Whereas two computer hard drives containing a large quantity of sensitive classified nuclear weapons data at the

Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, were recently missing for

an undetermined period of time, exposing them to possible compromise;

Whereas the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board,

in its report dated June 1999 on security problems at the

Department of Energy, concluded that ‘‘the Department

of Energy and the weapons laboratories have a deeply

rooted culture of low regard for and, at times, hostility

to security issues’’;

Whereas in response to longstanding security problems with

the nuclear weapons complex and to recommendations

made by the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory

Board in that report, Congress enacted the National Nuclear Security Administration Act (title XXXII of Public

Law 106–65) to establish a semi-autonomous National

Nuclear Security Administration with responsibility for

the administration of programs for the national security

applications of nuclear energy;

Whereas the Special Oversight Panel on Department of Energy Reorganization of the Committee on Armed Services
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of the House of Representatives concluded in February

2000 that the Department’s plan to implement the provisions of that Act ‘‘taken as a whole appears to allow continued DOE authority, direction, and control over the

NNSA and retain current DOE management, budget,

and planning practices and organizational structures’’;

Whereas the Secretary of Energy has recognized the need to

address nuclear weapons security problems within the

Department of Energy and has sought to make improvements;

Whereas the Secretary of Energy, in fulfilling the duties and

functions of the Under Secretary for Nuclear Security,

and the Director of the Office of Security and Emergency

Operations of the Department of Energy, in serving as

the Chief of Defense Nuclear Security of the National

Nuclear Security Administration, were responsible for nuclear weapons security policies and implementation of

those policies while the computer hard drives were missing;

Whereas the effective protection of nuclear weapons classified

information is a critical responsibility of those individuals

entrusted with access to that information; and

Whereas the compromise of the nuclear weapons data stored

on the computer hard drives, if confirmed, would constitute a clear and present danger to the national security

of the United States and its allies: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that—

(1) the security failures at Los Alamos National

Laboratory revealed to Congress on June 9, 2000, dem-
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onstrate the continued inadequacy of nuclear weapons

security policy and procedures within the National Nuclear Security Administration and at facilities of the Administration;

(2) individuals responsible for the implementation,

oversight, and management of nuclear weapons security

policy and procedures within the Administration and its

facilities must be held accountable for their performance;

and

(3) the Administrator for Nuclear Security must

take immediate action to improve procedures for the

safeguarding of classified nuclear weapons information

and correct all identified nuclear weapons security deficiencies within the Administration.

Attest:

Clerk.