H. Res. 534
In the House of Representatives, U.S.,
July 17, 2000.
Whereas two computer hard drives containing a large quan-
tity of sensitive classified nuclear weapons data at the
Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Labora-
tory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, were recently missing for
an undetermined period of time, exposing them to pos-
sible 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 Nu-
clear 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 En-
ergy Reorganization of the Committee on Armed Services
•HRES 534 EH
of the House of Representatives concluded in February
2000 that the Department’s plan to implement the provi-
sions of that Act ‘‘taken as a whole appears to allow con-
tinued 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 improve-
ments;
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 nu-
clear weapons security policies and implementation of
those policies while the computer hard drives were miss-
ing;
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 con-
stitute 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 Represent-
atives that—
(1) the security failures at Los Alamos National
Laboratory revealed to Congress on June 9, 2000, dem-
•HRES 534 EH
onstrate the continued inadequacy of nuclear weapons
security policy and procedures within the National Nu-
clear Security Administration and at facilities of the Ad-
ministration;
(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 defi-
ciencies within the Administration.
Attest:
Clerk.