Whistle blower protection

This is a link to a March 24, 2017 letter from three Senators to DOE Secretary Perry regarding DOE OIG confirmed retaliatory conduct by SRNS management against Sandra Black. The Senators ask if the involved SRNS managers will be held directly accountable for the retaliation. The Senators also ask about consequences for the Contractor. 

https://www.wyden.senate.gov/download/?id=50DB3316-98A3-476B-B5AC-A1EF7D6EE033&download=1

DOE whistleblower update

"Energy Department whistleblower finally gets justice, despite agency neglect"

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/powerpost/wp/2017/03/23/energy-department-whistleblower-finally-gets-justice-despite-agency-neglect/

NIF update

1. NIF Update. Spoiler alert: It's still a failure.
   
   https://lasers.llnl.gov/news/experimental-highlights

   
   
2. 
   comment:
   

   
   Odd, it looks like a hopeful future. In any case science is not about success or failure, it is about truth and what may seem as a failure at first may turn out to be the one of the biggest discoveries since Newtons gravity. Let the discoveries began! Lux Lux Lux!!!!!

Still want to work for UC?

1. 
   
   http://twitchy.com/wa-37/2017/03/19/digging-your-own-grave-60-minutes-and-michelle-malkin-take-a-look-at-the-h1b-visa-program/
   
   60 minutes show on H1B visas.
   60-80 Indian workers (from India) replace UCSF IT team (1/2 pay, no benefits)and Big Sis (Janet N) is behind it and Disney did the same.
   The H1B program was never meant for this (a loophole).
   
   Like it or not Mr. Trump (and maybe Bernie) addressed this in the campaign.
   Me thinks Mr. Trump (or Bernie if he was elected) will deal with this soon, a lot on his plate right now.

   Comments:
2. 
   AnonymousMarch 19, 2017 at 7:49 PM

   Oh forgot, be careful what you wish for!

   
   
3. 
   AnonymousMarch 19, 2017 at 10:08 PM

   Perhaps we can hire some of those cheap but smart Indians on H1B visas to take over the high level work at the weapon labs.
   Think of all the money we would save!

   
   
4. 
   AnonymousMarch 20, 2017 at 6:37 PM

   Don't give the directors any ideas. They will think it is a great suggestion.

   
   

How much would the military gain?

Under the budget plans, defence department spending would rise by $54bn (£44bn) or 10%, including $2bn for nuclear weapons, while homeland security would get a 6.8% boost.

In addition, the National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees the maintenance and safety of the nuclear arsenal and its research labs, would gain $1.4bn.

DOE is -6% overall.

The Washington Post assessment is pretty good...

1. 
   
   The Trump’s budget would cut DOE spending overall by $1.7 billion — or 5.6 percent from current levels — to $28 billion. But the money is redistributed. NNSA's budget would grow 11.3 percent while the rest of the DOE’s programs would be cut by 17.9 percent. The president would drop programs such as the Weatherization Assistance Program, which provides grants to states and some Indian tribes to improve energy efficiency for low-income families, and the State Energy Program, which gives grants to states. It would also eliminate altogether the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, which is popular in Congress and spends $300 million on basic research; Title 17 loan guarantees for new low-carbon energy projects; and the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program, which has helped such companies as Tesla develop electric cars and Ford develop more-efficient combustion engines and light materials.
   
   
2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/trump-presidential-budget-2018-proposal/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_b-graphic-desktoptablet-12am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory
3. 
   
4. 
   

Comment:

1. 
   
2. 
   AnonymousMarch 16, 2017 at 12:51 PM

   Tesla and Ford are private companies. Why are taxpayers subsidizing them? Anyone remember Solyndra?

Trump is to gut the labs.

The budget has a 20% decrease to DOE office of science, 20% cut to NIH. NASA also gets a cut. This will 
have a huge negative effect on the lab. Crazy, juts crazy. He also wants to cut NEA and PBS, this may not seem like 
a big deal but they get very little money and do great things.

Perry picks former Bush White House official as chief of staff

Hannah Northey, E&E News reporter
Monday, March 13, 2017 

A well-connected political consultant for electric utilities and former George W. Bush administration official is Energy Secretary Rick Perry's chief of staff.

Brian McCormack — a former White House aide, a strategist at the Edison Electric Institute and a familiar face on Capitol Hill — is working for Perry, a Department of Energy spokesman confirmed. DOE hasn't made a formal announcement.

McCormack's last day with EEI was March 2, the same day the Senate confirmed Perry, according to Brian Reil, a spokesman for the industry group.

As chief of staff, McCormack is helping manage DOE's $30 billion budget, 13,500 employees and 104,000 contractors. Past chiefs of staff have also helped implement the secretary's policy initiatives.

A DOE career employee who's not authorized to speak to the press and asked to remain anonymous said McCormack's presence is reassuring given his energy experience and EEI's acknowledgement of climate change.

EEI has described climate change as "one of the biggest energy and environmental policy challenges this country has ever faced" and has backed cap-and-trade legislation in the past. Several high-ranking Trump administration officials — notably, U.S. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt — have questioned the notion of human-induced climate change despite scientific consensus on the issue.

Prior to EEI, McCormack held several posts in the Bush administration, including deputy assistant to the president for strategic initiatives and external affairs from October 2007 to January 2009.

He also served as a special assistant in the Department of Defense to Ambassador L. Paul Bremer, presidential envoy to Iraq, and later to Ken Krieg in the Office of Acquisition, Technology and Logistics.

UC Regents sexual harassment news

University of California: Sexual misconduct widespread across 10 campuses


http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/02/28/university-of-california-details-emerging-on-100-sexual-harassment-cases-systemwide-new-documents-show/

COMMENTS

 Anonymous said...

How and why is this related or relevant to LLNL?

 Anonymous said...

Regent Norman Pattiz has not been held accountable for his sexual harassment. He is on the LLNS Board of Governors.

http://www.dailycal.org/2016/11/03/uc-regent-norman-pattiz-recorded-asking-touch-breasts-colleague/

http://www.dailycal.org/2016/11/27/leaked-audio-reveals-additional-lewd-comments-uc-regent-norman-pattiz/

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-uc-regents-sexual-harassment-20161109-story.html

http://dailybruin.com/2016/11/30/opinion-editors-uc-regent-norman-pattiz-needs-to-resign-from-position/