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DOE Whistleblowers

 Charles E. Grassley

Ranking Member
Committee on the Budget

April 26, 2024

DOE Whistleblowers

https://www.grassley.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/grassley_to_doe_-_whistleblower_protections_open_gao_recs_from_2016.pdf

Petition to investigate Boeing whistleblowers

 Petition calls on DOJ to investigate deaths of Boeing whistleblowers

BY JULIA SHAPERO 05/09/24 05:15 PM ET

https://thehill.com/business/4654691-petition-calls-on-doj-to-investigate-deaths-of-boeing-whistleblowers/amp/

Gas trap

 “Scientists Create Synthetic Molecule That Traps the ‘Most Potent’ Greenhouse Gasses”

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ylSckcAgGeQ&pp=ygVXU2NpZW50aXN0cyBDcmVhdGUgU3ludGhldGljIE1vbGVjdWxlIFRoYXQgVHJhcHMgdGhlIOKAmE1vc3QgUG90ZW504oCZIEdyZWVuaG91c2UgR2Fzc2Vz

'carbon gobbling" plants are here

 This is really interesting -- it may be possible to improve photosynthesis even more than previous genetic engineering efforts, leading to schemes to increase crop yields for agriculture, biofuel and bioplastics production, and carbon removal from the atmosphere:

https://phys.org/news/2024-05-scientists-key-carbon-gobbling-major.html

LLNS pension plan funding

 You may have received a funding notice from LLNS.

The funding percentage keeps dipping year after year even with hefty employee contributions. It is sitting at 92% for 2023 down from 115% in 2022.

It makes sense to retire as soon as possible while the plan is solvent.

Is my panic justified?

I was told the plan invests heavily I'm  corporate bonds. These have been performing well.  So, what could be the reason for the underfunding?

Open letter of support from LLNL and LANL?

Many of the UC campuses, including UCLA, are having protests in support of Gaza. Many of these protests are coming under attack from outside forces and police.


A number of faculty at universities all over the nation have signed open letters supporting the student and condemning the police actions. Since LANL and LLNL are partially under UC management, should they also create an open letter in support of the protests? Should the labs also have some encampments?


I looked at the open letters; thousands of faculty members signed the letters, but I needed more from the physics or engineering departments. You get 95% of the anthropology department to sign these letters and zero from EE. Weird.

The second whistleblower linked to Boeing dies

 Boeing-Linked Whistleblower Dead, the Second in 2 Months: ‘He Possessed Tremendous Courage,’ Lawyers Say

https://people.com/boeing-linked-whistleblower-dead-the-second-in-2-months-8642445