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Has Chu began DOE reform?

It has been exactly one year since this
article
was published.
The author said among Steven Chu's most daunting challenges will be reforming the Energy Department. Has he started? What do you think?

Comments

Anonymous said…
No, not one bit. I was a big supporter of him taking over DOE. He had a lot of negative feelings about DOE micromanagement while he was LBNL Director. I thought he'd go to Washington and kick some butt, unfortunately the DOE lifers in HQ are winning. The DOE lead managers (Assistant and Under Secretaries) at HQ who do not change when administrations change have a saying - "I was here before this new Secretary got here, and I'll be here after they leave."

Also keeping D'Agostino (a lying cut throat SOB at heart) as head of NNSA was a huge blow to the ability to change/improve NNSA and save LLNL. He killed any talk of moving NNSA or the weapons labs out of DOE and into DOD (where Gates would have really held him accountable for the death spiral the labs are now experiencing). He also doesn't care about WFO, Homeland Security research,or anything not directly related to nuclear weapons.
Anonymous said…
He is now on the other side.
Anonymous said…
When I see it, I'll believe it.
Talk is cheap because the supply exceeds the demand.
My eyes are bloodshot from looking at the red tape and I don't see Chu delivering the Visine.
Anonymous said…
Yes he has. He has given LLNL a chance for funding when he asked for alternative energy proposals. he got (1) and that was for LIFE long before NIF has had a chance to prove itself worthy of LLNL ever putting in for another large project. Chu at least stands by what he says," I don't believe in LIFE" and I can understand his point of view. Lets hope he stands his ground and convinced NNSA and DOE to not give another dime to LLNL give the people of this nation what is needed now and that's an alternate power source on short order to get us off Arabian oil forever. If LLNL can't do that, then they should be shut down immediately if not sooner.
Anonymous said…
It is Arab oil, not Arabian oil.
Anonymous said…
He (Chu) also doesn't care about WFO, Homeland Security research, or anything not directly related to nuclear weapons.

January 8, 2010 5:38 AM

From what I've seen he doesn't care about nuclear weapons or nuclear energy either. He only cares about the development and funding of his pet projects.
Anonymous said…
Chu is not an NNSA reformer and clearly never intended to be. Where people get the idea he was ever "on our side" is not clear.

The comment about being there after the SecDoE leaves is spot-on. It's the lower layers of the system that interact with LLNL and they declared war on us a long time ago. The odds of Chu or anyone else doing a massive house-cleaning of those layers is zero.
Anonymous said…
on Jan 9, 2010, at 5:09 PM, a comment was left saying "Chu says ""I don/t believe in LIFE""". I am searching for the source/reference of this quote. Can you help me?
Anonymous said…
January 13, 2010 9:42 AM

Dude you need an awful lot of help with research. I guess you are hard of hearing. Do you ever listen to his talks or read between the line. Maybe that's why your facility isn't getting the funding it would like to have. You're like a kid, you don't listen and until you do you can just go to your room and think about what you did wrong. Now get !

To tell you the truth I have zero faith in NIF and until it actually does, which it hasn't yet; I'll continue to have doubts. I guess when I see NIF -"is an alternate power source that put power into my living room",- I'll believe.
Anonymous said…
January 16. 2010 3:41 PM

I suggest you take an anger management class. The number of assumptions you made on my post classifies you as an angry person who is just looking for something to complain about.

For the truth, if you can stand it without going postal,
I am not a current LLNL employee , bur when
I was, I personally saw the many abuses of NIF and the management. I have some contacts that are trying to put the death nail into LIFE (because it is not scientifically sound) and wanted a reference to help the cause. Your comments are not helpful to the cause.
Suggest you get a life to try to say something positive (like helping) instead of being a naysayer.
Anybody else what to actually help?

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