LLNL - The True Story -

Two anonymous contributions on pension contributions: 1) Since LLNL is looking at employee contribution for next year what percentage did the LANL employees have to start contributing and what's the increase every years after that. Is it going to start at 2% and then go to 16% like was dicussed during the transition. We all want to know at LLNL how much we should bend over. 2) I hear UC has started deducting 4%from everyone's paycheck and they're going to follow CalPer's plan of increasing that 5% to 7% and up as time goes on. This took affect 4/15/2010. LLNS should start shortly. With LLNS retirement plan being $408M short I'd say 4% would be a good start and then as years go on maybe we can get it up to 16% as was talked about during the transition at which time they said, "not at this time". What a CYA statement. Someone please tell LLNL what LANS started at and what their project pay cuts are.

Anonymously contributed: http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/science/04/28/laser.fusion.nif/index.html?hpt=Mid

Anonymously contributed: Looks like DOE executives aren't above joining in with the growing "for-profit" Bechtel/BWXT LLC sleaze fest!.... - More Global Warming Profiteering by Obama Energy Official Surprising documents made available to this author reveal that Assistant Secretary of Energy Cathy Zoi has a huge financial stake in companies likely to profit from the Obama administration’s “green” policies. Zoi, who left her position as CEO of the Alliance for Climate Protection — founded by Al Gore — to serve as assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy, now manages billions in “green jobs” funding. But the disclosure documents show that Zoi not only is in a position to affect the fortunes of her previous employer, ex-Vice President Al Gore, but that she herself has large holdings in two firms that could directly profit from policies proposed by the Department of Energy. pajamasmedia.com/blog/ more-global-warming-profiteering- by-obama-energy-official/

Anonymously contributed: White House Says Door Not Closed to Nuclear Warhead Replacement Thursday, April 22, 2010 By Martin Matishak Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON -- A key White House official yesterday reaffirmed that the Obama administration had not closed the door on replacement of nuclear warheads, but that it was more likely to use less-controversial means for maintaining the U.S. strategic arsenal (see GSN, April 15). "If necessary, if we have to do replacement in order to maintain [U.S. nuclear] forces, then the president has that option available to him," Gary Samore, senior White House coordinator for WMD counterterrorism and arms control, said yesterday during an event at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "I don't think it will be, frankly," he added. "From what I understand ... refurbishment and reuse will be perfectly fine for the foreseeable future. But if I'm wrong, and replacement becomes necessary, the president has t...

Anonymously contributed: Jury Clears Lab of Trade Secret Theft http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_14915314

Anonymously contributed: I didn't realize that Obama even knew Ed Moses, but I'm glad he has confidence in him. Next thing you know we'll be getting limitless energy from banana peels and BS, too. http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/04/16/nuclear.testing/

DO you think LLNS really cares about your safety? - Yes : 5 - No: 2 - Only if it benefits them: 17

NNSA Announces Special Tools & Processes for B53 Dismantlement Prhttp://www.yourindustrynews.com/nnsa+announces+special+tools+%26+processes+for+b53+dismantlement+program_48047.htmlogram The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) today announced that its Pantex Plant has developed a new process and special tooling that will accelerate dismantlement of the B53weapons system. NNSA’s SS-21 process fully integrates the weapon system with the facility, tooling, operating procedures and personnel involved in the dismantlement program to form a safe, efficient and effective operating environment. D’Agostino said the B53 is very large and difficult to take apart. “You don’t attack these things with a screwdriver and a crescent wrench,” he said. With the design and fabrication of tooling and procedures complete, the project team is expected to receive authorization to begin disassembling the B53 after NNSA completes an extensive safety review that includes approval of a Documented S...

Anonymously contributed: Lab Retirees: Funds Raised, Legal Action To Start By The Independent The UC Livermore Lab Retiree Group has raised enough money to begin legal efforts to try to regain membership in University of California health plans, group leader Joe Requa announced. He said that a formal contract will come first. “Lawyers work on court time, which seems to run much slower than real time, so there may be a short delay before that (legal action) happens,” he wrote in an email. The financial target was $150,000, which attorneys told the retiree group would be needed to support the initial phase of the legal effort. The target has now been reached, prompting Requa to joke that he should be able to proclaim “mission accomplished” as President Bush famously did seven years ago ¬ only to see the Iraq war continue for years more. The legal effort will also be a continuing one and in time may require still more funds, Requa said. “Unfortunately, we just won one battle. I expect the...

Contributed anonymously: Here's a familiar story: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB127093422486175363.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsFifth "It's time to finally put the performance review out of its misery. This corporate sham is one of the most insidious, most damaging, and yet most ubiquitous of corporate activities. Everybody does it, and almost everyone who's evaluated hates it. It's a pretentious, bogus practice that produces absolutely nothing that any thinking executive should call a corporate plus." Why not let's form a committee, redesign the process, and make it "better" instead! Oh, I guess we just finished doing that...

Anonymous said... Joint Statement from Los Alamos Director Michael Anastasio, Lawrence Livermore Director George Miller, and Sandia Director Tom Hunter Los Alamos, New Mexico, April 9, 2010—The directors of the three Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Laboratories—Dr. George Miller from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Dr. Michael Anastasio from Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Dr. Tom Hunter from Sandia National Laboratories—today issued the following statement on the Nuclear Posture Review: “A key responsibility of the three Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Laboratories—Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories—is to provide technical underpinnings that ensure the safety, security, and effectiveness of the United States’ nuclear deterrent. The recently released Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) provides the Administration’s policy framework and path forwar...

Anonymously contributed: The long awaited Nuclear Posture Review was released today. The report and briefing slides are at; http://www.defense.gov/npr/

Anonymously contributed: An interesting article at: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2010/04/03/alarm_over_shor tage_of_nuclear_experts The gist of the article is the fact that the population supporting the weapons complex is getting older and is not being replaced. "To narrow the gap, the Obama administration is proposing to boost a series of programs - including cash bonuses and tuition reimbursement - to persuade a new generation of students to earn degrees in nuclear physics, engineering, and other related disciplines and choose a career in weapons work, according to budget documents. The nuclear security agency has also established guidelines requiring contractors that run its weapons laboratories - currently on the order of 30,000 - to recruit and train more workers." I'd like to see that guideline, what are the penalties to the labs if they can't recruit people? Will LLNS and LANS not receive bonus money because they can't convince peo...

The following was an anonymous comment in a recnet post and deserves to be its own post: DOE oversight is broken. The worthless bureaucrats keep adding more and more meaningless requirements in order to perpetuate their existence. This white-collar welfare in the name of safety and security results in the cost of doing business as a DOE organization being much more than the private sector. We just had numerous people working all last week doing paperwork for a 15-minute repair that was about as risky as changing the doorbell button. We have to protect against nonsense security risks. Eventually they will kill off all work. The only good thing about that will be that these parasites will then die also.

Contributed anonymously: Probe Sought of U.S. Lab Security Plan Wednesday, March 31, 2010 A pair of Republican lawmakers on Monday requested a review of an Obama administration plan to alter security and safety management rules governing U.S. national laboratories, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Nov. 17, 2009). Situations at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California in recent years have demonstrated the need for security and safety reforms at such facilities, the lawmakers said (see GSN, March 26, 2009; Associated Press/Albuquerque Journal, March 31). imo, if there's a need for continued reforms at these (or any other sites), DOE/NNSA has hired the wrong contractor. And, as you know, the DOE/NNSA hires other contractors to tell the site contractor what they're doing wrong & how it should really be done.