UC Won’t Lose Contract to Run Los Alamos
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WASHINGTON — The University of California’s contract to manage Los Alamos National Laboratory will continue until 2002, despite recent concerns about espionage, Energy Secretary Bill Richardson said Tuesday.
The contract is set to expire Sept. 30, 2002, but the Energy Department could have terminated it early because of allegations of Chinese spying at the New Mexico lab.
The university’s contract with the agency could still be opened to competition in 2002. The agency is expected to make a decision on that later this year.
Richardson said security has “dramatically improved” since Los Alamos fired scientist Wen Ho Lee, who transferred hundreds of nuclear weapons codes to an insecure computer six years ago.
Lee has been charged with illegally transferring computer files, but he insists he never provided data to anyone, including the Chinese.
Richardson also said he decided against ending the contract early after Thomas Gioconda, acting assistant secretary for defense programs, reported that the university had improved its environmental management and safety measures.
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