Homeland bill ignites race among national labs
Any of dozens of government-owned national laboratories could compete to become the prestigious headquarters lab for the new Homeland Security Department under compromise language in the homeland security bill to be debated on the House floor beginning Thursday. But Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, which the Bush administration first wanted as the lead lab, still could have the inside track for the role.
The compromise, which emerged from House Speaker Dick Armey's House Homeland Security Committee markup last week, may hold in the floor debate. And it would settle a backstage battle that pitted advocates for the Livermore lab-such as Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif., who represents a district that contains Lawrence Livermore-against legislators who want other laboratories to have a chance to compete for the role.
When the president announced plans for the new department June 6, the entire $1.2 billion Lawrence Livermore facility was listed as part of the new department. The administration draft bill submitted later backed off the transfer, but signaled Livermore as likely to play a leading role.
Because of that, the bill now going to the House floor represents a victory for other influential labs-notably Sandia National Laboratory near Albuquerque, N.M., which is operated by Lockheed Martin Corp. for the Energy Department.
Sandia's director testified that the new department should draw on existing research centers instead of designating a headquarters lab right away. Under the House bill, the department "may" establish a headquarters lab, but does not have to do so.
In the House Armed Services and Science panel markups, Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., introduced changes to let many labs compete for the role. And New Mexico's senators voiced opposition to the designation of Livermore.
Besides Sandia, Los Alamos National Laboratory is also located in New Mexico. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., told CongressDaily, "I said it was not right" to endow Livermore with a lead role in advance.
The bill before the House also creates a powerful undersecretary for science and technology who will oversee the new department's research and development and coordinate with other agencies-functions that were lacking in the administration's draft.
The new department's R&D activities could represent $2.3 billion of its $37.5 billion budget, according to Kei Koizumi of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Most research will be in health and vaccines and be carried out by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Homeland Security Department undersecretary will fund the work and set priorities jointly with the Health and Human Services secretary, who oversees NIH and CDC.
As for Livermore, about $100 million of its present programs now will fall under the department, as the administration has wished.
A separate title of the bill lets the Homeland Security secretary designate Livermore or either of the other two weapons laboratories as the "primary location" for applied research and testing for ways to counter biological, chemical, radiological and nuclear terrorism.
The department may designate one of these three labs a "primary location" without going through the competitive criteria and congressional review that the bill requires for designation as a "headquarters" lab.
And with Livermore changing the signs on some of its office doors, it may gain enough momentum to become the"primary location" for countermeasures work-and then compete for headquarters lab status as well.
Tauscher said through a spokeswoman that she is "confident that Livermore will have a good chance of getting important roles" in the new department.
John Marburger, the president's science adviser, said in an interview that the White House still wants "a central location for homeland security R&D."
The language before the House "is permissive enough to let it us do this. We wouldn't want to designate a leading lab unless it fills clear criteria," he said.