Fired Los Alamos investigators rehired

The University of California, which operates Los Alamos National Laboratory for the U.S. Energy Department, has rehired two dismissed investigators, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.

The two men, Glenn Walp and Steven Doran, have been hired to serve as consultants to university President Richard Atkinson.

"We're not going on lab property; we're not conducting investigations. We're just going to be sharing our knowledge of the situation [at Los Alamos] with him and his office," Doran said.

The investigators were reinstated after a four-hour meeting with university officials, Energy Daily reported.

"Our discussions were candid and constructive, and were of great assistance both in helping the university get to the bottom of the allegations regarding improper business practices at the Los Alamos laboratory and in resolving the issues between Messrs. Walp and Doran and the university," said a statement from the school.

The decision also followed a demand from members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee that the university rehire the two men.

A letter to the school signed by Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La., the committee chairman, and other senior members, said that the failure to rehire the men "will make it very difficult for this committee to view seriously your statements that you intend to change the culture of secrecy," the Times reported.