Across the country, many Americans will be forced to abstain from the champagne toasts, the "Auld Lang Syne," and the jam-packed college football lineup on television. Instead of ringing in the New Year, they will be focusing their attention on the menacing Y2K computer bug, which, at the stroke of midnight on Saturday, Jan. 1, could wreak havoc on transactions and other operations dependent on computers.
"I expect hundreds of thousands of people who would otherwise be celebrating New Year's will be working," said John Koskinen, the chairman of the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion. And nowhere is this more likely than in the federal government. A cast of thousands will be working nonstop throughout the New Year's weekend to make sure that everything, from the federal government's heating systems to the nation's nuclear power plants, is operating properly.
The Y2K glitch exists because many computer software systems use two digits instead of four to represent the year in a date. Thus, on Jan. 1, these computers will recognize the two zeros in the year 2000 as 1900. Most federal departments and agencies recently received high marks for fixing their computer systems, but there's a concern that states, localities, and businesses haven't done as well. As a result, the federal departments and agencies, in addition to making sure their own houses are in order, will be paying attention to how the Y2K bug affects the entire country.
One of the most important monitoring efforts will take place at the Energy Department, which will be keeping a close eye on the nation's nuclear plants and weapons, electric utilities, and gasoline filling stations. The department will have nearly 1,000 people on duty throughout New Year's weekend and will also be working with officials from the oil and gas industries and other energy groups.
Energy Secretary Bill Richardson told National Journal that an equally important task will be observing how other countries fare on Y2K. Richardson said that his day will begin at 6 a.m. EST on Friday, Dec. 31 (when the year 2000 starts in New Zealand), at the department's emergency operations center. From there, he'll monitor the energy industries in Asia, Africa, and Europe as they roll over into the double-zeroed year. In particular, Richardson says, his department will closely observe Russia and its vast network of nuclear reactors and weapons. The Energy Department has been assisting Russia's Y2K conversion effort, and some observers are worried that Russia's systems won't be Y2K-compliant. The safety of Russia's nuclear facilities, Richardson said, "directly affects our security and our interests."
Meanwhile, the Commerce Department will be tracking weather satellites, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's systems, and census surveys and statistics, explains Roger W. Baker, the department's chief information officer. Baker says that the most important job is to have these systems working when everyone returns to work on Monday, Jan. 3.
The Environmental Protection Agency plans to have approximately 200 employees working throughout the weekend, with an additional 250 staffers on standby, to monitor such things as the nation's drinking-water systems and wastewater treatment facilities. The Defense Department will be observing the nation's overseas military bases and installations for any Y2K glitches.
The command hub for all federal Y2K activities is the Information Coordination Center. Located just a couple of blocks from the White House, the center will analyze the extent to which the Y2K bug is affecting the federal government and the rest of the country. With a staff of up to 200 workers, the center will begin operating 24 hours a day on Tuesday, Dec. 28, and will continue these all-nighters into early January. Furthermore, during New Year's weekend, the center will be providing several Y2K updates to the public.
While thousands of federal staffers will be monitoring the Y2K glitch across the globe, others will be promoting confidence in the nation's computer systems. To demonstrate that the nation's air traffic control computers are working just fine, Jane F. Garvey, the administrator at the Federal Aviation Administration, plans to fly from Washington, D.C., to Dallas-Fort Worth to San Francisco as the country enters the year 2000. Koskinen plans to fly round-trip from Washington to New York and be in the air when the year 2000 arrives for pilots and air traffic controllers.
Norman L. Dean, the executive director at the nonprofit group Center for Y2K & Society, cautions that this federal surveillance effort shouldn't end after the New Year's weekend. Not all Y2K glitches, he said, will occur at the stroke of midnight on Jan. 1; some might appear weeks or months into the new year.
"There is a risk that everyone is going to let up. That complacency could increase the likelihood that we will have serious problems." In fact, the Information Coordination Center will stay open until March.
These Y2K monitors say they're geared up for the challenge ahead but are a bit disappointed about missing the fun and relaxation on New Year's weekend. Koskinen says that he and his family usually celebrate New Year's in Hawaii. But not this year. "My wife and daughter will be in Hawaii-but without me," he said.
Commerce's Baker laments that he will have to forgo some fun and sun in Florida over the holiday. "Usually, I'm sitting on a beach between Christmas and New Year's," he said. "Not this year."
But these workers are planning to make up for it next year. According to John M. Gilligan, the Energy Department's chief information officer, the top Y2K monitors throughout the federal government have discussed hosting a festive New Year's party next year-assuming, of course, that there will be a next year. "I'm looking forward to going out and celebrating," Gilligan said.
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