HOUSE HEARING RESCHEDULED, Y-12 BREACH ADDED TO AGENDA

The House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee has rescheduled its hearing on NNSA governance for Sept. 12 at 10 a.m., and has added one item to its agenda: the recent security breach at the Y-12 National Security Complex. The subcommittee said yesterday that the hearing would examine “a range of management and administrative challenges confronting DOE, including a recent security breakdown at the Y-12 National Security Complex.” Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Poneman will testify at the hearing, supported by NNSA Administrator Tom D’Agostino and DOE Chief Health, Safety and Security officer Glenn Podonsky. Gene Aloise, the Director of Natural Resources and Environment for the Government Accountability Office will also testify along with DOE Inspector General Greg Friedman. While the subcommittee has raised concerns about the growing use of contractor assurance systems across the weapons complex, the Y-12 security breach is sure to be a hot topic at the hearing. The NNSA is investigating the incident, and Energy Secretary Steven Chu said that HSS would be conducting its own study of the breach, and Congressional aides have said that a study is expected to be completed after Labor Day.