Washington, D.C. – Senate Energy Chairman Pete Domenici today announced the first in a series of full committee oversight hearings to examine the manner and effectiveness of the Department of Energy’s management of its national laboratories. The first hearing will be held Tuesday, June 24, at 10 a.m. in Room SD-366. Invited witnesses have managed DOE laboratories in recent years. Chairman Domenici’s statement: “My committee is holding these hearings to explore DOE lab management as a whole and to address specific issues that need to be considered as DOE prepares to compete management contracts for the Los Alamos lab and, eventually, the Lawrence-Livermore lab.” The purpose of this first hearing is to evaluate changes over time in the relationship between DOE (and its predecessor, the Atomic Energy Commission) and the businesses and universities who operate the labs. The committee will explore whether those changing relationships have affected the ability of scientists and engineers to respond to national missions. Later hearings will focus on best practices in the current management model and explore management alternatives that would improve the ability of the laboratories, scientists and engineers to accomplish mission goals. Invited witnesses for the June 24 hearing include: Dr. John Peoples, Jr. Director Emeritus Fermilab Batavia, IL Dr. Sig Hecker Senior Fellow Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos, NM Dr. Herman Postma Former Director of Oakridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge, TN Dr. Martha Krebs President, Science Strategies Los Angeles, CA ###