Energy Department Eases Nuclear Power Path for Iraq, Libya

In addition, the program has recently targeted Iraq and Libya to help these countries develop projects to expand the use of civilian nuclear power by becoming client states for sales of U.S. nuclear fuel and reprocessing services.

This activity is outside the original scope of the Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention program, according to testimony Wednesday before a congressional subcommittee by Robert Robinson, managing director natural resources and environment, with the Government Accountability Office, GAO.

Robinson said the Department of Energy, DOE, "overstated accomplishments on the number of scientists receiving DOE support and the number of long-term, private sector jobs created."

Although DOE claims to have engaged over 16,770 scientists in Russia and other countries, this total includes both scientists with and without weapons-related experience, Robinson said.

GAO's analysis of 97 projects involving about 6,450 scientists showed that more than half did not claim to possess any weapons-related experience.

Furthermore, officials from 10 Russian and Ukrainian weapons institutes told GAO investigators that the program helps them attract, recruit, and retain younger scientists and contributes to the continued operation of their facilities.

"This is contrary to the original intent of the program, which was to reduce the proliferation risk posed by Soviet-era weapons scientists," Robinson said.

While the Energy Department says the program created 2,790 long-term, private sector jobs for former weapons scientists, the credibility of this number is "uncertain," said Robinson, because DOE relies on “good-faith” reporting from U.S. industry partners and foreign institutes and does not independently verify the number of jobs reported to have been created.

In addition, Robinson told the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, the DOE has recently expanded the program to new areas.

"Specifically, DOE recently began providing assistance to scientists in Iraq and Libya and, through the IPP program, is working to develop projects that support the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership - a DOE-led international effort to expand the use of civilian nuclear power."

"DOE expanded the program's efforts without a clear mandate from the Congress and suspended parts of its IPP program guidance for projects in these new areas," Robinson said.

Part of President George W. Bush's Advanced Energy Initiative, the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership would have "nations with secure, advanced nuclear capabilities provide fuel services - fresh fuel and recovery of used fuel - to other nations who agree to employ nuclear energy for power generation purposes only," the Energy Department explains on its website.

The closed fuel cycle model envisioned by this partnership requires development and deployment of technologies that enable recycling and consumption of long-lived radioactive waste.

It was "at the State Department's request" that the IPP program moved into Libya after the country decided in 2004 to abandon all weapons of mass destruction, a senior official of the National Nuclear Security Administration told the subcommittee.

Adam Scheinman said, "We also partner with the State Department in Iraq, and are prepared to engage elsewhere, including in North Korea if circumstances warrant it."

Agreeing with Robinson that the IPP program requires "recalibration" because "Russia's economy is stable and conditions in the closed cities are much improved," still Scheinman said most of the program's work remains in Russia.

"The absence of a high risk of scientist migration does not imply zero risk or that the job is done," Scheinman said. "To the contrary, as long as proliferation demand exists, we have a requirement to cooperate with others to impede supply, whether that involves improved export controls, better border security, or scientist engagement."

As to the overstatement of accomplishments, Scheinman said the program has engaged "many thousands of WMD [weapons of mass destruction] scientists and experts - an impressive achievement that serves our nonproliferation objectives and our nation's security."

The GAO recommends, among other things, that the Energy Department conduct a fundamental reassessment of the IPP program, including the development of a prioritization plan and exit strategy. The federal agency "generally concurred" with GAO's findings, but does not believe that the IPP program needs to be reassessed.

To view the GAO report on the Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention program, click here.

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