Commission Tapped To Study National Labs

Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz has named the nine members of a new, congressionally mandated commission that will examine the effectiveness of the Department of Energy’s national laboratories. DOE runs 17 national laboratories focused on research including nuclear weapons, energy efficiency, and particle physics. Congress ordered Moniz to create the commission as part of the immense 2014 omnibus appropriations bill. It directed the commission to examine whether the labs have sufficient size and scope to meet the department’s priorities, as well as whether changes should be made to consolidate or realign the labs. Moniz selected former Carnegie Mellon University president Jared Cohon and former deputy secretary of energy T. J. Glauthier as the commission’s cochairs. The panel is to compile two reports, with the first due on Feb. 1, 2015.