Scott Klug: “But the reason we focused on those three primary labs is because they are still dedicated and devoted to national…”

“But the reason we focused on those three primary labs is because they are still dedicated and devoted to national security purposes. That is the core principal for the original organization of the DOE labs. As the Galvin Commission pointed out, those other seven labs have poorly defined missions at this point, and that is why we zeroed in on those for the privatization efforts. I think that the serious money in the Department of Energy, if you look at the Department of Energy budget, it is not any more dedicated to energy independence and conservation of resources in this country. It is dedicated only to nuclear weapons production against a lot of enemies that no longer exist. These three labs get the lion's share of the money. Things that would make America truly competitive in the next century, like solar energy research, research conservation, we are gutting and doing away with. During the Reagan years, we sold all of our solar energy division here in Washington, DC. We privatized it. You know who bought it? Seimens, the Germans. Now what? They are the world's leader in solar energy technology. The United States is far, far behind.”