Below is a brief statement from UC President Richard C. Atkinson regarding comments made today by U.S. Senator Pete Domenici concerning UC’s management contract for Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Richard C. Atkinson
President
University of California

UC has tremendous respect for Senator Domenici’s leadership and we appreciate his remarks. We agree with his criticisms of the management problems at Los Alamos, and we are gratified to receive his strong support for the corrective actions we have taken.

On the issue of competition, if Secretary Abraham’s decision is to compete the LANL contract, then our instinct is to compete, and to compete hard. However, any final decision regarding UC’s participation in such a process rests with the UC Board of Regents. Until the Secretary announces his decision and the terms of any competition, further comment on this subject would be inappropriate.

The most critical issue is what is best for the nation’s security, and UC is extremely proud of the contributions to the country and the world that have resulted from our 60 years of managing LANL in partnership with the Department of Energy. UC would like to see that relationship continue for another 60 years.

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