Ellen TAUSCHER

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Jul 23, 2003

WHEN Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge visits Lawrence Livermore National Lab today, it is my hope he will not only leave with a better understanding of the amazing science done every day at the two labs in Livermore, but will return to Washington and develop a plan to make good use of it.

As one of the original congressional supporters of efforts to streamline the giant security bureaucracy into one Department of Homeland Security immediately following the Sept. 11 attacks, I believed the purpose of the new agency was to give our government the best possible access to the tools that protect us from the threat of terrorism. Among those key tools are the national laboratories -- Lawrence Livermore, Sandia and Los Alamos.

From working with the labs for the past six years, I have come to deeply appreciate the science done there and the men and women who have made tremendous scientific achievements possible. In our own back yard, scientists at Lawrence Livermore and Sandia National Laboratories have invented anthrax-killing foam, systems that can detect airborne chemical and biological agents, and the science that ensures we no longer have to detonate nuclear weapons to test them.

The legislation creating the Department of Homeland Security allowed for the establishment of an office within the new department to coordinate with the national laboratories. To date, Secretary Ridge has not established such an office. I strongly encourage him to do so, and to go one step further.

In the past, I have written to Secretary Ridge urging him to establish a lead center for science and technology near one of the national labs. I believe his agency can best make use of the science at all the labs if a handful of department personnel are physically located where the research is happening, rather than confined to an office building in Washington.

The city of Livermore is a strong candidate to lead America's homeland security efforts.

An office in Livermore would give the Department of Homeland Security immediate access to Sandia, Lawrence Livermore and Berkeley National Laboratories as well as the University of California, which also manages Los Alamos National Laboratory.

A good part of the homeland security research being done is taking place at Lawrence Livermore and Sandia. The laboratories have a proven capability to address nuclear and radiological threats and strong ties to research partners and local governments.

The city's proximity to Silicon Valley would allow the Department of Homeland Security to tap into the biggest concentration of high- tech companies in the world, many of which are doing ground-breaking work on homeland security. Plus, additional research would stimulate California's technology sector and economic development.

At a time when our nation is at war with terrorism and the federal government is in record-breaking debt, we need to be smart about how we use what we already have. The resources and expertise in the Bay Area are second to none. Our local companies and labs are leading the country in the kind of advanced science that is truly making our world a better, safer place to live. Secretary Ridge should be sure to tap into those resources -- and not a moment too late.

Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Walnut Creek, was an original supporter in Congress of legislation to create a Department of Homeland Security.