Summary

Since the end of the Cold War, the Energy Department's (DOE) nine national laboratories--Argonne, Brookhaven, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, Pacific Northwest, and Sandia--have come under increasing pressure to apply their talents to a variety of national issues, ranging from improving U.S. economic competitiveness to cleaning up the environment. Experts and agency officials agree that the laboratories' missions need to be clarified if their resources are to be used most effectively. GAO testified that if DOE is to develop a more effective management strategy, it must better define the laboratory missions and strengthen its working relationship with the laboratories.