BALANCING NATIONAL SECURITY WITH OPENESS
DOE promotes the release of information assets to the maximum extent possible consistent at all times with our paramount concern for the security of our nation. Programs are established to review historical records scheduled for declassification, documents requested under statute or Executive Order, documents requested in response to litigation, and documents requested by Congress and other groups. These reviews are performed to serve both the public interest, by declassifying information that can safely be released, and to prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, by ensuring that no appropriately classified or controlled information is inadvertently released, under the requirements of the Atomic Energy Act, Executive Order 13526, and Public Law 105-261.
DOE’s Office of Classifications ensures that all documents prepared at DOE Headquarters are properly marked to identify the level and category of protected information they contain (if any) and to ensure that all documents the Department prepares or is required to review under applicable statutes for public release contain no information requiring protection under law, regulations and Executive orders.