WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy is revising operating requirements across its National Laboratories, plants and sites, seeking to reduce administrative complexity and redirect scientific and technical staff toward research, energy and national security work while retaining existing safety and security protections.
The changes target what DOE described as outdated or duplicative requirements governing day-to-day operations across the department’s laboratory complex. The department did not specify in the release which individual directives are being changed or quantify the expected cost or staffing impact.
DOE indicated the overhaul follows a review conducted with laboratory leaders and subject-matter experts and builds on recommendations made over more than three decades by Congress, the Government Accountability Office, the National Academies and other independent reviews.
Those reviews, according to the department, have identified unnecessary complexity in the directives governing DOE facilities. The department maintains that the latest changes are intended to address those concerns without weakening oversight or accountability.
“By removing unnecessary barriers, we are giving our scientists, engineers, and technicians more freedom to focus on the critical missions that matter most,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated.
DOE characterized the revisions as part of President Donald Trump’s effort to restore what the administration calls “Gold Standard Science,” with an emphasis on reducing operational requirements that officials contend divert employees from scientific and technical work.
The department indicated that protections covering workers, the public and the environment will remain in place, along with requirements supporting the nation’s nuclear security enterprise.
DOE’s laboratory, plant and site network carries out scientific research, energy technology development, engineering and national security work. The department expects the revised directives to give those facilities greater operational flexibility while maintaining safety and security standards.
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