Nuclear Lab Security Unit OKd by Senate

WASHINGTON — Responding to allegations of espionage at U.S. nuclear weapon labs, the Senate voted Wednesday to create an agency responsible for nuclear weapon development and security that would largely bypass the Energy Department bureaucracy.

The vote was 96 to 1 on an amendment to a bill reauthorizing government intelligence programs. The intelligence legislation then passed on a unanimous voice vote.

Energy Secretary Bill Richardson called the legislation “a good start” that was improved by Democratic amendments ensuring Cabinet-level control over the agency. But the White House held out the possibility of a veto if the measure takes too much power from the Energy secretary, who would be ultimately responsible for the agency.

The legislation stems from widespread concern over alleged espionage at U.S. nuclear weapon labs, which fall under the Energy Department’s jurisdiction.

Congressional panels, along with a Clinton administration-sponsored commission study, have concluded that blurry lines of authority between the labs and the department allowed widely known security concerns to be ignored for years. The White House said in a statement it wants to examine the bill before deciding whether to support it.