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Terms of Reference
Purpose
The Laboratory Operations Board's fundamental goal is to help facilitate productive and
cost-effective utilization of the Department of Energy's laboratory system. The Board will
assist the Department in bringing sharpened focus to the missions of the laboratories and
ensuring speedy resolution of issues and problems across the integrated laboratory
system.
The Board is to provide advice regarding the strategic direction for the Department's
laboratory system, the coordination of budget and policy issues affecting laboratory
operations, and the reduction of unnecessary and counterproductive management burdens
on the laboratories.
The Board will facilitate the application of best business practices in management of the
laboratories and will develop recommendations for the Secretary regarding changes in the
size, missions, and scope of laboratory activities in light of changes in federal funding.
The principal focus of the Board will be on the Department's multi-program laboratories
and major program-dedicated laboratories.
The Laboratory Operations Board shall be constituted as a subcommittee of the Secretary
of Energy Advisory Board and shall report to the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board.
Membership
The Board will have up to 27 members. Of the 27 members, 14 will represent the
Department and 13 will be external members. The Laboratory Operations Board shall
have an Executive Committee, consisting of the Departmental Chair, filled by the Deputy
Secretary of Energy, and an External Chair and Vice Chair, selected by the Secretary.
Departmental Representatives
The Department will be permanently represented on the Laboratory Operations Board by
the relevant program secretarial offices and offices with administrative and management
responsibilities for the laboratories. Four additional members may be selected on a
rotating basis and appointed to serve as designated advisors to the Laboratory Operations
Board for 2-year terms. Two of the rotating members will represent the laboratory
directors and two members will represent the field managers. The co-chairs of the
Laboratory Operations Board will be responsible for designating new members.
External Representatives
The external representation will be made up of 13 advisors selected for their experiences
and accomplishments in academia, industry, or government. The external advisors shall
have staggered, 4-year terms to provide continuity through changes of Presidential
administrations. Members may serve consecutive terms at the discretion of the co-chairs.
Board Composition:
Departmental Chair: Deputy Secretary of Energy
External Chair and Vice Chair
Eleven additional external members
Departmental member composition (nine permanent positions):
Under Secretary of Energy, Science, and Environment
Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and Administrator of the National Nuclear
Security Administration
Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs
Deputy Administrator for Nuclear Non-proliferation
Director, Office of Science
Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management
Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy
Director, Office of Management, Budget and Evaluation
Rotating Advisory Members: (four members with 2-year terms)
Laboratory Directors (two rotating members)
Field Managers (two rotating members)
Roles/Responsibilities
Each member of the Board will be responsible for providing individual advice and
recommendations with regard to:
- Strategic direction for the laboratories, including validation of strategic plans,
tracking of cross-cutting programmatic and management issues, and monitoring of
coordination of the laboratories as a system;
- Ensuring application of best practices and addressing resource impacts of
administrative and regulatory requirements;
- Efforts by the Department to enhance integration among its basic and applied
research programs and between the laboratory system and other research and
development performers in academia, industry, and other government agencies.
In addition, External Members' roles and responsibilities include the following:
- As requested, review and provide comments related to the Department's budget for
programs performed within the Department's laboratory system to the Deputy
Secretary.
- Conduct analyses of issues and programs involving the Department's laboratories.
Such studies will be conducted under the auspices of the Secretary of Energy
Advisory Board and provide the basis for independent recommendations formulated
by the External Members of the Laboratory Operations Board.
- Provide at least semi-annual letter reports to the Secretary, through the Secretary of
Energy Advisory Board. Such reports should assess progress by the Department and
the laboratories in meeting goals in areas such as management initiatives, productivity
improvement, mission focus and programmatic accomplishments.
Subcommittees
Subcommittees of the Board may be established as appropriate to address specific issues.
Subcommittees are to include the following:
External Members Subcommittee:
The 13 external members of the Board shall serve as a subcommittee of the Laboratory
Operations Board. This subcommittee is authorized to perform separate duties as
specified in the section on Roles/Responsibilities and to report directly to the Secretary of
Energy Advisory Board.
April 3, 2002
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