Swalwell, California Representatives Call for Infrastructure Improvements at Livermore Labs LIVERMORE, CA – U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (CA-15) led a bipartisan group of California Members of Congress in sending a letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Ernest Moniz requesting funding for critical upgrades at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL). Upgrades include creating a permanent Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and fixing aging electrical systems, which would also benefit Sandia National Laboratory. “It's unsafe and unacceptable that for over a decade, the LLNL Emergency Operations Center, which is responsible for responding to on-site emergencies at one of the most high-tech labs in the country, has been housed in a ‘temporary space’ that is not even up to code,” said Swalwell. “A new site is necessary, particularly one that dispatches services in the case of fires, earthquakes, and others emergencies across Alameda County. Thankfully, colleagues across the state are stepping up and joining me to highlight to Secretary Moniz the necessity of upgraded infrastructure at two of the most important DOE laboratories in the country. The EOC handles emergency response and disaster preparedness at the lab, but has been in a temporary space since 2002. The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board reported last year that it may not even be safe during a catastrophic event. A new EOC would also be able to house the Alameda County Fire Department dispatch center, which is currently in a separate building. The dispatch center processes about 200,000 emergency calls each year and coordinates some state-wide disaster relief efforts. "Alameda County appreciates this bipartisan letter led by Representative Swalwell requesting funding for a new Emergency Operations Center at LLNL," said Alameda County Board President Scott Haggerty. "A new site would house the County Regional Emergency Communications Center and a regional dispatch center that would provide coordination for mutual aid resources during catastrophic events, not only in the County but also to and from northern and central California." Swalwell represents the Livermore Labs and is a member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee. The signatories on the letter are Reps. Doug LaMalfa (CA-1), Michael M. Honda (CA-17), Barbara Lee (CA-13), Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), Anna G. Eshoo (CA-18), Zoe Lofgren (CA-19), Jackie Speier (CA-14), Mike Thompson (CA-5), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11), Jerry McNerney (CA-9), Adam B. Schiff (CA-28), Tony Cardenas (CA-29), and Ted Lieu (CA-33). ### .