"Certain members of the Department of Energy's panel reviewing its national laboratories are paid consultants to some of the same labs that they are charged with overseeing.

According to documents obtained by Greenwire under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), at least two members of the Commission to Review the Effectiveness of the National Energy Laboratories -- a DOE advisory committee that is evaluating the 17 national laboratories -- have received ethics waivers after notifying the department that they are paid consultants to some of the laboratories under review.

Paul Fleury, a Yale University physics professor who has also worked at AT&T Bell Laboratories, is a member of the commission. He is also 'a compensated consultant' to Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), according to his conflict of interest waiver, issued July 18."

Kevin Bogardus reports for Greenwire September 2, 2014. [2]