An L clearance is a

security clearance A security clearance is a status granted to individuals allowing them access to classified information (state or organizational secrets) or to restricted areas, after completion of a thorough background check. The term "security clearance" is ...

used by the

United States Department of Energy The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and manages the research and development of nuclear power and nuclear weapons in the United Stat ...

(DOE) and

Nuclear Regulatory Commission The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with protecting public health and safety related to nuclear energy. Established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, the NRC began oper ...

for civilian access relating to

nuclear materials Nuclear material refers to the metals uranium, plutonium, and thorium, in any form, according to the IAEA. This is differentiated further into "source material", consisting of natural and depleted uranium, and "special fissionable material", co ...

and information under the

Atomic Energy Act of 1954 The Atomic Energy Act of 1954, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2011-2021, 2022-2286i, 2296a-2297h-13, is a United States federal law that covers for the development, regulation, and disposal of nuclear materials and facilities in the United States. It was an ame ...

. It is equivalent to a

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secur ...

(DOD) Secret clearance. The DOE L clearance provides less access than the agency's

Q clearance Q clearance or Q access authorization is the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) security clearance required to access Top Secret Restricted Data, Formerly Restricted Data, and National Security Information, as well as Secret Restricted Data. Restr ...

. L-cleared persons are allowed unescorted access to "limited" and "protected" areas, as well as access to Confidential Restricted Data, Confidential and Secret Formerly Restricted Data, Confidential and Secret National Security Information, and Category III

special nuclear material Special nuclear material (SNM) is a term used by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of the United States to classify fissile materials. The NRC divides special nuclear material into three main categories, according to the risk and potential for its d ...

. As of 1989, the NRC required the Q clearance for employees in the most important and sensitive positions, while most employees in positions deemed "noncritical-sensitive" held L clearances.Keith G. Fultz
Weaknesses in NRC's Security Clearance Program
US General Accounting Office Testimony, March 15, 1989

References

Nuclear secrecy United States Department of Energy United States government secrecy {{US-gov-stub

See also

References