Editing Fermilab (section)

===Access===
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (aka Fermilab) was founded in 1967 as an open science research laboratory, and, to this day, does not conduct classified research. The initial plans called for Fermilab to employ a guard force "...to control movement of personnel onto the site when tests are being conducted" as noted in the December 1971 Environmental Statement and "..to enforce the site boundary".  Early leadership moved toward greater public openness  allowing for ease of scientific collaboration and public enjoyment to include the relocated bison herd.

In the late 2010s and early 2020s, the management of Fermilab began to introduce severe restrictions on access to the Fermilab site by the public and by scientists.  By spring 2023, the restrictions had become so onerous that more than 2500 physicists and visitors to the laboratory signed an "open petition to elected representatives to reopen Fermilab."<ref>{{cite web |title=Petition to Reopen Fermilab |url=https://www.reopenfermilab.com/ |website=Reopen Fermilab |publisher=Physicists and visitors to Fermilab |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705155017/https://www.reopenfermilab.com/ |access-date=April 28, 2023|archive-date=July 5, 2023 }}</ref>    The petition stated that:   "The access policy changes undermine critical aspects of the scientific process as well as the basic functioning of Fermilab. Hosting research meetings, interviewing prospective employees, collaborating with scientists outside the lab, and enacting our famously impactful education programs have all been hindered."    With respect to the general public, the petition stated:  "Today, the general public is only permitted to access the main road, and with ID requirements that are becoming increasingly stringent, soon its doors will be closed to tourists and even to some immigrants. We can no longer drive or bike around the premises freely. The dog park, Wilson Hall with its exhibits on the top floor, and other areas are no longer generally accessible. Fishing and other activities open to the public have been canceled."   The petition emphatically requested that access policies be reverted to the open laboratory model that governed the laboratory prior to 2020.

In May 2023, Director Lia Merminga posted a response to the petition on the Fermilab website,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Merminga |first1=Lia |title=From Director Lia Merminga: Accessing Fermilab's Batavia site |url=https://news.fnal.gov/2023/05/from-lia-merminga-accessing-fermilabs-batavia-site/ |website=Fermilab News |date=May 16, 2023 |publisher=Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory |access-date=May 16, 2023}}</ref> noting that
some areas on site remain open to the public during specific hours with ID access requirements.  Merminga's response justifies the new restrictions because the lab "manage[s] a large amount of non-public information"---reasoning that conflicts with the petition that points out that the lab is fully tax-payer funded, does no classified research, and has a government mandate to publish all of its scientific results.   Further coverage of the petition and the management response appeared in the magazines ''Physics Today''<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Feder |first1=Toni |title=Scientists and the public petition to roll back Fermilab access restrictions |journal=Physics Today |url=https://doi.org/10.1063/PT.6.2.20230525a |access-date=May 28, 2023 |publisher=American Institute of Physics |date=May 25, 2023|volume=2023 |issue=5 |pages=0525a |doi=10.1063/PT.6.2.20230525a |bibcode=2023PhT..2023e2386F |url-access=subscription }}</ref> and ''Physics World''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gwynne |first1=Peter |title=Fermilab faces protest over visitor restrictions |url=https://physicsworld.com/a/fermilab-faces-protest-over-visitor-restrictions/ |access-date=June 22, 2023 |agency=Physics World |publisher=IOP Publishing |date=June 19, 2023}}</ref>

In keeping with Real ID requirements for DOE facilities, all unescorted adult visitors entering the site must present a government-issued photo ID compliant with the [[Real ID Act]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Marc |first1=Tracy |title=Fermilab site reopens to the public, welcomes visitors |url=https://news.fnal.gov/2022/03/fermilab-site-reopens-to-the-public-welcomes-visitors/ |publisher=Fermilab News |date=March 28, 2022}}</ref>  Up-to-date specifics about access can be found on the Fermilab website.<ref name=tritfaq>{{cite web |title=Visit Fermilab |url=https://www.fnal.gov/pub/visiting/index.html |publisher=Fermilab |access-date=April 13, 2022}}</ref>