02.12.02

Cantwell Fights Administration's Proposed Hanford Cut

DOE Official Admits Proposal is "Controversial"

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) today voiced her strong opposition to the Administration's proposed 20% cut of $262 million from Hanford's clean-up budget. Cantwell voiced her opposition at a Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee hearing on the White House's 2003 budget plan.

"To fall behind in Hanford clean-up is not only a violation of the TriParty agreement, it's unacceptable to the people of Washington state, to the region of the Northwest, and to the country," Cantwell said. "Nonetheless, the Administration now proposes a 20% cut of $262 million in funding for Hanford clean-up."

At the hearing, Bruce Carnes, Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Energy, recognized the cuts were "controversial" and indicated that there had been debate within the Administration up until the last minute on the proposal. "The environmental management budget was one of those thorny, vexing issues that remained open very late in the session," Carnes said. "We came to closure on that at the very last moment."

Cantwell also called on the committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) to hold an oversight hearing on the Administration's proposed changes to the environmental management program.