Last week, DOE officials from headquarters in Washington, D.C., and the Richland office met with the Office of Management and Budget. Piper talked Thursday to members of Congress. However, because Monday was Presidents Day, DOE officials in Washington, D.C., and members of the Washington congressional delegations could not be reached for comment. Officials had some concerns about the process and said they wished they had been notified earlier, Piper said. DOE's Richland office still is answering questions from the OMB and does not have final information ready for Congress, he said.
Officials suspect hydrogen gas has been trapped beneath the crust.
The waste in C-106 heats up spontaneously. According to the list of effects if the money is not shifted by Congress, several Tri-Party Agreement milestones would be missed. State offices were closed Monday, and officials could not be reached for comment. Last week, Mike Wilson, the state Health Department's director of nuclear waste programs, said he had been told the Richland DOE plan was poorly drafted and not ready for Congress to review. Copyright 1999 Tri-City Herald.