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Accompanying the President's budget request to Congress, DOE has proposed a new approach where host states that agree to renegotiate their clean-up agreements would be allowed to ask for additional clean-up funds to accelerate projects at their site. Under the proposed budget, however, if the State of Idaho did not agree to alter DOE's clean-up commitments, INEEL could suffer a substantially reduced budget.

"I am encouraged that DOE's leadership wants to propose innovative ways to clean-up nuclear waste faster and better. New approaches, however, must be a supplement to meeting the commitments already in place. Without promises kept, there can be no confidence in new promises made. Today's conversation between the delegation and the Governor was a demonstration of how like-minded we are on this issue. Here in Congress, we will continue to work - as a united group and with the Governor - to provide the funding resources to get this job done, while protecting the world-class science and technology missions of this lab," said Senator Craig.

Senator Crapo, who co-chairs the Senate Nuclear Cleanup Caucus, noted, "The proposed budget submitted by the President is just that-a proposal. The Congress governs the policies at the Department of Energy, and we will ensure that, just as last year, the resources will be available to support the lab and fulfill the court settlement on cleanup at the site."

"While I can fully appreciate the desire within the DOE to reform the cleanup program to achieve greater efficiency and quicker cleanup, I strongly believe any new approach must be consistent with current or expedited cleanup schedules and the commitments the federal government has already made to the people of Idaho," said Simpson. "I want a complete accounting of the DOE's new intentions in Idaho and a firm commitment that the DOE's promises to our state will be fulfilled. I am also intent on ensuring that the important science and research funding so crucial to the INEEL's current and future missions will be protected.

Simpson continued, "I am pleased that Governor Kempthorne, Senators Craig and Crapo, Congressman Otter and I will stand united in our desire to maintain or improve cleanup schedules and preserve the role of the INEEL and Argonne West as our nation's premier nuclear energy research and environmental management laboratories."

"We're dedicated to achieving the cleanup at the INEEL that Idahoans are expecting from their Department of Energy," Governor Kempthorne said.