It seems like what we are doing is we are setting people up here and giving them some hope...

So this goes back to your opening statement, when you said we need to communicate what our program is all about...

U. S. Senator Lisa Murkowski and Congressman Don Young from Alaska have both asked Secretary Abraham to resolve the willing payor issue.

These workers and their survivors are entitled to far better treatment then many of them have endured.

I hope that the committee is beginning to understand the frustration I've experienced.

Do you have, does DOE have, a specific individual who Alaskans can contact to determine the status of their claims and get other questions answered?

the importance of this issue led me to co-sponsor the Grassley-Murkowski amendment.

Well, if there is not, I would certainly hope we are not leading people down a path that is obviously very difficult...

Well, I am looking at the language that was pulled from the MOU and the language as I am reading provides that: 'Provided that, consistent with subpart D, such a determination will prevent DOE and may prevent a DOE contractor from…

The numbers and the statistics, they are not acceptable. They do not work.

Clearly, the Department of Energy had a substandard operation when it came to implementing this compensation program.

It's an insult to the Americans who worked in these plants.