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. . that he had delivered to the Committee written support for the bill from each of the seven Basin states and seven "users" (Central Arizona Project, CVWD, California Water Commission, Hammond Irrigation District of New Mexico, MWD, PVID, and the Upper Colorado River Commission). It is expected that the bill will be reported out of committee after Labor Day. I have included in the Board folder copies of Mr. Barnett's testimony and the Board's letter to Chairman Smith, in support of S. 1211. A copy of H.R. 2619 is also included in the Board folder for your information. Public Meetings on the 1999 Triennial Review Report I can report that efforts are underway in the approval process for the 1999 Triennial Review Report. Arrangements have been made to publish the notice in the Los Angeles Times to maximize coverage in the Southern California area. The public meeting in Los Angeles is schedule for August 23'd at the Sheraton Hotel, adjacent to the Los Angeles International Airport, beginning at I :00 p.m. The Forum will take the comments that are presented at this meeting and the meeting that is scheduled for Lyman, Wyoming, and issue a supplemental report, ifrequired, based on the comments received. Atlas C01:poration's Uranium Mill Tailings Included in the Board folder are copies of two recent letters I have received concerning the status of the Atlas Corporation's uranium mill site in Moah, Utah. . The first letter, signed by 42 Senators and Assemblyman from the California Legislature, is to Congressmen Packard (R-CA) and Visclosky (D-IN) and Senators Domenici (R-NM) and Reid (D-NY) requesting their support to include $2.5 million in the FY 2000 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill for Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop a feasibility study and Groundwater Corrective Action Plan for groundwater remediation at the Atlas site. . The second letter is from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in response to Mr. Jack Barnett's June 8, 1999. letter to it. In its response, EP A states the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is the only federal agency with control and authority over the Atlas site. EPA's concerns, however, are focused on the aquatic impacts associated with the leachate from the tailings. EP A is also concerned with the bankruptcy filing by Atlas and the impact it will have on the funding necessary to reclaim the site and ultimately meet all public health iilld environmental standards. EPA indicates that Secretary of Energy Richardson recently announced he would investigate the matter and determine if there is a role involving Department of Energy management of the site. Attached to the letter is EPA's detailed response to the NRC concerning its final Environmental Impact Statement related to the reclamation of the Atlas site. r ~e.f('~'_~'A>"".4 -"...- ~ Gerald R. Zimmerman Executive Director 6