Key witnesses might miss Yucca hearing

Benjamin Grove and Mary Manning

Tuesday, May 27, 2003 | 11:16 a.m.

Two of the five witnesses expected to testify at a Yucca Mountain hearing Wednesday might not attend.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., are hosting the Senate field hearing in Las Vegas to investigate flaws in the nuclear waste project -- specifically to explore recent reports of poor quality assurance on scientific and technical work on the project.

But two key witnesses might miss it, according to published reports: Robert Clark, an Energy Department employee and Donald Harris, a Yucca auditor who works for Navarro Research and Engineering, Inc., a project contractor.

Clark and Harris were not available for comment, but Reid and Ensign are concerned that they might not attend the hearing because of pressure from Energy Department administrators.

"If that is the case, then that is another disturbing element of the whole Yucca Mountain project and is something to take a look at at the field hearing," Ensign spokesman Jack Finn said.

Reid tried to compel Yucca chief Margaret Chu to urge Clark and Harris to appear. In a May 22 letter to Chu, Reid wrote, "I expect that you will promptly inform the witnesses of their obligations to appear before the subcommittee ..."

But Chu, in a May 23 response, said she had given no direction to Clark or Navarro, Harris' employer. She noted that it would not be appropriate for her to order Clark to attend the hearing because he is no longer with an auditing group at Yucca.

Critics have said Clark was transferred to other duties away from his oversight job after he helped uncover project flaws. Harris was removed from his Yucca auditing duties by Navarro after he was part of a separate auditing team that reported Yucca flaws, but he was reinstated in the job after a few weeks.

Reid is "still holding out hope" that the two will attend the hearing, Reid spokeswoman Tessa Hafen said.

The public hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday at the County Government Center Commission Chambers.

Other scheduled witnesses are William Belke, former Nuclear Regulatory Commission field staff member; Allison MacFarlane, a geologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Robin Nazzaro, General Accounting Office study director.

"This hearing will serve notice that we take any allegation of mismanagement or corruption very, very seriously when it comes to the Yucca Mountain project," Ensign said. "These witnesses deserve to be heard, and the people of Nevada have a right to hear what they have to say."

The hearing, open to the public, will air live on Cox cable Channel 4, the county's government access TV station, and will be available online at www.accessclarkcounty.com.