“Historical perspective on support of our congressional delegation”
Most of the East Tennessee retirees from the DOE Contractors in Oak Ridge are represented by Congressmen John Duncan (2nd District), Zach Wamp (3rd District), and Lincoln Davis (4th District).
All have been supportive of CORRE's objectives, have contacted the Mangers of the major facilities in Oak Ridge (UT-Battelle, BWXT, Bechtel-Jacobs, and Wackenhut), and have written to the Secretary of Energy on our behalf. Zach Wamp, in whose district DOE-Oak Ridge is located has taken the lead.
Congressman Wamp was instrumental in helping to block the "420 Transfer" of surplus funds out of the MEPP Trust Fund to construct buildings at Y-12. Zach Wamp was the force behind the pension benefit adjustment (averaging 15% and prorated from older to younger retirees) announced in 2001 (note this applied only to those who retired before April 1998). Zach also supported the 2004 minimum pension provision for retirees in 2004 ($600 couple/$400 surviving spouse). Zach serves on the House Energy & Water Committee's Subcommittee on Appropriations. This subcommittee restricted DOE from using any appropriated funds to implement DOE change notice 351.1 that was issued in draft in 2006. This notice would have effectively blocked any future pension adjustments for retirees. DOE withdrew this draft notice in 2007 in response to comments from across the country. The Hanford WA press gave Zach's role on the House Energy & Water Appropriations Subcommittee credit for the single most important action instopping 351.1.
Our Congressmen continued to support pension adjustments for retirees, but the Department of Energy in Washington has stated that there will be no future pension adjustments. DOE says that they can no longer afford them [note the MEPP Trust Fund in Oak Ridge currently has a surplus in excess of $600 M).
It will take the proactive support of Tennessee's senators to obtain change in DOE's position. CORRE representatives have sought unsuccessfully to meet with Senator Alexander. CORRE did meet with Senator Corker earlier this year within 6 months of his election. Both have been thoroughly appraised of the pension issues. Retirees have been waiting to see what they will do. Time is not on the side of retirees and they are impatient. They want to see the pension issue as a key priority of their elected officials.
See the CORRE web site (www.CORRE.info) for more commentary and correspondence on this topic. If you wish to make comments or ask questions, E-mail the blog editor at davemason@corre.info.
Written by CORRE Board President David Reichle