From the Tri-City Herald

The Democratic administration's proposed fiscal 2012 budget released Monday would increase funding for the Hanford nuclear reservation.

However, while the budget for work at the tank farms and the vitrification plant under the Department of Energy Office of River Protection would increase, money for the Richland Operations Office would decrease. It is responsible for the rest of Hanford work.

The proposed cut to cleanup funding for the Richland Operations Office would be in addition to the end of $1.96 billion in economic stimulus money, most of which went to projects under the Richland Operations Office.

Contractors doing that work already have announced they could lay off about 1,600 employees before the start of fiscal 2012 on Oct. 1.

The administration's budget proposal is an early step in the fiscal 2012 budget process, with the Republican-controlled House and Democrat-controlled Senate to start work on the budget next.

"At this moment, knowing the pressure in the House, these are pretty good numbers," said Gary Petersen, vice president of Hanford programs for the Tri-City Development Council.

Few observers expect that Congress will do anything other than cut from the proposed budget, Hanford watchdog Heart of America Northwest said in a statement.