JIM SASSER TENNESSEE

United States Senate Washington, D.C.   20510

COMMITTEES: APPROPRIATIONS BUDGET GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS SELECT COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS

May 18, 1982   Mr. William S. Heffelfinger Assistant Secretary for Management       and Administration Department of Energy James Forrestal Building 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C.   20585 Dear Mr. Heffelfinger: This letter is written on behalf of Robert V. Gentry, Associate Professor of Physics at Columbia Union College and currently Guest Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Mr. Gentry has been a Guest Scientist at ORNL for the past 13 years. During this time, he has published nearly 20 scientific reports, some of which have received national recognition. I have enclosed two published commentaries concerning Mr. Gentry's work which testify to the depth and importance of the research he has been able to conduct while at ORNL. In addition, Robert Gentry has been particularly helpful to me and my staff on energy-related matters, particularly nuclear waste site selection issues. He has provided valuable evaluations and technical expertise, which has assisted us in ascertaining the full implications of various energy policies. It is my understanding that Mr. Gentry has been notified that his current dollar-a-year consultant contract will be terminated on June 30, 1982. I also understand that he has recently discovered new evidence relating to nuclear waste containment about which he would like to conduct experiments and further research. However, he will be unable to do this if his contract is terminated on schedule. I wanted to take this opportunity to bring my interest in Mr. Gentry to your attention and to request that he be allowed to continue his work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, if at all possible. I am sure that an extension of his contract would allow him to finish his research and prepare conclusions based on those experiments. I would greatly appreciate any assistance you can offer Mr. Gentry in this regard, and I look forward to hearing from you at your convenience. Sincerely, Jim Sasser United States Senator