Chances for Thiokol to keep space shuttle booster production in Utah may have improved this week Tuesday as powerful House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jamie Whitten, D-Miss., gave up many of his responsibilities.

Whitten has led the fight to protect a government plant under construction in his district to manufacture the next generation of shuttle boosters. President Bush is trying to kill it as unnecessary, which would keep booster production in Utah.Whitten, 82, recently suffered a stroke and on Tuesday turned day-to-day operations of the committee over to Rep. William Natcher, D-Ky. Whitten remains - at least in name - as committee chairman and may reclaim his duties if his health improves.

Whitten chose that option rather than risk a showdown with Democratic leaders, who had warned Whitten he could be formally ousted from his post because they do not feel he can now handle it.

Sen. Jake Garn and Rep. Jim Hansen, R-Utah, who have helped lead fights against the Mississippi plant, said Whitten's action may not help that fight much in the short term - but could in the long run.

"In the short run I certainly do not believe it will help because he is still there," Garn said.

"It may even make it more difficult because of sympathy for him. Remember when I was in the hospital a few months when I gave my kidney for transplant? I had more in the appropriations bill that year than ever because of sympathy I got by calling people from the hospital."

Garn added, "A lot of people are upset about the pressure that was put on Jamie. And that could help him."

While Hansen - whose district includes Thiokol's plant - agreed that Whitten's step aside may not help much initially, he said it has "resulted in about a 25 percent reduction in his clout."

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Hansen and Garn said they strongly believe they can show the new boosters planned in Mississippi are unnecessary and will rob other NASA programs of scarce money. And without as much fear by other members of retribution by Whitten, they may win.

"That argument is starting to gel here," Hansen said. "We all know the plant was put in his district because he is the chairman of appropriations. That's fine if you are flush with money. But in a time of austerity and when the administration doesn't want it, that helps our argument."

But Garn said that even with Whitten ailing, the rest of the Mississippi delegation is still powerful and could protect the plant. "(Sen.) Thad Cochran (D-Miss.) is a senior member, and he's on the Senate Appropriations Committee."

Still, Garn said so many problems have occurred with the new-generation boosters that he is sure Thiokol will continue to manufacture its version of boosters well beyond the turn of the century.

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