By Eric Pianin and Helen Dewar
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, November 17, 2001; Page A09

Plans to reopen the Hart Senate Office Building shortly after Thanksgiving have been delayed indefinitely as the Capitol Police and the Environmental Protection Agency continue to wrestle with the problem of eradicating anthrax spores throughout the facility.

The Capitol Hill building, which houses the offices of 50 senators and hundreds of aides, was closed Oct. 17, two days after a letter containing anthrax spores was opened in the office of Senate Majority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.). Since then, traces of anthrax have been discovered in 12 senators' suites – most recently in the offices of Sens. Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Bob Graham (D-Fla.).

Lawmakers, police and EPA officials had hoped the cleanup could be completed by Nov. 21. But with the discovery of the additional anthrax spores and uncertainty over how the EPA and its contractors intend to proceed, a police spokesman said yesterday that the deadline has been pushed back indefinitely.

Senior senatorial aides were told yesterday at a meeting with EPA and other government officials that it would take three to four weeks to finish the cleanup of the least contaminated offices, according to several sources.

But the officials did not say when the cleanup of Daschle's office would be completed, or whether the building could be reopened in phases or with Daschle's office still sealed off. After the offices are cleaned, final tests will be conducted to ensure that no anthrax traces remain. None of the officials knows how long these post-decontamination tests may take.

Though no new date to reopen the building was set, several Republican aides said after the meeting that they concluded it will be January before the building reopens.

"This is obviously an inconvenience to the Senate and to the constituents of the senators affected," said Lt. Dan Nichols, spokesman for the Capitol Police. "But all along the senators have said they will accept inconvenience in the interest of public safety. The bottom line is everybody wants to have the building declared safe for reentry, and we're working diligently."

Senators and their staffs, who are scattered in temporary office space around the Capitol, took news of the latest delay with a sense of resignation, said Daschle spokesman Doug Hattaway.

"Of course, there's frustration, but people understand we've never had to do this before. They understand the need to ensure everyone's safety," he said. "No one is ready yet to knock down the doors and reoccupy the building."

An aide to another senator said some staffers are "getting pretty angry" but know there is nothing they can do about it.

The EPA originally planned to fumigate the entire Hart Building but abandoned that approach after concerns were raised about the effectiveness of the procedure. The agency now is considering using a combination of methods that include fumigating the adjoining offices of Daschle and Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) with chlorine dioxide gas and using chlorine dioxide in either liquid or foam in other areas.

However, with those plans still up in the air – and uncertainty over how long it will take to do follow-up tests once the fumigation is completed – Nichols said officials "can't establish a firm timeline for the building to be reopened."