[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1732 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1732

   Condemning the unilateral decision of the Chairman of the Nuclear 
   Regulatory Commission to begin the closure of the Yucca Mountain 
   license application review and calling on the Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission to resume license application review activities immediately 
                pending further direction from Congress.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 18, 2010

Mr. Simpson (for himself, Mr. Sensenbrenner, Mr. Wamp, Mr. Hastings of 
 Washington, Mr. Rehberg, Mr. Lewis of California, Mr. Frelinghuysen, 
 Mr. Hall of Texas, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Ryan of Wisconsin, 
Mr. Barrett of South Carolina, Mr. Whitfield, and Mr. Barton of Texas) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                         on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Condemning the unilateral decision of the Chairman of the Nuclear 
   Regulatory Commission to begin the closure of the Yucca Mountain 
   license application review and calling on the Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission to resume license application review activities immediately 
                pending further direction from Congress.

Whereas in 1987 Congress amended the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 by 
        designating Yucca Mountain as the only option for a long-term storage 
        site by a vote of 237-181 in the House of Representatives and 61-28 in 
        the Senate;
Whereas Congress reaffirmed Yucca Mountain's designation as the only option for 
        a long-term storage site in 2002 by a vote of 306-117 in the House of 
        Representatives and 60-39 in the Senate;
Whereas in 2007 the House of Representatives overwhelmingly rejected by a vote 
        of 80-351 an attempt to eliminate funding for the Yucca Mountain nuclear 
        waste disposal program;
Whereas the Department of Energy has already collected $24,000,000,000 in fees 
        from nuclear utilities and their ratepayers;
Whereas the Federal taxpayer has already spent over $8,500,000,000 studying 
        Yucca Mountain as the permanent site for nuclear waste storage;
Whereas the Department of Energy total liability for breach of contracts 
        requiring disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste from 
        civilian nuclear reactors could reach as much as $50,000,000,000;
Whereas the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Atomic Safety and Licensing Board 
        found that the Department of Energy cannot legally withdraw the Yucca 
        Mountain license application;
Whereas the Fiscal Year 2010 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies 
        Appropriations Act provided funding to continue the Yucca Mountain 
        license application;
Whereas Congress has provided no funding for activities related to the closure 
        of the Yucca Mountain license application;
Whereas the Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Resolution provided no funding to 
        undertake new initiatives;
Whereas the House Republican members of the Energy and Water Appropriations 
        Subcommittee stated in a letter dated October 20, 2010, that they expect 
        the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to continue its fiscal year 2010 
        licensing activities until Congress provides additional direction and 
        funding;
Whereas 2 Nuclear Regulatory Commission Commissioners disagreed with the 
        decision to begin orderly closure of Yucca Mountain license application 
        review activities and noted that closure is inconsistent with the 
        Continuing Resolution; and
Whereas the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Inspector General has launched an 
        investigation of the Chairman's unilateral decision to terminate the 
        review of the Yucca Mountain application: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) condemns the unilateral decision of the Chairman of the 
        Nuclear Regulatory Commission to begin the closure of the Yucca 
        Mountain license application review; and
            (2) calls on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to resume 
        license application review activities immediately pending 
        further direction from Congress.
                                 <all>