[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 142 (Tuesday, October 4, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 4, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                        THE NUCLEAR WASTE CAUCUS

                                 ______


                           HON. RALPH M. HALL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 4, 1994

  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I want to bring to the attention of 
my colleagues the formation of the Congressional Nuclear Waste Caucus 
and invite Members to join in resolving the important energy and 
environmental issue of moving forward with the Nation's spent nuclear 
fuel management program.
  Electricity customers across the country have paid more than $10 
billion to date for the Federal Government's spent nuclear fuel 
program, which was mandated by Congress in 1982 and reaffirmed in 1987. 
Although approximately $4 billion has been spent, Federal Government is 
nowhere near meeting its congressionally mandated 1998 responsibility 
to begin accepting spent nuclear fuel from utilities and either storing 
it permanently in a repository or temporarily at a federally managed 
interim facility.
  This is of no small consequence to our Nation's energy security, the 
environment or to electricity customers. Without progress on the 
nuclear waste program, 23 of the country's nuclear power plants will 
have exhausted their spent fuel storage capacity by 1998, leaving these 
facilities with two options: build expensive temporary on-site storage 
facilities or shut down prematurely. At risk is 18,000 megawatts of 
electricity, or enough to serve more than 11 million homes for 1 year.
  Our Nation's electric utilities, the National Association of 
Regulatory Utility Commissioners, the U.S. Congress and others agree 
that it is preferable to have spent nuclear fuel at one location--in a 
federally managed and protected facility--than at more than 70 
locations throughout the United States.
  This is an issue of equity and responsibility. The Nation's utilities 
entered the nuclear energy era with the promise that the Federal 
Government would meet its obligation for the ultimate disposal of spent 
nuclear fuel.
  Electric utility customers have fulfilled their part of the agreement 
and have funded the spent nuclear fuel management program since the 
mid-1980's through a surcharge on their electric bills. Continued 
delays will compound the costly situation as utilities are forced to 
build temporary on-site spent fuel storage or face prematurely shutting 
down these important electric generation stations. America's utility 
customers would be forced to pay for spent fuel storage a second time.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join the Nuclear Waste Caucus. 
The caucus will serve as a clearinghouse for knowledge and opinion, 
will host briefings, and will work to resolve this important national 
issue. Addressing the problem of nuclear waste promises to be an 
important debate in the 104th Congress. Regardless of your views on the 
subject, I hope you'll look to the Nuclear Waste Caucus as a source of 
good information.

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