[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 111 (Thursday, July 25, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1376-E1377]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 3816, ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1997

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                               speech of

                            HON. ROB PORTMAN

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 24, 1996

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 3816) making 
     appropriations for energy and water development for the 
     fiscal year ending September 30, 1997, and for other 
     purposes:

  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Energy and 
Water appropriations bill. I applaud the Appropriations Committee for 
their thoughtful approach to the difficult task of balancing our 
Nation's energy and water priorities during this era of fiscal 
restraint. I commend Chairman Myers and the other members of the 
committee for their efforts.
  I am particularly interested in the provisions of this bill relating 
to the Department of Energy's Environmental Restoration and Waste 
Management budget. There are many contaminated sites around the country 
left over from nuclear energy and nuclear weapons research and 
production. Those of us who represent the areas affected by these sites 
know that people are concerned about the health effects of these sites 
to themselves and their children--and concerned that no one will fix 
the problem. I believe this bill sends a strong message that the 
Federal Government will continue to meet its cleanup obligations.
  Within the context of our increasingly tight budget constraints, the 
Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Budget appropriation is 
a reasonable investment of public money. Administrative and support 
costs have been streamlined, while funding for cleanup activities--the 
true heart of this budget--has been protected.
  In my district, the Fernald site--a former uranium processing 
center--has potentially caused thousands of people, through no fault of 
their own, to be exposed to hazardous contaminants in the air, in the 
soil, and in the water. Although problems at the site still persist, 
and I have requested a GAO investigation into certain serious 
allegations relating to the management of the site, considerable 
progress has been made in cleaning up Fernald.
  The Fernald site is operating under an accelerated remediation 
schedule, so that the site will be clean in 9 years, and not the 25 
years originally planned--creating a savings to the taxpayer of 
approximately $2 billion. This accelerated remediation program, if 
successful

[[Page E1377]]

could serve as a model for other clean-up efforts around the country. 
In fact, the Appropriations Committee's report specifically commends 
the efforts underway at Fernald.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. It continues to 
provide reasonable funding to protect our natural resources. It still 
helps us to achieve our goal of balancing the budget by 2002--and it 
will help us to fix an environmental hazard that has placed thousands 
of people at risk.

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