[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 9, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S1405]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         NUCLEAR WASTE STORAGE

 Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I rise today to express my commitment 
to make the Nuclear Waste Storage Bill an early priority during the 
106th Congress. More than 15 years ago, Congress directed the 
Department of Energy (DOE) to take responsibility for the disposal of 
nuclear waste created by commercial nuclear power plants and our 
nation's defense programs.
  Today there are more than 100,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel that 
must be dealt with. One year has now passed since the DOE was 
absolutely obligated under the NWPA of 1982 to begin accepting spent 
nuclear fuel from utility sites, and DOE is no closer today in coming 
up with a solution. This is unacceptable. The law is clear, and DOE 
must meet its obligation. If the Department of Energy does not live up 
to its responsibility, Congress will act.
  I am encouraged that the House of Representatives has begun to 
address this issue. A bill introduced by Representative Fred Upton and 
Ed Towns of the House's Commerce Committee would set up a temporary 
storage site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, for this waste until a 
permanent repository is approved and built. It is good to see 
bipartisan cosponsors for a safe, practical and workable solution for 
America's spent fuel storage needs. This solution is certainly more 
responsible than leaving waste at 105 separate power plants in 34 
states across the nation. There are 29 sites which will reach capacity 
by the end of 1999. All of America's experience in waste management 
over the last twenty-five years of improving environmental protection 
has taught Congress that safe, effective waste handling practices 
entail centralized, permitted, and controlled facilities to gather and 
manage accumulated waste.
  Mr. President, the management of used nuclear fuel should capitalize 
on this knowledge and experience. Nearly 100 communities have spent 
fuel sitting in their ``backyard,'' and it needs to be moved. This lack 
of storage capacity could very possibly cause the closing of several 
nuclear power plants. These affected plants produce nearly 20% of the 
United States' electricity. Closing these plants just does not make 
sense.
  Nuclear energy is a significant part of America's energy future, and 
must remain part of the energy mix. America needs nuclear power to 
maintain our secure, reliable, and affordable supplies of electricity 
at the same time the nation addresses increasingly stringent air 
quality requirements. Nuclear power is one of the best ways America can 
address those who say global warming is a problem--a subject I'll leave 
for another day.
  Both the House and the Senate passed a bill in the 105th Congress to 
require the DOE to build this interim storage site in Nevada, but 
unfortunately this bill never completed the legislative process. I 
challenge my colleagues in both chambers of the 106th Congress to get 
this environmental bill done. The citizens, in some 100 communities 
where fuel is stored today, challenge the Congress to act and get this 
bill done. This nuclear industry has already committed to the federal 
government about $15 billion toward building the facility. In fact, the 
nuclear industry continues to pay about $650 million a year in fees for 
storage of spent fuel. It is time for the federal government to live up 
to its commitment. It is time for the federal government to protect 
those 100 communities.
  To ensure that the federal government meets its commitment to states 
and electricity consumers, the 106th Congress must mandate completion 
of this program--a program that includes temporary storage, a site for 
permanent disposal, and a transportation infrastructure to safely move 
used fuel from plants to the storage facility.
  Mr. President, this federal foot dragging is unfortunate and 
unacceptable, so clearly the only remedy to stopping these continued 
delays is timely action in the 106th Congress on this 
legislation.

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