[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 72 (Tuesday, May 18, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5496-S5497]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. CRAPO (for himself and Mr. Craig):
  S. 1071. A bill to designate the Idaho National Engineering and 
Environmental Laboratory as the Center of Excellence for Environmental 
Stewardship of the Department of Energy land, and establish the Natural 
Resources Institute within the Center; to the Committee on Armed 
Services.


      environmental stewardship and natural resources act of 1999

 Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I rise in support of the 
Environmental Stewardship and Natural Resources Act which I am 
introducing today with Senator Craig as cosponsor.
  The nuclear defense capability of the United States has protected our 
form of government and ensured our freedoms since its inception during 
World War II. In order to sustain and develop our nuclear deterrence, a 
vast industrial complex was established. This complex of facilities was 
built under the auspices of the Atomic Energy Commission and its 
successor agency, the Department of Energy. Uranium mines, factories, 
laboratories, and reactors were located throughout the country to 
provide nuclear and conventional components for weapons. These 
facilities were mostly located on large tracts of land, which also 
included surrounding buffer areas for security.
  With the end of the cold war, and the mutual reduction of the United 
States and Russian nuclear arsenals, many of our nuclear facilities are 
closing, changing or reducing their missions. Land management at these 
facilities, throughout their production lives was limited to 
accomplishing their missions and providing isolation and security. 
Protection of the ecosystems and natural resources, on which our 
nuclear arsenal was built, did not rate high priority in the agency's 
planning. Any environmental benefits or natural resources protection on 
these facilities was truly incidental to their isolation.
  In addition to lack of natural resource planning, there exists a 
contamination legacy which has resulted in the largest and most 
expensive cleanup program in the federal government. Regardless of the 
effectiveness and efficiency of the cleanup program, some levels of 
contaminants will remain, and will need to be monitored and managed. 
Long term stewardship is the process of managing and protecting the 
natural resources that are unaffected by contamination, and also the 
continual monitoring and stabilization of contaminants that remain in 
place following mediation. Even after a

[[Page S5497]]

facility is cleaned up and closed, no matter how effective the 
remediation effort, the federal government is still liable for any 
subsequent action that may be necessary to insure that no harm will 
come to humans or the environment.
  The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, INEEL, 
has a long history with the Atomic Energy Commission and the Department 
of Energy. Originally known as the National Reactor Testing Station, 
this site constructed, tested, and operated 52 reactors for various 
defense and civilian purposes since the early 1950's. All but a handful 
of these reactors have been decontaminated and dismantled. In addition 
to this nuclear mission, the INEEL has developed expertise and 
experience in the modeling the movement of contaminants in the 
environment; and research and development of technologies necessary for 
the detection, monitoring, stabilization, and mediation of 
contamination. I propose, with this bill, to establsh the INEEL as the 
Department of Energy Center of Excellence for the development of 
technologies, techniques, and methodologies for the implementation of 
an effective Long Term Stewardship program throughout the nuclear 
weapons production complex.
  I also propose the establishment of a Natural Resource Institute at 
the INEEL. This institute will bring together scientists, scholars, and 
others in the field of natural resources management, to study complex 
issues that affect natural resources policy. The institute will also 
work on specific natural resource and environmental issues and 
problems, by utilizing the resources of the INEEL, northwest 
universities, states, and various federal agencies. The INEEL is a 
national laboratory, not is just a laboratory for the Department of 
Energy. The expertise, experience, and resources of this site must be 
made available to all. The natural Resource Institute will be the 
conduit for bringing expertise to the INEEL and for making information, 
data, and good science available for the solution of natural resource 
issues throughout the inland northwest.
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