[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 126 (Friday, September 24, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1954]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONFERENCE REPORT ON S. 1059, NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR 
                            FISCAL YEAR 2000

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. JIM GIBBONS

                               of nevada

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 15, 1999

  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate Chairman 
Spence  for all of his hard work on this bill. His time and commitment 
is appreciated by me and this entire Congress.
  The reason I am before you is to discuss the ability of State and 
local governments to carry out their legitimate environmental, safety, 
and health oversight authority under the newly formed National Nuclear 
Security Administration, as set forth in this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, the State of Nevada is among several states that house 
nuclear weapons production and/or testing facilities. Nevada is in fact 
home to the Nevada Test Site. A unique national resource, the Nevada 
Test Site is a massive outdoor laboratory and national experimental 
center that is larger than the state of Rhode Island.
  Established as the Atomic Energy Commission's on-continent proving 
ground, the Nevada Test Site has seen more than four decades of nuclear 
weapons testing. Since the nuclear weapons testing moratorium in 1992, 
and under the direction of the Department of Energy (DOE), test site 
use has diversified into many other programs such as hazardous chemical 
spill testing, emergency response training, conventional weapons 
testing, and waste management and environmental technology studies.
  Mr. Speaker, the states that house our nation's nuclear weapons 
testing facilities, including my home state of Nevada, will be subject 
to the DOE re-organization provisions in this bill. Our efforts to 
protect the oversight rights of these states is paramount.
  Mr. Speaker, the citizens of Nevada need your assurance that nothing 
in Title 32 of this bill, relating to the National Nuclear Security 
Administration, is intended to limit, modify, affect, or otherwise 
change any local, state or federal environmental, safety or health law, 
including any waiver of federal sovereign immunity in any such federal 
law, or any obligation of the Administration or the Department to 
comply with any such local, state or federal law.
  Again, I would like to thank Chairman Spence for his work on this 
bill and I appreciate his willingness to work with me on this very 
important issue.

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