[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 5 (Monday, January 31, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S138-S139]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--S. 1287

  Mr. LOTT. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the nuclear waste bill, S. 1287, following passage of the 
bankruptcy bill.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. REID. Madam President, reserving the right to object, I say to my 
friend, the majority leader, that on the surface it does appear that 
something needs to be done with nuclear waste. If you get under the 
surface, of course, there should be something done.
  I am not going to give a long dissertation now on nuclear waste. We 
have had that in the past. But the fact of the matter is, really what 
should happen is, it should stay where it is. That is what the 
scientists say. It could be safely stored on site in dry cast storage 
containment, as is done in Calvert Cliffs, MD, for the next 100 years.
  The nuclear power industry, which has created this fiasco, wants 
someone else to clean up their mess. They want it out of their hands. 
They want their hands washed of it.
  The fact of the matter is, we are looking at this legislation. 
Senator Murkowski is trying to come up with some alternative. I have 
been told by the minority on the Energy Committee that if that is the 
case, he is going to try to change the legislation that is now before 
this body. That is, the legislation now before this body would take the 
Environmental Protection Agency out of the mix; that is, the 
Environmental Protection Agency would not be setting the standards for 
Yucca Mountain, but it would be given to the Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, which, in fact, is the one that does licensing. That really 
is literally having the fox guard the hen house.

  In this legislation, we simply want things to remain the way they 
are--have the Environmental Protection Agency set the standards. But we 
understand there is a lot of agitation by the very powerful nuclear 
power industry, that wants to move this forward in spite of the fact 
that it could damage

[[Page S139]]

the country. We understand that. We hope good sense will prevail 
because the President has said he will veto this legislation. I think 
that is the reason Senator Murkowski, the chairman of the committee, 
wants to come up with something that is going to be such that it will 
not create a fight here on the floor.
  As the majority leader knows, we have enough votes to sustain a 
Presidential veto. We hope we will not get to the point where that is 
necessary.
  Will the leader again state what the request is?
  Mr. LOTT. The consent would be for the Senate to proceed to the 
nuclear waste bill, S. 1287, following passage of the bankruptcy bill.
  Mr. REID. I object to that.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Mr. LOTT. I understood the Senator would object.
  I think it is very important, though, that we move this legislation 
forward.

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