[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 61 (Wednesday, May 17, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E754]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     INTRODUCTION OF THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT SAFETY ENHANCEMENT ACT

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                           HON. SUE W. KELLY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 17, 2000

  Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today for the purpose of introducing 
a proposal to enhance the safety of operations at our nation's nuclear 
power plants.
  As a representative from a district which has three nuclear power 
plants. I have always held a strong interest in promoting policies 
which seek to the ensure the safety of communities surrounding these 
facilities. I became acutely aware, however, of the need to strengthen 
the independent analysis and review of plant safety evaluations just 
recently.
  On the night of February 15, a leak from one of the steam generators 
at the Indian Point 2 facility in Buchanan, New York, resulted in the 
declaration of an emergency alert. The distress caused by this incident 
was serious from the very beginning, and was made far worse by 
revelations in the weeks following the incident which indicated that 
previous inspections of the plant's steam generators were ``weak and 
incomplete,'' according to the NRC's Office of Nuclear Regulatory 
Research.
  This is wholly unacceptable, and my purpose in offering this proposal 
today is to diminish the threat posed to our communities by 
insufficient safety evaluations. This legislation establishes within 
the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NCR) Office of the Inspector 
General a unit charged specifically with auditing the safety analysis 
and review activities of both the NRC and those entities licensed by 
the agency.
  Given the unfortunate circumstances which have arisen with respect to 
Indian Point 2, it is only reasonable to question whether or not they 
are symptomatic of a broader problem. I believe the proposal being 
offered today goes a long way in taking the necessary precautions 
against such a possibility, and I urge my colleagues to join me in 
advancing this initiative.

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