[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 59 (Friday, May 10, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E770]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              H.J. RES. 87

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. RODNEY P. FRELINGHUYSEN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 9, 2002

  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, May 8, 1 voted to make 
Yucca Mountain, a remote location in the desert of Nevada, our nation's 
depository for high level nuclear waste. I based my support for Yucca 
Mountain on a $19 billion taxpayer investment over 24 years of some of 
the most comprehensive scientific investigation ever conducted by our 
nation.
  We promised the public back in 1982 in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act 
that the Federal government would provide a single national repository 
for the quickly accumulating radioactive waste. This day has been a 
long time coming, and we can wait no longer.
  Since the dawn of the nuclear age in the 1940s, nuclear waste has 
been accumulating, and it has been stored in temporary locations across 
the country--131 temporary sites in 39 states, including New Jersey.
  Temporary storage of highly radioactive nuclear waste is dangerous--
there's no two ways about it. We need a single, safe, secure location 
to contain spent nuclear fuel and our nation's dismantled nuclear arms. 
Quite simply, it is a matter of public health and safety, and it is in 
the best interests of our national security.
  Yucca Mountain is located in the Nevada desert, some 1353 square 
miles of land, an area larger than the state of Rhode Island. It is 
remote, and had been used as a nuclear test site.
  I have visited Yucca Mountain, since I serve on the Energy 
Appropriations Subcommittee which has been responsible for overseeing 
the funding of this critical project. During my inspection of the site, 
I was taken inside the mountain for almost five miles. I also learned 
that when nuclear waste is contained inside Yucca Mountain, it will be 
stored in tunnels 1000 feet below the desert floor. Yucca Mountain is 
so safe, scientists and engineers have determined that with its arid 
and geologically stable setting, even under the worst scenario, Yucca 
Mountain would meet EPA standards for radiation for 10,000 years! 
Clearly, Yucca Mountain will pay dividends, and then some, on the 
taxpayers'investment.
  Nuclear energy has been proven to be an effective, safe, clean energy 
source. In fact, in New Jersey where there are two nuclear sites, 
nearly half of our state's electricity is produced by nuclear power. 
Nationwide, it is now the second largest source of electricity.
  While nuclear energy continues to have its supporters and its 
critics, the fact is it is here to stay. As such, we need to deal with 
it, most especially radioactive waste. Yucca Mountain is the answer.
  161 million Americans live within 75 miles of radioactive nuclear 
waste. Do we leave radioactive waste to decay in temporary storage 
units at hundreds of locations across the country? Do we wait for 
highly radioactive toxins to possibly seep into our groundwater? Do we 
put our national security at risk by leaving spent nuclear fuel in 
temporary containers?
  No, we side with science. Yucca Mountain, from the standpoint of 
protecting the nation's health as well as our security, represents the 
best, most comprehensive option for containing America's nuclear waste.
  We can no longer afford to wait.

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