[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 141 (Wednesday, October 8, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2012]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  MOTION TO INSTRUCT CONFEREES ON H.R. 6, ENERGY POLICY ACT OF 2003, 
                         OFFERED BY MR. INSLEE

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. TOM UDALL

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 2, 2003

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this 
motion. The Department of Energy may believe that simply reclassifying 
waste is a quick and clever way to solve a nasty problem but I, along 
with many of my colleagues, disagree.
  Millions of gallons of high-level radioactive waste lie in corroding 
storage tanks in Idaho, Washington, and South Carolina with the 
potential of invading the nearby rivers. DOE doesn't want to clean it 
up because there's an easier way to go--it wants to reclassify some of 
that waste as ``incidental'' rather than high-level radioactive, and 
keep it in place. Simply reclassifying waste does nothing for the 
health and safety of the people who live near these sites. In fact, it 
could be extremely detrimental to their well-being. However, DOE does 
not seem to be concerned with those citizens. Instead, they want to 
take the easy path--just reclassify waste using unsound science and 
call it a day.
  If it's not enough that harmful waste around the country would be 
kept in its current dangerous state under this proposal, another effect 
is that waste now deemed high-level radioactive waste could be shipped 
to New Mexico to be stored at the Waste Isolation Pilot Program (WIPP). 
The fact is that this waste is currently prohibited by law from being 
stored in WIPP. In addition, we've been told for years that high-level 
waste would not be brought to WIPP. To top it off, we do not even know 
if WIPP is ready to handle waste with such high levels of 
radioactivity. That is why we need to pass this motion.
  During my tenure as New Mexico's Attorney General, I fought long and 
hard to make sure that what happens at WIPP would be decided by the 
people who are affected by it--the citizens of New Mexico. Decisions 
with such a large impact should be discussed openly and not in backroom 
deals. This arbitrary decision by the DOE, made without public comment 
by the people it would affect, boils down to clear abuse of a loophole. 
Codification of the proposal would be disastrous.
  I urge my colleagues to support this motion. Doing so is crucial for 
the health and safety of our communities in New Mexico and across the 
country.

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