[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 24, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S1515]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              CONTROL AND DISPOSAL OF RADIOACTIVE SOURCES

  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise today to express my concern that the 
threat posed by the detonation of a ``dirty bomb'' has not been 
adequately addressed. Controlling access to the radioactive materials 
needed to fabricate such a weapon remains a challenge today, just as it 
did in the days immediately following the terrorist attacks of 
September 11, 2001. Security improvements have been slow to come. Dirty 
bombs continue to threaten the people and the economy of the United 
States.
  Radioactive sealed sources are all around us. They are used widely in 
medicine, research, industry, and agriculture. Some of these sources 
are more risky than others, and Congress must take action to ensure the 
control and safe disposal of those sources that pose the greatest risk. 
These sources, known as ``greater-than-Class-C'' sealed sources, are of 
major concern because of their potential for use in the fabrication of 
a dirty bomb.
  To address this risk, I introduced S. 1045, the Low-Level Radioactive 
Waste Act of 2003, this past May. My bill addresses the efforts made by 
the Department of Energy, DOE, to recover and dispose of thousands of 
domestic greater-than-Class-C radiological sources. This measure was 
developed after three different U.S. General Accounting Office reports 
I requested showed that the efforts being made by DOE and other Federal 
agencies to control and dispose of these radioactive sources, both 
domestically and internationally, have not gone far enough.
  Provisions of S. 1045 were included in H.R. 6, the Energy Policy Act 
of 2003, but as debate over the energy bill continues, radioactive 
sources remain a threat to our country. Over the holidays, there was a 
serious concern about the possible detonation of a dirty bomb at one of 
the large open-air New Year's Eve celebrations around the country. The 
DOE took serious and prudent action to detect possible terrorist 
activities and thankfully this situation did not end in tragedy. 
However, next time we may not be so lucky. The lack of a safe, secure, 
and permanent disposal site for unwanted radioactive sealed sources 
places our country at risk.
  Thousands of sealed sources await disposal, some requiring security 
measures greater than those in place at current storage facilities. The 
problem posed by these sources will not go away by itself. Universities 
and industry do not have the means or facilities to secure these 
materials and are seeking Federal Government assistance. In my own 
State, the University of Hawaii is currently seeking the assistance of 
the DOE to remove large unwanted radioactive sources, belonging to DOE, 
that are no longer useful for their research. While DOE is working on a 
solution, the sources remain in Hawaii awaiting disposal. My bill would 
require the DOE to fulfill their statutory obligation to develop a 
disposal facility for all of these sources, in consultation with 
Congress, and would also require that DOE explore Federal and non-
Federal alternative disposal options to make sure that the best 
disposal method is chosen.
  However, my concern over radioactive material does not end here. I 
will continue my work to improve Federal oversight of radioactive 
sources and devices. Just a few weeks ago in New Jersey, a gauge 
containing radioactive material was damaged, and its radioactive 
material is still missing. Creating a disposal facility for this class 
of radioactive waste is only the beginning of getting this problem 
under control. We need to improve the licensing and tracking of these 
widely used sources and devices, so that they will not fall into the 
wrong hands.
  When the United States began non-proliferation efforts in the former 
Soviet Union, one of the first jobs was to begin consolidating nuclear 
weapons and fissile materials in secure facilities to await disposal or 
destruction. Due to worries about terrorists acquiring dirty bombs, the 
DOE is now working to secure radiological sources in many countries 
oversees. I support these efforts. A theft this month of cesium-137 in 
China re-emphasizes the need to work with other countries to collect 
and dispose of unwanted radiological materials. The cesium, stolen by 
scrap metal thieves, ended up being melted by a steel mill. The mill is 
now contaminated and will have to undergo expensive clean-up efforts. 
While this type of incident is less likely to happen in the U.S., we 
must learn from this, and take steps to protect our nation from these 
materials. We should take the lead in helping other nations secure 
their radioactive material, for the good of us all.
  The bill that I introduced and which is cosponsored by Senators 
Bingaman and Landrieu, will give radiological sources and waste on 
American soil a safe and secure, permanent disposal facility. Before 
September 11, 2001, collecting and securing these sources was a matter 
of public safety, now it is a national security concern that demands 
the attention of Congress. I urge my colleagues to support the Low-
Level Radioactive Waste Act of 2003, to ensure that our nation is 
better protected from the dangers of dirty bombs.

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