[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 36 (Friday, March 12, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H1381-H1382]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NUCLEAR WASTE
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Whitfield) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to discuss an issue that I
think very few people in America are aware of. It relates to the very
important topic of nuclear waste and the impact that that has upon our
Federal policy and its effect on our energy needs and our Federal debt.
Most Americans support nuclear power as a major source of our
electricity. Today it provides 20 percent of all the electricity
produced in America. Now, we know that over the next 15 or 20 years our
demand for electricity is going to double what it is today. I might
also remind everyone that coal is providing 51 percent of all the
electricity produced in America. As I said, nuclear power provides
about 20 percent.
The administration and many people are focused on alternative forms
of energy, particularly solar and wind power. Now, all of the experts
will tell you that while, yes, some energy can be produced from solar
and wind power, it will never come close to meeting the demands of the
American people in energy.
[[Page H1382]]
I might add on the nuclear power front, today in America we have 109
nuclear power plants located in 39 States across the country. At each
one of those sites nuclear waste is being stored today. It does have a
major impact on our environment, it has major concerns for security,
and it has major costs for the American people.
The solution that Congress came up with many years ago was to build
Yucca Mountain as a deep repository to store this waste indefinitely.
Now, unfortunately last week President Obama withdrew the license
application for a high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca
Mountain. This application was before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
to look at from a scientific standpoint of could this repository at
Yucca Mountain safely take care of this waste for the American people
for hundreds of years in the future? And I might also add that the
American taxpayer has already spent billions of dollars trying to build
this repository at Yucca Mountain.
Well, not only did President Obama jerk back the application so that
it cannot be considered anymore, but now the Department of Energy is
asking the Appropriations Committee for approval to reprogram all of
the money that was going to Yucca Mountain in 2010, which in essence
would stop all movement in the development of Yucca Mountain and the
solution for storage of this high-level waste.
So the question that I would have for President Obama and his
administration today is this. Very simply, what are we going to do with
all of the waste currently being stored at the 109 nuclear sites around
the Nation? Now, the President has appointed a blue panel commission to
come up with a solution to this problem. As I said, we have already
spent billions of dollars on Yucca Mountain. In fact, in the very near
future it was getting ready to open.
Why is it important as to what are we going to do with this nuclear
waste that is stored at these 109 sites around the country? It is
important for this reason. Number one, in 1982 Congress passed the
Nuclear Policy Waste Act. It in essence said that the Federal
Government was going to be responsible for taking care of this. Well,
as a result of the policies we have adopted so far today, here is our
situation. The utility companies who are now depending upon the Federal
Government to store this waste for them are now filing lawsuits against
the Federal Government, and have already obtained judgments in excess
of $11 billion against the Federal Government. Experts are saying that
additional lawsuits will cost the Federal Government $56 billion.
I want to raise this issue with the American people and make them
aware that this decision on Yucca Mountain not only is a security issue
for America, but it also is a costly decision for the American taxpayer
at a time when we already have a Federal debt of $14 trillion.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss a very important topic facing
our nation--Nuclear Waste and the impact our Federal Policy on this
issue will have on our energy needs and our Federal Debt.
I support nuclear power as a major source of electricity for our
nation, which currently accounts for twenty percent of our electricity
supply.
In Kentucky, we do not have any nuclear power although some of my
District receives electricity from the Tennessee Valley Authority,
which does have nuclear power plants. Of course, Kentucky is not
uninvolved with nuclear power because in Paducah, Kentucky the gaseous
diffusion plant enriches all the uranium for reactors around the
nation.
Today, we have 109 nuclear power plants in the United States in 39
states across the country. At each one of these sites, nuclear waste is
being stored that creates a major environmental security and economic
challenge for our nation.
Mr. Speaker, the solution that was being proposed was to build Yucca
Mountain as a deep repository to store the waste indefinitely. However,
last week President Obama withdrew the license application for a high-
level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain with prejudice.
Additionally, the Department of Energy asked the Appropriations
Committee for approval to reprogram the money from the project for
Fiscal Year 2010, essentially stopping all movement on the project.
I might also add that there was an article in Energy Daily today
where the former chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the
Obama Administration's decision to terminate the Yucca Mountain nuclear
waste repository does not appear to be based on ``factual findings''
and its ``unfortunate'' handling of the issue will delay resolution of
the nation's nuclear waste disposal problems for years.
Some have said that President Obama is pushing forward with Nuclear
Power because of the loan guarantee money he has proposed for building
nuclear plants.
My question to the President is--What do we do with all the waste
currently being stored at the 109 nuclear sites around the nation? This
blue label commission the President has created is going to take years
to develop a process and a path forward, when we've already spent
billions of dollars and many years developing a state of the art
facility that could accept waste in the next few years.
Because the government's plan was to take care of the material after
the Yucca Mountain facility was completed, the utility companies paid
the federal government to care for this waste, but as a result of the
government's failure to take the waste, the utilities have recently
been filing lawsuits against the government to recoup costs associated
with having to store the waste at their own plant sites.
Additionally, two attorney generals--Washington State and North
Carolina--have filed lawsuits against the federal government.
A number of court cases have ruled that the Department of Energy is
liable for the cost of keeping the waste because of a breach of
contract. How much is at stake is anyone's guess, but the industry has
put the number as high as $56 billion.
Nuclear power is essential to our energy portfolio, which at this
point in time is very important to Americans. We simply cannot afford
to do without nuclear power.
I urge the House of Representatives to tell President Obama to stop
playing politics with out nation's energy future and finish Yucca
Mountain to ensure that Nuclear Power continues to create jobs and
provide electricity.
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