[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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