[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 158 (Tuesday, September 25, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H8801-H8802]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RESPONSIBLE DISPOSAL REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2018
Mr. McKINLEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 2278) to extend the authorization of the Uranium Mill
Tailing Radiation Control Act of 1978 relating to the disposal site in
Mesa County, Colorado, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 2278
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Responsible Disposal
Reauthorization Act of 2018''.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION.
Section 112(a)(1)(B) of the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation
Control Act of 1978 (42 U.S.C. 7922(a)(1)(B)) is amended by
striking ``September 30, 2023'' and inserting ``September 30,
2030''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
West Virginia (Mr. McKinley) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr.
Pallone) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from West Virginia.
General Leave
Mr. McKINLEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and insert extraneous material into the Record on the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from West Virginia?
There was no objection.
Mr. McKINLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2278 was introduced by my Colorado colleague, Scott
Tipton, and cosponsored by my Energy and Commerce colleague from
Colorado, Diana DeGette.
H.R. 2278 extends the authorization of the Uranium Mill Tailing
Radiation Control Act of 1978 as it relates to the disposal site in
Mesa County, Colorado.
The legislation was considered by the Subcommittee on Environment and
marked up through regular order. It was reported by the full committee
with a bipartisan amendment and passed on a voice vote.
Mining and processing uranium generates a byproduct known as uranium
mill tailings. Congress passed the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation
Control Act 40 years ago to establish the framework for DOE to dispose
of mill tailings, which are left over from the nuclear defense
activities and the development of our nuclear commercial industry.
The act also authorizes the Grand Junction, Colorado, site to serve
as a disposal location.
{time} 1645
This is the only DOE uranium mill tailing disposal site remaining
open in the Nation, and so it is necessary for the final disposition of
mill tailings discovered throughout this country.
[[Page H8802]]
H.R. 2278 extends the site's current authorization until 2030. The
extension will enable the site to plan long-term operations to protect
the public health and the environment.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this important
legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2278, the Responsible Disposal
Reauthorization Act of 2018. H.R. 2278 is bipartisan legislation to
address the safe disposal of uranium mill tailings, a sandy byproduct
of the uranium milling process.
In Grand Junction, Colorado, uranium mill tailings were offered to
the community as fill material before the health risks of the
radioactive material were fully understood. The tailings were
subsequently used in the construction of local homes, roads, sidewalks,
parks, and schools.
The Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act provided for the
cleanup of those tailings in 1978 and created 19 disposal cells for the
radioactive waste. The last of the cells available to accept this
material for disposal, the Cheney cell in Grand Junction, Colorado, is
set to close in September 2023. This bill extends the cell's closure
date to September 2030 or until the cell is filled, whichever day comes
first.
Mr. Speaker, Congress has already extended the closure date of the
disposal cell several times. I support this legislation to keep the
site operational, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McKINLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Tipton), who is the sponsor of the bill.
Mr. TIPTON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from West
Virginia for the time.
The Department of Energy's Cheney disposal cell in Mesa, Colorado, is
a critical component of DOE legacy management's mission to be able to
protect public health and the environment. The cell receives
radioactive waste materials that were produced decades ago during the
uranium milling process. The waste materials continue to be uncovered
during road construction, bridge replacement, home foundation
excavation, and other construction activities in several towns in
western Colorado. Once the waste materials are discovered, they must be
properly disposed of at the Cheney cell.
The authorization for the Cheney disposal cell expires at the end of
2023 or when the site is filled to capacity. Currently, the remaining
capacity in the cell is approximately 234,000 cubic yards, and,
therefore, an extended authorization is required. H.R. 2278 would
extend that authorization until 2030.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment supports
extending the reauthorization for the Cheney cell and will remain a
strong partner in DOE's legacy management program.
I would like to thank my colleague from Colorado, Ms. Diana DeGette,
for her support on this legislation. I would also like to thank the
Energy and Commerce Environment Subcommittee chairman, John Shimkus,
and Ranking Member Paul Tonko, as well as the full committee chairman,
Greg Walden, and Ranking Member Pallone for recognizing the importance
of the Cheney disposal cell and working to bring this bill to the
floor.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I urge my colleagues to support
the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. McKINLEY. Mr. Speaker, in closing, again, this is the last
remaining disposal site that we need to keep open.
I appreciate the support, and I applaud the work of my colleague from
Colorado (Mr. Tipton) for his efforts and Diana DeGette and the
bipartisan nature of that cooperation between the two of them to get
this done.
Mr. Speaker, I call upon the Members to support this legislation, and
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. McKinley) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2278, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to extend
the authorization of the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of
1978 relating to the disposal site in Mesa County, Colorado.''.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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