[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 160 (Tuesday, October 8, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1263-E1264]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE WORKERS AT THE ADVANCED MIXED WASTE TREATMENT PLANT

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL K. SIMPSON

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 8, 2019

  Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today with great respect and 
gratitude for the 480 men and women of the Advanced Mixed Waste 
Treatment Project (AMWTP) as they complete the facility's waste 
treatment mission for the State of Idaho and the country.
  The State of Idaho didn't generate the waste treated at AMWTP, but 
the citizens of Idaho along with the entire nation benefitted from our 
nation's unrelenting drive to keep the peace through our strength. In 
many ways, the waste that the AMWTP team retrieved, characterized, 
treated, certified, and shipped out of the state was the byproduct of 
our freedom. It was the legacy of the Cold War. Through their hard 
work, dedication, and sacrifices, they helped close the chapter on this 
part of the Cold War.
  In addition to the AMWTP employees, we owe Idaho governors Cecil 
Andrus, John Evans, Dirk Kempthorne, Jim Risch, Phil Batt, C.L. 
``Butch'' Otter, and Brad Little a great thanks for their insistence 
that this waste would not remain in Idaho in perpetuity over our 
precious Snake River Plain Aquifer. Our aquifer, our citizens, and our 
nation are safer with this waste safely disposed of at the Waste 
Isolation Pilot Plant.
  We also owe the Department of Energy (DOE) a heartfelt thank you for 
committing to this project in the mid-1990s and staying with it until 
the end. It wasn't easy; it wasn't without contention or disagreements, 
but all sides worked together for a common goal of success.
  The contractors that have been associated with the AMWTP also must be 
recognized, from BNFL Inc., to Bechtel BWXT, to the Idaho Treatment 
Group, to the current contractor; Fluor Idaho. The amount of ingenuity, 
engineering, and technology at this waste treatment facility is 
unmatched anywhere else in the world. AMWTP, backed by the DOE and its 
contractors and committed management and employees, had the brawn and 
brains to

[[Page E1264]]

complete its transuranic debris waste treatment mission.
  But none of this would have been possible without the men and women 
of the AMWTP. Each and every one of them made sacrifices to support 
this mission. They sacrificed quality time with family members to 
commute to the facility in the early hours of the morning, often 
leaving at night--never seeing the light of day. They knew they were 
effectively working themselves out of a job, just as all employees of 
the Idaho Cleanup Project are doing.
  The employees of the AMWTP should be the models for the entire 
workforce of the DOE Complex. When they encountered challenging waste 
types and containers, they developed the procedures and processes to 
safely and compliantly address them. When the specialized equipment 
didn't exist, they fabricated it, tested it, and put it to work. They 
adapted and found solutions to the most complex challenges they 
encountered.
  Several more years will be needed to ship out the balance of the 
65,000 cubic meters of waste to WIPP. For those who stay with the 
project, the Idaho Congressional Delegation wishes them the best of 
luck in safely carrying out the remainder of the shipping mission.
  For those who retire, take other jobs in Idaho, or leave to pursue 
opportunities elsewhere, we wish them the best of luck and again 
sincerely say thank you. AMWTP and the impact of its workforce to the 
State of Idaho and the nation will be remembered for generations to 
come.

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