[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 122 (Thursday, July 2, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S4213]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                     TRIBUTE TO ROBERT J. HALSTEAD

 Ms. CORTEZ MASTO. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 
career of Robert J. Halstead, or as most of us know him, Bob. To some, 
this name might sound familiar. He has appeared before Congress on a 
number of occasions on behalf of the State of Nevada to provide expert 
witness testimony on nuclear waste storage and transportation. His name 
graces the archives at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the 
Department of Energy, and he has been a fierce and dedicated partner in 
the fight against the Yucca Mountain project.
  In 1988, the year after the ``screw Nevada bill'' recklessly 
designated Yucca Mountain as the Nation's sole high-level nuclear waste 
repository site, Bob brought his knowledge of Federal radioactive waste 
programs and activities to help arm Nevada in its fight against the 
broken and misguided processes that led to the Yucca Mountain 
designation. At the time, he may not have known how long of a fight he 
was signing up for, but Bob never looked back.
  He threw himself into helping Nevada, learning every aspect of the 
complicated and far-fetched license application, analyzing the 
geography of the site, and leaving no stone unturned when reviewing 
proposed transportation routes that would ship one of the most 
dangerous materials known to man across the country to Nevada.
  For more than 30 years, he helped guide the State on nuclear 
transportation matters, poured over environmental impact statements, 
submitted contentions to the Yucca Mountain application, and 
represented the State in technical proceedings that involved the 
proposed repository. These are just a few of the things we have to 
thank him for.
  Since 2011, Bob served as the executive director of the Nevada Agency 
for Nuclear Projects, always making himself available to assist the 
Governor. Before coming to the Senate, I had the pleasure of working 
alongside Bob during my time as the Nevada Attorney General. No matter 
the day or hour, Bob always made time to review materials and provide 
well-informed, robust responses not just to me, but to my staff.
  It was comforting knowing someone with his exceptional experience was 
at the helm, guiding the State on an issue that is so important to 
Nevadans and trying to right the wrongs of the Federal Government's 
reckless mismanagement of nuclear waste.
  Just last year, when the State learned of secret weapons-grade 
plutonium and mischaracterized waste shipments having been received at 
the Nevada National Security Site, Bob once again proved how 
instrumental he is to the State of Nevada. His institutional knowledge 
of Nevada's nuclear history and depth of experience provided the State 
with an unmatched resource as it rose to challenge the shipments.
  Bob has been a vital contributor and colleague; and as he embarks on 
his well-deserved retirement, I want to share my deepest appreciation 
and gratitude for his decades-long commitment to helping Nevadans as 
they have worked to bring fairness, reason, and science back to the 
repository site designation process.
  It is my understanding that Bob will be returning to his home in 
Wisconsin, where he will live with his wife, Margaret. Bob is looking 
forward to having more time with his two grown children and finally 
having time for one of his favorite past times: fishing.
  As he casts a line in one of the many beautiful lakes Wisconsin has 
to offer, I hope he knows how much the State of Nevada and I appreciate 
the sacrifices he has made to protect the safety of Nevadans and the 
time he has dedicated to one of our State's greatest fights.

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