Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2017

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my amendment which would help those communities saddled with housing our Nation's stranded nuclear waste while the Federal Government has failed to meet its legal obligation to find a permanent repository.

This is something my constituents understand all too well. The former Zion Nuclear Power Station, located on valuable lakefront property in Zion, Illinois, has housed more than 2 million pounds of spent nuclear fuel since the plant's closure in 1998.

This waste, situated on the very shores of Lake Michigan, is both an extreme environmental hazard and a severe burden to the quality of life of the residents of Zion--deterring economic investment, depressing home values, and driving up property taxes to fill the void of local revenue.

Zion is not alone. Across the country, there are 17 nuclear power plants at various stages of decommissioning with even more announced closures slated for years ahead. In these communities, plants are typically the largest employer in the area; and when they close and waste is stored on site, it is devastating to the local communities.

My amendment seeks to help these communities access desperately needed Federal resources until waste is moved--waste that is, quite literally, stranded in these communities due to the Federal Government's inaction. Specifically, my amendment would require the Secretary of Energy to assemble a task force to work across all Federal agencies to identify existing resources and funding opportunities that could assist communities with decommissioning plants where waste is being stored.

In addition, the task force would work with communities in the decommissioning process to develop a transition plan to mitigate the economic damage when a plant closes. Communities like Zion, Illinois, have been forced to shoulder the burdens of storage with no compensation in return.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment and help our communities get the Federal help they are owed.

Mr. Chair, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), my friend.

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Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey), my friend and a cosponsor of this amendment.

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Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Chair, how much time do I have remaining?
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Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Chairman, I thank my colleague from Illinois for his hard work on this and his support.

I yield 30 seconds to my colleague from New York (Mr. Tonko).

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Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Chair, I appreciate all of the support. I appreciate the work of my colleagues. I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time

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