Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019
Floor Speech
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Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Chair, I thank Chairman Frelinghuysen as well as Chairman Simpson for their hard work on this package of bills.
Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 5895, which includes the fiscal year 2019 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill.
Of all the funding bills I work on with my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee, the Energy and Water legislation is one of the most important for my district of central Washington.
From supporting the continued cleanup efforts at the Hanford nuclear site to boosting the groundbreaking scientific research conducted at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, to aiding the vitally important water projects managed and developed by both the Army Corps of Engineers as well as the Bureau of Reclamation, this bill is composed of important resources for central Washington.
Regarding Hanford, I am proud this bill restores more than $200 million from the President's request for the Richland office to continue providing for continued safe and effective cleanup operations onsite.
I am also pleased with the restoration of more than $40 million to the Office of River Protection to continue important work on the 56 million gallons of radioactive nuclear waste that is stored at the site.
I remain steadfast in my commitment to holding the Federal Government accountable to its moral and legal obligation to the cleanup of the Hanford site, and this bill does precisely that, so thank you.
I am also encouraged by this legislation's demonstrated commitment to moving forward with Yucca Mountain as the lead geological repository for legacy waste and spent nuclear fuel, as well as the continued commitment to support science, including robust funding for Basic Energy Sciences, cybersecurity, and the National Nuclear Security Administration. These programs are important for the groundbreaking work conducted at PNNL to tackle some of the most challenging problems in energy, the environment, and in national security.
Finally, this legislation includes a provision that I authored to stop the dangerous, antiscience forced spill order currently in effect on the eight lower Snake and lower Columbia River dams, which began in early April of this year.
Just a week ago, Mr. Chairman, we received news from the Army Corps that fish managers are having to take measures to manage the effects of this reckless spill order. High flow rates from the forced spill are causing fish to stall in their migration upstream, with only 300 to 400 spring chinook passing through Little Goose Dam in late May. However, after the Corps reduced the spill rate by just 20 percent a week ago, the daily passage rose to 2,689 fish. This demonstrates the strain the spill order is placing on our endangered species.
Some of my colleagues refuse to acknowledge this unambiguous scientific data and claim to support endangered fish species with their words.
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Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Chair, they claim to support the endangered species with their words but not with their actions.
I am proud to have advocated for the inclusion of this language to stop this misguided spill to help save our fish and save our dams.
I urge a ``yes'' vote on H.R. 5895.
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