OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Reauthorizing West Valley Demonstration Project

Floor Speech

Date: Sept. 25, 2018
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Energy

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Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2389, which reauthorizes the West Valley demonstration project.

The Western New York Service Center in West Valley, New York, has a unique history. The site is owned by New York State, but from 1966 to 1972 it was operated by a private business to reprocess spent nuclear fuel primarily provided by the Federal Government. Those reprocessing activities ended decades ago, but high-level and transuranic waste continued to be stored at the site.

While a cost-sharing agreement between New York State and the Department of Energy has been resolved for the site's remediation, the ultimate disposal of the waste remains a point of contention. There have been ongoing disputes and legislative actions spanning from the 1980s through today, with DOE and New York State continuing to disagree over who should be responsible for paying for waste disposal. This disagreement has major consequences for how the waste can be disposed of and who will be responsible for covering the disposal costs.

H.R. 2389 would require a report by the Government Accountability Office, or GAO, to help clarify the origins of and disposal pathways for the waste, including cost estimates. The bill also reauthorizes the West Valley demonstration project at $75 million annually for 7 years, and this funding level is identical to the amount appropriated in fiscal year 2018 and will help ensure the cleanup continues on schedule.

While this bill does not settle the decades-old dispute between New York and DOE, it takes positive steps towards the site's remediation and attempts to move the ball forward to ensure that wastes are disposed of properly.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank Representative Tonko, the ranking member of the committee's Environment Subcommittee, for his work on this bill, and commend both him and the bill's sponsor for their efforts.

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