Yucca Mountain Restoration

Floor Speech

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, last week, my home State of South Carolina, along with Washington State and the National Association of Utility Regulators, headed by Commissioner David Wright, scored a victory in the battle for the Yucca Mountain project. A Federal court ruled in favor of a plan to continue the nuclear repository.

The President's decision to abandon this project was editorially condemned as ``breathtakingly irresponsible'' as billions of dollars have already been spent to fund it. Utility customers of South Carolina have invested over $1.2 billion. The action also poses a security risk at dozens of nuclear waste disposal sites across the country. It means that vast amounts of nuclear waste will sit idle at the Savannah River site. This is unacceptable.

Nuclear energy is clean energy. It has provided my home State over 50 percent of our electrical power for over 30 years, and it is an important part of our Nation's energy resources.

In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September the 11th. My sympathies to the family of George Campsen of the Isle of Palms, South Carolina.

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