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“PERSONAL EXPLANATION” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1201-E1202 on June 23, 1998.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
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HON. ROB PORTMAN
of ohio
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, June 23, 1998
Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, a town meeting in my district that was scheduled at a time when the House was not expected to be in session prevented me from being here for yesterday's vote on H.R. 4060, the FY 1999 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill. I strongly support H.R. 4060. Had I been present, I would have voted YES.
This bill contains $275,347,000 for the Fernald Environmental Management Project (FEMP), which is based in my Congressional District near Cincinnati, Ohio. The former Fernald Feed Materials Production Center, now the FEMP, was a Department of Energy facility that was part of the United States' nuclear weapons production complex for nearly forty years from 1951 to 1988. The site is heavily contaminated with nuclear waste and other hazardous materials, and has been the focus of extensive cleanup efforts for several years.
H.R. 4060 fully funds the President's request for the Fernald cleanup under the Defense Facilities Closure Account. The Closure Account is designed to ensure the accelerated cleanup of this site under budget and ahead of the original schedule. Accelerated cleanup will not only result in a considerable savings to the taxpayers but also help to protect public health. I would like to point to a disturbing study recently released by the Center for Disease Control that estimates a 1 to 12 percent increase in lung cancer deaths to residents in the Fernald study area as a result of exposure to radon gas emitted from the site's K-65 Silos. The CDC's findings serve to emphasize the need to fully fund the Closure Account, which would ensure that the accelerated cleanup proceeds on schedule to safeguard the residents in the community from future radioactive exposure.
Mr. Speaker, I believe this funding for the FEMP strongly serves the public interest. I commend Chairman Livingston, Ranking Member Obey, Chairman McDade, and Ranking Member Fazio as well as their colleagues on the Appropriations Committee and the Energy and Water Development Subcommittee for including these vital funds in the bill. I also want to thank the House for overwhelmingly approving H.R. 4060 by a vote of 405-4.
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