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“CONFERENCE REPORT ON S. 1059, NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2000” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1954 on Sept. 24, 1999.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
CONFERENCE REPORT ON S. 1059, NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR
FISCAL YEAR 2000
______
speech of
HON. JIM GIBBONS
of nevada
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, September 15, 1999
Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate Chairman Spence for all of his hard work on this bill. His time and commitment is appreciated by me and this entire Congress.
The reason I am before you is to discuss the ability of State and local governments to carry out their legitimate environmental, safety, and health oversight authority under the newly formed National Nuclear Security Administration, as set forth in this bill.
Mr. Speaker, the State of Nevada is among several states that house nuclear weapons production and/or testing facilities. Nevada is in fact home to the Nevada Test Site. A unique national resource, the Nevada Test Site is a massive outdoor laboratory and national experimental center that is larger than the state of Rhode Island.
Established as the Atomic Energy Commission's on-continent proving ground, the Nevada Test Site has seen more than four decades of nuclear weapons testing. Since the nuclear weapons testing moratorium in 1992, and under the direction of the Department of Energy (DOE), test site use has diversified into many other programs such as hazardous chemical spill testing, emergency response training, conventional weapons testing, and waste management and environmental technology studies.
Mr. Speaker, the states that house our nation's nuclear weapons testing facilities, including my home state of Nevada, will be subject to the DOE re-organization provisions in this bill. Our efforts to protect the oversight rights of these states is paramount.
Mr. Speaker, the citizens of Nevada need your assurance that nothing in Title 32 of this bill, relating to the National Nuclear Security Administration, is intended to limit, modify, affect, or otherwise change any local, state or federal environmental, safety or health law, including any waiver of federal sovereign immunity in any such federal law, or any obligation of the Administration or the Department to comply with any such local, state or federal law.
Again, I would like to thank Chairman Spence for his work on this bill and I appreciate his willingness to work with me on this very important issue.
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