The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“REAUTHORIZING WEST VALLEY DEMONSTRATION PROJECT” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H2330-H2332 on March 5, 2019.
The Department oversees energy policies and is involved in how the US handles nuclear programs. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, said the Department's misguided energy regulations have caused large losses to consumers for decades.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
REAUTHORIZING WEST VALLEY DEMONSTRATION PROJECT
Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 1138) to reauthorize the West Valley demonstration project, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1138
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. WEST VALLEY DEMONSTRATION PROJECT.
(a) Reauthorization.--Section 3(a) of the West Valley Demonstration Project Act (Public Law 96-368; 42 U.S.C. 2021a note) is amended by striking ``$5,000,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1981'' and inserting ``$75,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2026''.
(b) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to Congress a report that describes--
(1) the volumes, origins, and types of radioactive waste at the Western New York Service Center in West Valley, New York;
(2) what options have been identified for disposal of each such type of radioactive waste;
(3) what is known about the costs of, and timeframes for, each such option;
(4) the benefits and challenges of each such option, according to the State of New York and the Department of Energy; and
(5) as of the date of enactment of this Act--
(A) how much has been spent on the disposal of radioactive waste associated with the demonstration project prescribed by section 2(a) of the West Valley Demonstration Project Act; and
(B) what volumes and types of radioactive waste have been disposed of from the Western New York Service Center.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.
General Leave
Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1138.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, last September, the House approved an identical bill, H.R. 2389, in the 115th Congress, by a voice vote.
Unfortunately, that bill did not move in the Senate. Today, we will reconsider H.R. 1138, which has been reintroduced by my New York colleague and friend, Mr. Reed.
The Western New York Nuclear Service Center in West Valley, New York, has been the center of disputes and legislative actions since the 1980s. This site is a difficult reminder that we are still dealing with the consequences of our Nation's entry into the atomic age.
While the site is owned by New York State, between 1966 and 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 waste and transuranic waste continue to be stored at the site.
A cost-sharing agreement for the site's remediation has been resolved, but disposal of the waste remains a point of contention.
Since 1986, DOE has classified the waste as commercial rather than waste deriving from atomic energy defense activities.
Under this classification, DOE believes that the cost for disposal of the wastes should be borne by the State of New York. New York State believes that since 60 percent of the material sent to West Valley was from facilities that conducted defense activities, and 80 percent of the reprocessed plutonium shipped out of West Valley was sent to defense facilities, it should be categorized as defense-related waste.
This classification disagreement has major consequences for how the waste can be disposed of and who will be responsible for covering the costs. While I would prefer more certainty in clarifying the wastes' classification, this legislation puts us on a path towards solving this issue by requiring a GAO report on the origins of and disposal pathways, including cost estimates.
In addition, the bill reauthorizes the West Valley Demonstration Project at $75 million annually for 7 years. This funding level is in line with historic appropriations levels and will ensure the cleanup will continue on schedule.
This bill may not resolve the decades-old dispute between New York and the Department of Energy. It does address funding for the remediation of the site and attempts to move the ball forward to ensure that wastes are disposed of properly and, most importantly, fairly.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1138, a bill to reauthorize the West Valley Demonstration Project, was introduced recently by our New York colleague, Tom Reed. I also see my good friend, Brian Higgins on the floor, and I know the chairman has been personally involved with this for many, many, many years.
The House passed an essentially identical version of this bill this past September on suspension. Prior to that vote, the bipartisan legislation had moved through the Energy and Commerce Committee by regular order, including a legislative hearing and markups as part of our broader nuclear waste management agenda. It was reported by the full committee with a bipartisan amendment by a voice vote.
H.R. 1138 authorizes appropriations to support the Department of Energy's environmental remediation at its West Valley cleanup site in New York through 2026. It also directs a study to help Congress determine the final disposition of radioactive waste that DOE is cleaning up at the site.
H.R. 1138 continues the work of Congress to address the Federal Government's obligations for treatment and disposal of the legacy waste produced during the Cold War, and through the Federal Government's early efforts to develop a civilian nuclear energy industry.
The Department of Energy has successfully remediated 92 sites of this waste, but the most technologically challenging projects remain in process at 17 locations, one of which is the West Valley site.
In 1980, Congress passed the West Valley Demonstration Project Act to direct DOE to address legacy environmental issues and authorized appropriations only through fiscal year 1981. The project has not been reauthorized since that time, despite Congress funding DOE's work at the site for the past 37 years.
H.R. 1138 corrects this situation, provides a path to answering important questions concerning the waste disposition, and ensures spending at the site is subject to an active authorization.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1138, and I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 1630
Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Higgins), my colleague and friend from the 26th Congressional District.
Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of Congressman Tom Reed's bill, H.R. 1138, which authorizes funding for the cleanup of the West Valley demonstration project, the nuclear waste remediation site in western New York.
Mr. Speaker, advocates are in Washington this week to remind Congress of the importance of the Great Lakes as a source of clean water for millions of Americans. The long-term cleanup at West Valley, which sits 30 miles from Lake Erie and at the foot of a tributary stream, will prevent harmful contamination to the region.
The Department of Energy has an obligation to ensure that 600,000 gallons of high-level radioactive waste are solidified and disposed of safely and expeditiously. The funding in this bill will allow us to do just that.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Reed), the author of the legislation.
Mr. REED. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus) for yielding me the time and his leadership on this issue, as well as my good friends Paul Tonko and Brian Higgins for joining me in the effort today in regards to the West Valley Reauthorization Act before us.
Obviously, Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this legislation. This legislation deals with the project located in our district in western New York and the great community of West Valley.
West Valley, New York, is the home of radioactive waste that has been distributed there and deposited there over the years way back when. But I will tell you, over the last 15 years, this site has led the Nation, in my humble opinion, in coming up with techniques and technologies that are deployed across other nuclear waste facilities and sites in order to handle that high-level radioactive waste from those facilities as well as those in West Valley.
Mr. Speaker, I think it is only right to bring further clarity and certainty to our area of the district at West Valley in regards to this bill, giving 7 years' worth of reauthorization legislation, to send the signal that not only do we stand and support the appropriations that go to this facility in order to clean it up in the most efficient and effective manner, but, also, we stand as authorizers to say that this type of facility and this type of program needs to be renewed for at least 7 years because, Mr. Speaker, it is going to take many more years to clean this site up.
Giving this site 7 years of that additional certainty is the only right thing to do in order to have these folks who are doing the hard work be given the indications from Congress that we stand with them as they engage in this effort.
As I close, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the entire Energy and Commerce Committee and Mr. Shimkus for his tireless work on the issue of nuclear waste cleanup and standing with us on this piece of legislation.
In particular, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the local officials: the town of Ashford supervisor, Charles Davis; the West Valley deputy general manager, Scott Anderson; and the other local leaders who have stood in a community effort in order to bring this West Valley demonstration site to a complete closure, hopefully, in the near future with the legislation that we have before us.
So I ask my colleagues to join in support of this legislation, and I truly appreciate their efforts to join us today.
Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1138, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, West Valley, as an issue, has been there for a long time. It is good to know that we are moving the ball forward.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1138.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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