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“GLOBAL SECURITY ACT OF 2002” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1006 on June 10, 2002.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
GLOBAL SECURITY ACT OF 2002
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HON. ELLEN O. TAUSCHER
of california
in the house of representatives
Monday, June 10, 2002
Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, today I am proud to introduce the Global Nuclear Security Initiative Act of 2002 that was also recently offered in the Senate by Senator Jean Carnahan.
The January 2001 report of the bipartisan task force chaired by former Senator Howard Baker and former White House Counsel Lloyd Cutler has often been quoted but one of its conclusions bears restating today:
``the national security benefits to U.S. citizens from securing and/or neutralizing the equivalent of more than 80,000 nuclear weapons and potential nuclear weapons would constitute the highest return on investment in any current U.S. national security defense program.''
As you know, Mr. Chairman, our nonproliferation programs with Russia have improved America's national security greatly by dismantling Russia's nuclear facilities, finding jobs for their unemployed weapons scientists, and improving the security of Russian weapons and material. But as our relationship with Russia takes on a more cooperative definition, first with the signing of the Treaty on Strategic Offensive Reductions in Moscow and with the signing on May 28 in Rome of an agreement between NATO and Russia on a new working relationship, security threats arising from other nations with inadequately stored nuclear materials are increasing. Indeed, India and Pakistan's conflict over Kashmir has been escalating over the past several months and while tensions between the two countries are not new, unlike during the cold war, neither side has a clear idea of what actions would trigger a nuclear response from the other.
The challenges of translating some of our nonproliferation efforts to other countries of concern such as India, Pakistan, China or North Korea are significant but worth dealing with. While the nonproliferation programs of the Departments of Defense, Energy, and State are effective, they were not designed to meet the full range of terrorist threats now facing the United States. Expanding these programs to cover countries outside the former Soviet Union, to address the threat of radiological materials and to defend against the threat of terrorist sabotage of nuclear power plants abroad, is in the United States' national security interest.
The bill I am introducing today is an important first step in expanding America's defense against the threat of weapons of mass destruction. It calls on the Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the Secretaries of Defense and State, to develop a comprehensive program of activities to encourage all countries to adhere to the highest security standards for their nuclear facilities and material.
Second, the bill requires the Department of Energy to establish a systematic approach for securing radiological materials other than uranium and plutonium outside of the United States.
Finally, the bill requires the Department of Energy to develop plans for preventing terrorist attacks on nuclear power plants outside the United States. These are simple but important steps and I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation.
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