WASHINGTON, DC - The Subcommittee on Environment, chaired by Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL), announced today a legislative hearing for Friday, May 18, 2018 at 9 a.m. in room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing is entitled, “Legislative Hearing on H.R. 2278, the Responsible Disposal Reauthorization Act of 2017, and H.R. 2389, to reauthorize the West Valley demonstration project."
During the hearing, #SubEnvironment will examine two bills focused on the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) cleanup responsibilities.
The legislation to be discussed includes:
H.R. 2389, to reauthorize the West Valley demonstration project, authored by Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY), would reauthorize the West Valley Demonstration Project located in West Valley, New York for fiscal years 2017 through 2026. The bill also provides clarification for how the radioactive waste shall be disposed.
H.R. 2278, the Responsible Disposal Reauthorization Act, authored by Rep. Scott Tipton (R-CO), would amend section 112(a)(1)(B) of the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978 to extend the authorization of a disposal site in Mesa County, Colorado, known as the Cheney disposal cell, from Sept. 30, 2023 to Sept. 30, 2048.
“Coming off of the House’s bipartisan passage of the Nuclear Waste Amendments Act, #SubEnvironment is continuing to examine proposals to address the Department of Energy’s environmental remediation activities. The Office of Environmental Management has successfully remediated many sites over the years, but more work remains to be done at some of the most challenging sites. I look forward to next week’s discussion of these critical issues," said Chairman Shimkus.
The Majority Memorandum, witness testimony, and live webcast will be made available as they are posted on the committee’s website HERE.
