WASHINGTON, DC - Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Greg Walden (R-OR) and Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change Republican Leader John Shimkus (R-IL) issued the following statement after the House passed two bills by voice vote that advance the Department of Energy’s environmental remediation efforts.
Passing the House today was:
H.R. 347, the Responsible Disposal Reauthorization Act of 2019, from Reps. Scott Tipton (R-CO) and Diana DeGette (D-CO), amends the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978 (UMTRA) to extend the authorization for the Secretary of Energy to continue the operation of the disposal site in Mesa County, Colorado (known as the Cheney disposal cell) for receiving and disposing of residual radioactive material from processing sites from 2023 to 2031. During the 115th Congress, the House passed identical legislation. Mining and processing uranium generates a byproduct known as uranium mill tailings. Congress passed the UMTRA forty years ago to establish the framework for DOE to dispose of mill tailings-which are left over from nuclear defense activities and the development of our commercial nuclear industry.
H.R. 1138, to reauthorize West Valley demonstration project, authored by Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY), reauthorizes Department of Energy cleanup of nuclear waste at the West Valley Demonstration Project located in West Valley, New York. Additionally, the legislation requires a study to help identify a disposal pathway for the project’s radioactive waste. During the 115th Congress, the committee passed identical legislation.
“Ensuring the continued safe disposal of nuclear and radioactive waste is vital to protecting public health and the environment," Walden and Shimkus said. “These proactive, bipartisan bills will ensure this important cleanup site remains available to safely dispose of contaminated material and we urge our Senate colleagues to swiftly follow our efforts."
