Political Quotes

“I would like to take 10 minutes and reserve the remainder of my time. As I indicated a few moments ago, there is only one issue before the Senate, and that is the reality that we are about to vote to determine whether science and engineering are sufficient for the Yucca Mountain site to be operated safely in compliance with EPA and other agency regulations in pursuing a license by the Department of Energy. That is the question. The ultimate transportation and other matters are going to be determined by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which is a very competent group. But the Senate is not now deciding whether or how spent fuel will be transported to a site if it is licensed and constructed. As I indicated, the Department of Transportation, the Secretary of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, will proceed and that will take some time. What we have today is basically two choices: We could follow the recommendations of the Secretary of Energy and the President of the United States--the U.S. House of Representatives has done its job, and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources--and allow the Secretary of Energy to proceed and apply for a license or we can abandon some 20 years of work, over $7 billion invested in science, in engineering, and the peer-reviewed conclusions of responsible scientists within and outside Government, and then what do we do? We begin the task all over at the expense of the taxpayers. That is where we are.…”