Political Quotes

“I would certainly agree with my friend from Kentucky, and I hope he will agree after a short review of the history that that is exactly what happens. Let me give you my version of the record because it goes back to a legacy of broken promises starting in 1984. We had a commitment, a clear promise by Don Hodel, then Secretary of Energy, affirming that the Energy Department is obligated to begin accepting spent nuclear fuel from nuclear powerplants in 1998 whether or not a permanent disposal facility is ready. Now, we went on a few years and got into 1987, a 3-year delay. Congress then, this body, designated Yucca Mountain, NV, as the only site to be evaluated. Meanwhile, the Department of Energy announces a 5-year delay in the opening date for a disposal facility from 1998 to the year 2003. They did not ask for any money. They did not mention money. They simply announced a 5-year delay in the opening day. In 1989, another delay, another promise. The Department of Energy announces another delay in the opening date for a permanent disposal facility until the year 2010. We are told now, of course, by the most recent Secretary of Energy, Hazel O'Leary, that that cannot be ready until the year 2015. We went on in 1991 with mounting concerns. The first sign of concern appears over the Energy Department's ability to meet its obligations under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act.”