Mark Udall: “I voted for the Defense authorization bill when it was debated earlier here in the House. I did that for a number of…”

“I voted for the Defense authorization bill when it was debated earlier here in the House. I did that for a number of reasons, and especially because it provided for better compensation and benefits for the men and women of our armed services. However, I have serious concerns about a number of changes that were made to the bill in the conference committee. In particular, I am concerned about Title 32, which would reorganize the Department of Energy. I am attaching letters on this subject from Secretary Richardson and from Colorado's Attorney General, Ken Salazar. The Secretary is concerned about the potential effect of this part of the conference report on the environment at and around DOE facilities across the country--a serious concern, and one I share. But Attorney General Salazar's concern is even more pressing for those of us from Colorado, because it relates directly to the Rocky Flats site. As his letter says, our Attorney General is 'concerned that the pending legislation would delay the closure of Rocky Flats and substantially drive up cleanup costs.' I take that very seriously, because I think keeping Rocky Flats on tract for cleanup and closure at the earliest practicable date is a matter of highest priority for our State.”