Sam Gibbons: “few problems, if any, have been more challenging in recent years than the disposal of nuclear waste. I believe that…”

“few problems, if any, have been more challenging in recent years than the disposal of nuclear waste. I believe that sound science and reason and the protection of this Nation's citizens should be drawn upon when we address nuclear waste storage. H.R. 1270, the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1997, will mandate upon the State of Nevada and this Nation, the transportation of high level waste, while failing, yes, failing, to address the issues of environmental protection, safety, and the general well-being of all Americans. The disposal of nuclear waste is a problem that will exist for thousands and thousands and thousands of years. Let us not be hasty when making policy decisions that may have serious repercussions well into the future. The policy of this Congress should not be a quick-fix approach to this serious problem. Members should not just wash their hands by protecting a subsidized industry, by transporting the most deadly material man has ever known, only to hide it in the ground. Members should understand and not sweep under the rug the dangers of this substance. We should address the problem itself, reprocessing, recycling, or changing the dangerous chemical properties of the waste. That is the direction that this body and the policy of this Nation should be headed. Many Members do not know what will be loaded onto the trains and trucks.”