Sam Gibbons: “this morning I want to dispel a myth and share with my colleagues the truth about a lawsuit against the Department of…”

“this morning I want to dispel a myth and share with my colleagues the truth about a lawsuit against the Department of Energy regarding nuclear waste. Many falsely claim that it forced DOD to accept this garbage by January 31, 1998. However, the Department of Energy advised its contract holders that it anticipated that it will be unable to begin acceptance of spent nuclear fuel for disposal by January 31, 1998. The Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management contends that the delay in disposing of the contract holders' spent fuel is an unavoidable delay and, according to DOE, is not liable for failure to perform under the terms of the contract. The contract states that neither the Government nor the contract holder shall be liable for damages caused by failure to perform its obligations, if such failure arises out of causes beyond control and without fault or negligence of the party. Now that the truth has been told, there is no legal obligation by DOE to accept nuclear waste by January 31, 1998. We should not let false information or tactics scare us. Vote ``no'' on 1270.”