Sam Gibbons: “in the upcoming debate over H.R. 1270, many of my colleagues will make the unfortunate statement that the shipment of…”

“in the upcoming debate over H.R. 1270, many of my colleagues will make the unfortunate statement that the shipment of the world's most deadly material, nuclear waste, is safe. That is wrong. It is absolutely and totally wrong. The Sandia National Laboratories found that terrorists using a small amount of military explosives could blow just a 6-inch hole in a container, releasing 2,000 to 10,000 curies, a deadly amount of radiation. Furthermore, a 1985 Department of Energy contractor report stated that the release of only 1,380 curies could be sufficient to contaminate, get this, 42 square miles, an area that could take up to 460 days to clean up at a price tag for the taxpayers of more than $620 million. Mr. Speaker, another DOE contractor estimated that that could cost up to $19.4 billion, that is with a B, billion, to clean up. Mr. Speaker, we are aware of the real threat of terrorism and accidents in this country. I say to my colleagues, if it could happen in their district, there is no reason to transport nuclear waste. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on H.R. 1270.”