William Bryan: “Mr. President, I believe it will be helpful for our colleagues and staffs listening in, because these two amendments…”

“Mr. President, I believe it will be helpful for our colleagues and staffs listening in, because these two amendments have been described in the abstract. I acknowledge and confess that it has been a number of years since I attended law school, but I must say, not even a flyspeck lawyer could make a meaningful distinction between these two provisions. Let me read them, because they are quite simple. Under the language of the amendment that was offered earlier today and was approved by the body, section 501 deals with compliance with other laws. So here is the present state of the legislation as we debate it. It is only a couple of paragraphs, so I think it important it be understood: If the requirements of any law are inconsistent with or duplicative of the requirements of the Atomic Energy Act and this Act, the Secretary shall comply only with the requirements of the Atomic Energy Act and this Act in implementing the integrated management system. Any requirement of a State or political subdivision of a State is preempted (1) if complying with such requirement and a requirement of this Act is impossible; (2) that such requirement, as applied or enforced, is an obstacle to accomplishing or carrying out this Act or regulation under this Act.”