William Tauzin: “Mr. Speaker, today the Chair will consider one of the most important public health and safety issues facing the Nation…”

“Mr. Speaker, today the Chair will consider one of the most important public health and safety issues facing the Nation, the development of a centralized and permanent geologic disposal site for our country's nuclear waste, wastes that are laying around all over the country in temporary storage at nuclear facilities. At present, high level nuclear wastes are stored in 77 sites in more than 30 States in every region of the country. Most of these waste sites are located near a nuclear power plant where spent nuclear fuel is carefully stored, and nuclear waste storage sites are also located at former DOE weapons production facilities like the Hanford site, where liquid radioactive waste is stored in tanks. Every one of these waste sites shares one common aspect: They were all designed for temporary storage of these dangerous wastes, not for long-term storage. The Yucca Mountain site is located 90 miles away from Las Vegas. It is isolated on remote Federal land of the Nevada test site, 14 miles away from the closest residence, and it is safe and secure.”