Jeff Bingaman: “I do support this amendment. Let me say that when this bill was first introduced in the House, and in the Senate as…”

“I do support this amendment. Let me say that when this bill was first introduced in the House, and in the Senate as well, I felt it was fatally flawed in several respects. It did, in its first form, propose to eliminate the regulatory role of the Environmental Protection Agency. It proposed to allow nondefense transuranic waste to go to WIPP, as well as defense-related transuranic waste. It needed the periodic recertification requirement by the Environmental Protection Agency. It deleted authority by EPA to issue criteria. All of those problems have been solved in the amendment that is now about to be voted on here in the Senate. I am very pleased to see the improvements that have been made. I have been in touch with the Under Secretary of Energy, Thomas Grumbly, to get his comments on this proposed amendment which we are now getting ready to vote on. He indicates that he and his staff have reviewed it in detail and support the amendment. I have been also in touch with Mary Nichols, the Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation in the Environmental Protection Agency. She indicates that she is satisfied with this proposed amendment and believes it is something that we should enact. Mr. President, the foremost concern that I have had, and that I believe most Members have had, in this facility from the beginning has been whether or not we were adequately protecting the health and safety of our citizens as we went forward to design and develop this facility.”