Jeff Bingaman: “I will take a few minutes to give my perspective on this upcoming vote to override the President's veto. The question…”

“I will take a few minutes to give my perspective on this upcoming vote to override the President's veto. The question before the Senate is not whether the Senate supports the construction of a nuclear waste repository. Clearly, I support construction of a nuclear waste repository. The President has indicated he does. The Department of Energy has made significant progress on a repository in the time this administration has been in office. In fact, the Department of Energy has made much more progress in the past 7 years under President Clinton than during the preceding 10 years under Presidents Reagan and Bush. The President, according to the statement he issued, is ``committed to resolving the . . . issue in a timely and sensible manner consistent with sound science and protection of public health, safety, and the environment.'' This bill was not vetoed by the President because he does not want to solve the nuclear waste problem. He vetoed it because, as he stated in his veto message, this bill ``will do nothing to advance'' the program. That is a quote out of the statement that was issued. And secondly, instead of doing something to advance the program, the bill will be ``a step backward.''”