Joseph Skeen: “I rise in strong support of final passage of the 1997 national defense authorization bill because it is a step in the…”

“I rise in strong support of final passage of the 1997 national defense authorization bill because it is a step in the continuation of a national defense with which New Mexico plays a vital role. Specifically, this bill is very important for remediation of our Nation's nuclear waste problem. The WIPP land withdrawal amendment contained in this bill is a long overdue piece of legislation which will cut through the bureaucratic red tape that has kept this vitally important project from opening. WIPP has been proven safe in every conceivable scientific fashion and is the beginning of the end of our Nation's nuclear waste problem. We have worked long and hard to draft a piece of legislation which will address both the environmental and disposal concerns and this is it. Both the DOE and the EPA support this legislation. It is time to quit wasting taxpayer dollars and time to permanently dispose of waste that is currently stored in aboveground containers on asphalt pads, and it is time to quit talking about what we cannot do and start going about what we can do. We have complete confidence in the ability of DOE, EPA, and the State of New Mexico to open WIPP in a safe and timely manner.”