James Barrett: “as a Representative of the Savannah River Site located in South Carolina's Third Congressional District, I rise today to…”

“as a Representative of the Savannah River Site located in South Carolina's Third Congressional District, I rise today to voice my concerns regarding this bill. The Savannah River Site (SRS) is South Carolina's largest single site employer, employing approximately 13,500 workers from around the southeast region, and it serves a vital function to our nation's nuclear infrastructure. The Fiscal Year 2005 Energy and Water Appropriations bill in its current form potentially jeopardizes several programs at the SRS including the waste incidental to reprocessing, the Savannah River National Laboratory, the mixed-oxide fuel program, and the modern pit facility. While I strongly commend the Committee for preventing the DOE from setting aside funding for their High-level Waste Proposal pending the outcome of the waste incidental to reprocessing issue, I respectfully disagree with the Committee's position regarding resolution of that issue. Although efforts to agree in good faith on comprehensive legislation to uniformly resolve the issue failed between the DOE, Washington, Idaho, and South Carolina, other alternative solutions should be pursued. For example, state specific solutions should be supported so long as those states retain the authority to ensure the DOE takes into consideration the state's regulations upon implementation of its nuclear cleanup program.”