John Spratt: “The Department of Energy requested $350 million for accelerated clean-up of defense sites, old nuclear weapons…”

“The Department of Energy requested $350 million for accelerated clean-up of defense sites, old nuclear weapons production sites, where some of the world's most radioactive nuclear waste is stored. The chairman's mark authorizes 250 of the $350 million that DOE asks for. I am glad to see us go close to at least 300. I wish we could have gone to 350. But the amendment before us does leave out the fence or the conditions or the limitations that DOE would have imposed. Both of these provisions, both the additional money taking us to $300 million and the lack of any fence of conditions are steps in the right direction, and I commend the gentleman for his amendment and urge everyone to support it.”