Political Quotes

“some critics of this Compact argue that the waste should be stored where it is generated. Although this argument is nobly egalitarian, it is not practical nor is it safe. We cannot control the rainfall in Vermont. We cannot change the density of our soil. And we cannot move the people of Vernon out of the area to meet the criteria of a safe disposal site. So, Vermont had to look somewhere else. Under this Compact, Texas has agreed to be the host for the disposal site. The Compact does not name a specific site. That is an issue to be decided by the people of Texas, as it should be. Every other compact approved by Congress gives the host state the right to choose where the disposal facility is sited, according to the laws and regulations of that state. The same is true for this Compact. Mr. President, I want to take a minute to talk about the process undertaken by Texas to site this storage facility. In 1991, the Texas legislature adopted legislation designating an area of 400 square miles (256,000 acres) in which the Texas Low-Level Authority was required to select a proposed site. After performing site screening in the area defined by the legislature, the Texas Authority identified a 16,000-acre tract for further analysis, of which 1,300-acres would be used for the proposed site.”