On the recordJuly 9, 2013
Nuclear weapons production played a pivotal role in our Nation's defense for decades, helping to end the Second World War and to end the Cold War. Implementing these programs resulted in a large volume of radioactive waste that the Federal Government has a legal responsibility to clean up. Today, there are indications that nuclear waste is leaking out of the underground tanks at Hanford in my congressional district, with higher levels of contamination now being detected in the surrounding soil. The amendment that I offer, Mr. Chairman, would restore a portion of the reduction for the Environmental Management program that would so greatly impact the Richland Operations Office and help enable the cleanup to move forward safely, efficiently, and in a timely manner.
