On the recordJune 3, 2004
the underlying Graham language was never debated by the Energy Committee. The underlying Graham language was never seen prior to the Energy Committee--before this bill came out of the SASC Committee. In fact, the ranking member of the Energy Committee sent a letter saying that this SASC Committee did not have jurisdiction over this issue. So the Graham language in this bill has not been before the Energy Committee regarding its exact language and the impact of that language. Now, broad concepts about whether DOE has the right to reclassify waste, yes, have been a big subject of debate. In fact, that is why I believe the courts basically said the Department of Energy does not have jurisdiction over this issue and that they have to change the Nuclear Waste Policy Act if they want to have this authority.
Source
govinfo.gov
