Russ Feingold: “although I recognize the important programs funded by the fiscal year 2006 Energy and Water appropriations conference…”

“although I recognize the important programs funded by the fiscal year 2006 Energy and Water appropriations conference report, on balance, I could not support the bill. The conference report provides $50 million in funding for the Department of Energy to develop a plan for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel and to select sites suitable for housing reprocessing facilities. This provision was not in the Senate version of the bill and thus was not debated in the Senate. Because reprocessing raises serious environmental, fiscal, and proliferation concerns, this provision should have, at the very least, been the subject of an open and extensive congressional debate before we simply proceeded down the path directed by the report language. I am also concerned that the Energy and Water appropriations report extends the authorization of funding for the Animas-La Plata project. This extension of funding authorization--which does not belong in an appropriations bill--is contrary to assurances I received in 2000 when the Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights Settlement Act was amended. ____________________”