Barbara Cubin: “Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2641 will make date extensions to title X of the Energy Policy Act of 1992, which specifies how and…”

“Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2641 will make date extensions to title X of the Energy Policy Act of 1992, which specifies how and when the Federal Government reimburses the private sector licensees for the Federal Government's share of the cost of cleaning up uranium and thorium milling sites. We have learned that it costs a lot more and takes a lot longer to clean up these mill sites than we originally anticipated back in 1992, due in large part to the difficulties of dealing with groundwater contamination. Therefore, H.R. 2641 makes some adjustments to the time line of the current reimbursement scheme to recognize these realities and to make sure that the government continues to pay its fair share of the cleanup costs. The current scheme of reimbursement on an annual basis is due to end in 2002, with DOE required to place into escrow sufficient funds to cover the estimated post-2002 costs. Both industry and the Department of Energy want to continue the current arrangement of reimbursement of actual costs on an annual basis for several more years until all or almost all of this cleanup work is completed. This bill was changed significantly as it moved through the committee process. I commend the Members and staff on both sides of the aisle, particularly the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Largent), for working to improve this bill.”