Congressional Record—Senate S9809
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
September 2, 1998 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S9809 After 7 months of stonewalling, deny- Compact, known as the Texas Com- pacts. It has not imposed changes on ing and refusing to cooperate, the su- pact. any one of those agreements. In keep- perintendent is then forced to admit In entering into an agreement for the ing with congressionally established that, No. 1, the relationship did take disposal of low-level radioactive waste, policy for the disposal of low-level place; No. 2, he has been lying through the States of Maine, Texas, and waste, Maine, Texas, and Vermont are the 7 months; and, No. 3, there has been Vermont followed the direction estab- simply seeking the same treatment. a smearing of the reputation of people lished by the Congress in the Low- I commend my colleague from Maine, of high integrity. Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act Senator SNOWE, for her leadership on I would not want, under that cir- and its 1985 amendments. That legisla- this issue, and I urge my colleagues to cumstance, to have the superintendent tion contemplated that States would support the conference report. I yield then approach the Department of De- form agreements of this nature for the the floor. fense with a poll showing that 58 per- disposal of low-level waste, and thus, The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who cent of the cadets were happy under his by ratifying the compact, Congress will yields time? superintendency at West Point and be completing a process that it set in Mr. WELLSTONE addressed the say, ‘‘Since the Commander in Chief motion. Chair. did something like this 5 years ago and Since 1985, Congress has ratified 9 The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- no reprimand of any kind came out of compacts involving 41 States. Put dif- ator from Minnesota is recognized. the Congress, why cannot I do exactly ferently, 82 of the 100 Members of this Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I the same thing under these cir- body live in States with compacts that rise again this morning to speak cumstances and not have it affect my have already been ratified by the Sen- against the conference report to H.R. career?’’ ate, and with the approval of the Texas 629. This is the Texas-Maine-Vermont I wish the precedent to be laid down Compact, that number will rise to 88. Compact which will result in the dump- that says that this kind of activity, In short, what Maine, Texas, and ing of low-level radioactive waste from whether it constitutes impeachable of- Vermont are seeking today has already Texas, Maine, and Vermont, and poten- fenses or not, cannot go uncommented been routinely granted in the vast ma- tially other States, at a dump located on in an official way. And just because jority of States. in Texas. The dump is expected to be I have decided that I will not offer this While the disposal of radioactive built in the town of Sierra Blanca in resolution in this Congress at this time waste is bound to generate con- Hudspeth County where 66 percent of for the two reasons I have outlined, I troversy, this agreement has been over- the residents are Latino, and 39 percent do make it clear, Mr. President, that whelmingly approved by the legisla- live below the poverty line. should the voters of Utah send me back tures of the three compacting States, Mr. President, the construction of here to serve in the 106th Congress, I signed by their Governors, and, in the this dump site in this community will do what I can to give Members of case of the State of Maine, endorsed by raises important questions of environ- Congress a clear opportunity, regard- voters in a referendum. This is con- mental justice. This is not just about less of impeachment proceedings, to sistent with the congressional deter- the people in Hudspeth County or express their opinion on the behavior mination that the States bear responsi- about the people in Sierra Blanca, or of the President of the United States in bility for the disposal of low-level ra- about west Texas for that matter. This this circumstance. dioactive waste and that, in the inter- is a fight for communities all across I yield the floor. est of limiting the number of disposal the country who do not have the polit- f sites, they work together to carry out ical clout to keep this pollution out. this responsibility. Indeed, ratification This is a fight for minority commu- TEXAS LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE by Congress is necessitated only be- nities who are burdened with a dis- WASTE DISPOSAL COMPACT CON- cause State-imposed limitations on the proportionate share of these sites. SENT ACT—CONFERENCE RE- importation of waste would otherwise It seems to be a pattern in our coun- PORT violate the commerce clause. try, whenever we decide where we are The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Mr. President, the Senator from Min- going to build a power line or where we ASHCROFT). The Senate will proceed to nesota, whom I enjoy serving with on are going to build a nuclear waste the conference report to accompany the Committee on Labor and Human dump site or where we are going to put H.R. 629, which the clerk will now re- Resources, has criticized the disposal an incinerator, it never is located in port. site that is under consideration by the communities where people who live in The assistant legislative clerk read State of Texas. Apart from the fact those communities have political as follows: that the location of the site is a matter clout. It is not located where the heavy A conference report to accompany H.R. 629, for Texas to determine and is not a hitters and the well-connected and the an act to grant consent of Congress to the component of this bill, that criticism is people who give the big contributions Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal unsupported by the facts. live. It is almost always located in Compact. In making the decision to consider communities of color. The Senate resumed consideration of the proposed site in Hudspeth County, Mr. President, there is an article the conference report. TX, there has been extensive public in- today that I recommend for my col- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The time volvement as well as a thorough envi- leagues in the New York Times enti- on this conference report is limited to ronmental and technical review. The tled, ‘‘For Some, Texas Town Is Too 40 minutes to be equally divided. county was found to have two critical Popular as Waste Disposal Site.’’ This Who yields time? characteristics for a disposal site; is all about what we are debating Ms. SNOWE addressed the Chair. namely, very little rainfall and very today. I just read the conclusion. Maria The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- low population density. Indeed, the Mendez, a retired school aide from ator from Maine. county is the size of the State of Con- Allamore, who lives in the community, Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I am now necticut and has a population of only is quoted as saying: pleased to yield to my colleague from 2,800 people, and it must be remem- I think Sierra Blanca was chosen for all Maine, Senator COLLINS. bered, Mr. President, that this is only this dumping because we don’t have any po- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- a proposed site. Final approval will not litical clout. I think it’s a racism thing; I ator from Maine. be forthcoming unless all of the stand- really do. Here we are, the hugest dump in Ms. COLLINS. Thank you, Mr. Presi- ards established by Texas law are satis- the whole world. First sludge, now nuclear dent. fied. waste. Our home has been taken over as the Mr. President, I rise to join the sen- The decision to consider the site in nation’s dumping ground. ior Senator from Maine, Senator Texas has nothing to do with who lives Mr. President and colleagues, envi- SNOWE, in urging my colleagues to ap- there. It has everything to do with the ronmental justice is a difficult issue. prove the conference report on H.R. fact that very few people live there. Too often we hide behind excuses. We 629, legislation that would ratify the This body has been presented with say, ‘‘These are private sector deci- Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal nine low-level radioactive waste com- sions. This is a matter of State and VerDate Mar 15 2010 00:30 Oct 31, 2013 Jkt 081600 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 4637 Sfmt 0634 E:\1998SENATE\S02SE8.REC S02SE8 mmaher on DSKCGSP4G1 with SOCIALSECURITY S9810 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 2, 1998 local responsibility. It is too hard to As a matter of fact, Mr. President, a The second amendment said that the prove.’’ But this is pretty easy. The 1984 public opinion survey commis- people in Hudspeth County would have dump will not be built if we reject this sioned by the Texas Waste Authority a chance to prove local discrimination compact. We have direct responsibility, provides some useful context for what in court, that if they could show they we have a Federal role, a direct Federal is going on. Let me just quote from have been unfairly targeted then they role. We cannot wash our hands of this. what their consultant said. This is the could go to court to challenge this. We cannot walk away and pretend we report: My colleagues, Democrats and Re- are not to blame. We are all respon- One population that may benefit from [a publicans, we have gone on record sible.