October 11, 1985 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD HON. CHARLES B
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October 11, 1985 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E4607 and Ican safely say that the overwhelming sidered a highly populated area. This cellent article on this subject. Iwould like reaction at each meeting was one of con census classification excludes the incorpo- to submit it for inclusion in the CONGRES- eern and fear. rated towns of Vermont SIONAL RECORD, and urge my colleagues to Ivoted in favor of the Nuclear Waste The result of DOE's decision to use this give it close scrutiny. Policy Act strongly because Ifeel that the classification is to ignore 34 Vermont mu- [From the New York Times, Oct. 8, 1985] continued storage of nuclear waste materi- nicipalities populations or with of 2.500 Tackling Apartheid the Inside als in temporary facilities at nuclear pow- more. Unless the problem with the defini- From Stephen Solarz) erplants across the Nation is the worst pos- tion of a highly populated area is correct- (By J. sible answer to the waste disposal problem. ed, these Vermont municipalities will be Washington.— Defenders of the si Before supporting this act» however, Iin- treated on a different basis then compara- quo in South Africa have resorted to sisted that the Governor of a chosen State ble municipalities in other States in the convenient fiction that the unyielding re- power over sistance of the white electorate prevents have veto the final site selec- crystalline rock study area. The safety of abolishing apartheid. fact, tion. And as you know, this veto can Pretoria from In only those living in these uncounted populated the Government actually trails white opin- be overridden by a majority vote of both areas requires that the guidelines be adjust- being by Congress. ion rather than constrained it. Houses of ed to include their consideration. opinion polls indicate roughly time, Public that At the present we are at a stage it would be inappropriate to locate a 70 percent of English-speaking— whites and where the Department of Energy has iden- waste site in Vermont due to the fractured, 40 percent of Afrikaners or a slight majori- approximately tified 200 rock bodies for water-saturated nature of our granite for- ty of the white population— would support a a further consideration and final guidelines mations, the proximity of these rock re- unified South Africa with universal fran- chise and a multiracial parliament. They for the screening of these sites has just gions to our rural community centers, and been announced. This screening as would also back the elimination of such es- process, our relative location, geologically and apartheid pass by act, sential elements of as laws outlined the 1982 considers various along surface water routes, to major United controls, environmental, geological, and influx wh eh s pai u< b and socioeco- States and Canadian population from their nomic cent families. parameters to determine the suit- am confident that the screening p This significant shift in white opinion can ability an area as a potential * of tablished by the DOE will bear out I be traced In p;. Reviewing guidelines these has revealed not obvious flaws and limita!ions in a Vermont Afrikaners from the country to the only deficiencies in the screening p¡ site. This has i new class of businessmen technocrats, sophist but also basic inadequacies in the original However to ensure that all sites in the and who are more law. crystalline ed and more skeptical of the illusions and rock study area are fully as- sophistries of apartheid. The secret organi- Itis clear that the Nuclear Waste Policy sessed on their limitations and meriis. the Act did place enough emphasis on n of Afrikaners known as the Broeder- not the legislation I ant introducing today will hood, which has long been a bulwark of importance of considering the adequacy of refine the Nuclear Waste Policj Act to in- apartheid, now favors genuine power-shar- regional and local transportation systems, clude a better assessment of the adequacy ing with blacks. And ieading Afrikaner busi- potential transboundary impacts and the of of a region's transportation routes, a more a waste site in the population centers and equitable consideration, of rural population hydrogeological resources foreign of our centers and an assessment of the impacts neighbors. interpreting require- To be sure, most South Africa In the act's of a repository on Canadian population ments regarding population centers, DOE's would reject a unit based oi centers and hydrogeologic resources. This principle one-man, h 51 screeening guidelines creates a bias against of on is indeed a very hazardous and dangerous un- the unique rural population centers that r undertaking and we must proceed v*it prevalent are in Vermont and throughout utmost caution. New England. Mr. Speaker, Iurge aM m Mr. Speaker, 1 think you agree would give this initiative their fulJ siion that Finding safe, the immense task of a and support. ble location for a high-level nuclear waste facility is equalled on!\ by devising a safe and effective means of transporting PUBLIC SEN r IN WHITE this waste to the repository. With this In SOUTH AFRICA mind, imperative I feel it is that the condi- A D tion of a region's transportation routes be HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL negotiations for po fully assessed and considered a potential OF NEW YORK would undoubtedly trigger a backlash from disqualifying Afrikaners, factor if found to be inad- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES hardline leading to a f equate. This survey must include an a tal political realignment amo: Friday, October 11, 1985 ment of the status of these routes under resulting fragment at ion of the Nal varying climatic conditions. Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to Party's Afrikaner base might well depr to my of an absolute majo But In assigning various factors that would bring colleagues' attention a little by forming disqualify antiapartheid it could still remain in power a a location as a t the known element in the equa- governing coalition—committed to ending act did not include any reference tion. This element is the widespread desire 1952 to apartheid— with the main opposition \: the potential impacts of a site on the physi- among South Africa's whites for sweeping the Progressive Federal Party. cal and biological environment of our for- change in that country's racial policies. fortunately, such an act of surpassing eign neighbors. This is an unfortunate President Botha has indicated that he statesmanship seems beyond the ability—or oversight. As we all know, environmental has been forced into a balancing act be- even the imagination— of President P.W. and geological features know no political tween those who want an immediate end to Botha. The Government is unwillingto fur- boundaries. This point was voiced by nu- apartheid, and those who would fight to the ther divide the Afrikaner community and pg on English-speak' s for merous Canadian citizens and officials at- bitter end. Ifone is to accept Botha's argu- its parliamentary majority. Most impor tending the informational meetings held in ment, one would believe that he has been ly, the Government fears aring Vermont. exceedingly flexible in turning South power with blacks would be the first step on The act did identify proximity to highly Africa away from racial separation. The a slippery slope toward the political chaos populated areas as a factor that would dis- problem is, of course, that Botha's sup- and economic disintegration I qualify an area for further consideration as posed middle course is nothing more than come other African countries. a potential waste site. The guidelines estab- maintenance of the status quo. But whites in South Africa have a highly lished by the Department of Energy regard- Most white South Africans now favor the selective vision of the rest of Africa. They Uganda forget ing population, unfortunately, are not sen- dismantling of racial separation as the fun- focus on under Idi Amin but apartheid. They about the Ivory Coast under Felix Hou- sitive to the distribution of population in a damental tenet of have not phouet-Boigny. They recall in Ni- favoring civil war rural area like Vermont. The Department taken the next step of universal geria but not social stability in Kenya. They has decided that municipalities of 2.500 or franchise, but they are certainly not in step remember internecine tribal conflicts in Bu- more that meet the Bureau of Census defi- with Botha's hardline policies. Our col- rundi but overlook political pluralism in nition of "incorporated place* will be con- league Stephen Solarz has written an ex- ana. — E4608 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Extensions ofRetnarks October 11, 1985 In fact, the chances that genuine power- DEMOCRATIZATION OF THE now apparently dropped the idea of early sharing willbe compatible with prosperity PHILIPPINES elections, but the political fallout continues. and stability are probably greater in South At the center of the cc are Africa than anywhere else on the continent. Marcos and his wife,Imelda. like many Fili- South Africa benefits from extraordinarily HON. GEORGE MILLER pinos who have invested overseas, they use rich natural resources and an advanced in- OF CALIFORNIA holdings corporations or business associates dustrial infrastructure. Furthermore, com- INTHEHOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES to handle their transactions. The complex pared to most other African nations, South Friday, October 11, 1985 system makes itdifficult to identify the real Africa has a substantially larger owners and to identify the relationships be- number of Speaker» educated and urbanized blacks— and thus Mr. MILLERof California. Mr. tween business Involved in the investments. much less being plagued by during the last election. President Reagan But Pablo Figueroa, a former business part- chance of the Marcos, kinds of tribal conflicts that have created said that the choice for America in the ner of Mrs.