Transcript of testimony by Shelley Berkley to Energy and Environment Subcommittee, July 18, 2000 (8 pages)

REP. SHELLEY BERKLEY TESTIMONY - ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT SUBCOMMITTEE JULY 18, 2000 MR. CHAIRMAN. THANK YOU FOR AFFORDING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THE SUBCOMMITTEE THIS MORNING. I UNDERSTAND THE PURPOSE OF THE HEARING IS TO ADDRESS THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS FOR THE LINEAR NO-THRESHOLD MODEL OF LOW-DOSE RADIATION, BUT I ALSO UNDERSTAND YOU WILL BE ADDRESSING THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE E PA AND NRC OVER SETTING RADIATION STANDARDS. THIS ISSUE IS CRITICAL TO ME BECAUSE MY DISTRICT IS LOCATED 9 0 MILES SOUTHEAST OF YUCCA MOUNTAIN, THE PROPOSED HIGH-LEVEL NUCLEAR WASTE SITE. AS THE CONGRESSWOMAN REPRESENTING THE MAJORITY OF CITIZENS IN SOUTHERN NEVADA, IT IS MY OBLIGATION TO BE HERE TODAY TO REPRESENT THEIR CONCERNS I WANT TO BE CERTAIN THAT MY CONSTITUENTS ARE PROTECTED, NOW AND IN THE FUTURE, BY THE MOST STRINGENT RADIATION STANDARDS. IT SEEMS TO ME WE ARE HEADED DOWN THE ROAD TO A NEW FORM OF DISCRIMINATION?RADIATION EXPOSURE DISCRIMINATION. THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND CONGRESS HAVE BEEN ALL TOO WILLING TO CHANGE THE RULES TO ACCOMMODATE YUCCA MOUNTAIN AS A HIGH LEVEL NUCLEAR WASTE REPOSITORY. THE DEBATE BETWEEN THE E PA AND THE N R C IS JUST THE LATEST CHAPTER IN MAKING YUCCA MOUNTAIN WORK, DESPITE OF THE COMPELLING EVIDENCE AGAINST IT. YUCCA MOUNTAIN, UNDER EXISTING LAWS AND STANDARDS COULD?AND SHOULD-HAVE BEEN DISQUALIFIED FOR CONSIDERATION LONG AGO. THE DISCOVERY OF WATER MIGRATION THROUGH THE MOUNTAIN IS CAUSE ALONE TO ABANDON IT. IT IS WELL ESTABLISHED THAT GEOLOGIC FRACTURES IN YUCCA MOUNTAIN WILL ALLOW RADIOACTIVE GASES TO ESCAPE. OUR RESPONSE TO THIS SCIENTIFIC REALITY MUST N O T BE TO SIMPLY LOWER THE RADIATION STANDARDS. UNFORTUNATELY, CONGRESS AND THE D O E ARE PRESSING AHEAD WITH YUCCA MOUNTAIN....AND ARE NOW TRYING TO JUSTIFY RELAXING RADIATION EXPOSURE STANDARDS TO COVER THE INADEQUACIES OF THE MOUNTAIN. 3 IF YUCCA MOUNTAIN WAS LOCATED IN A LARGE STATE, WE WOULD NOT BE HAVING THIS DISCUSSION. EPA STANDARDS APPLY ACROSS THE NATION...SO WHY NOT IN NEVADA? NEVADANS ARE ASKING FOR THE SAME LEVEL OF PROTECTION AS THE SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT REQUIRES, UNDER E P A REGULATIONS, AND THE SAME PROTECTION E PA REQUIRES FOR PEOPLE LIVING NEAR OTHER NUCLEAR FACILITIES. THE EPA'S AUTHORITY OVER THESE STANDARDS IS CRUCIAL TO THE CONTINUED GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF MY STATE, CRUCIAL TO THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF ALL NEVADA FAMILIES, AND CRUCIAL TO THE HEALTH OF THE ENVIRONMENT. FOR THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF MY CONSTITUENTS, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE ALLOW THE E P A TO SET THESE STANDARDS. TIME AND AGAIN, I HAVE URGED THAT WE ALLOW SCIENCE, NOT POLITICS, TO DETERMINE THE RADIATION LEVELS THAT INDIVIDUALS MAY BE SAFELY EXPOSED TO. THE U.S. CONGRESS HAS ALREADY ESTABLISHED DETAILED QUALIFYING AND DISQUALIFYING RADIATION REQUIREMENTS TO DETERMINE A PROPOSED NUCLEAR WASTE SITE'S ELIGIBILITY FOR DEVELOPMENT OF A REPOSITORY, BASED UPON ITS ABILITY TO STORE NUCLEAR WASTE AT MINIMAL THREAT TO THE ENVIRONMENT. CONGRESS SHOULD NOT NOW DECIDE WHICH AUTHORITY, THE E P A OR NRC, HAS THE RIGHT TO SET THESE CRUCIAL STANDARDS. BY LETTING CONGRESS CHANGE THE RULES AT THIS STAGE OF THE GAME IS NOTHING MORE THAN A TRANSPARENT BUREAUCRATIC MANEUVER TO RETAIN YUCCA MOUNTAIN AS THE REPOSITORY SITE. I URGE MY COLLEAGUES TO ALLOW THE E P A TO PERFORM THEIR JOB, TO PROTECT THE CITIZENS OF THIS NATION WHETHER THEY LIVE NEAR A NUCLEAR REACTOR, OR NEAR THE YUCCA MOUNTAIN SITE. IT IS CRUCIAL TO THE WELL-BEING OF MY DISTRICT THAT THE E PA BE ALLOWED TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF ALL AMERICANS. LET ME CONCLUDE BY SAYING THAT I GREW UP IN SOUTHERN NEVADA. MANY OF MY FRIENDS' FATHERS WORKED AT THE NEVADA TEST SITE DOING ABOVE AND UNDERGROUND NUCLEAR TESTING. TODAY, THEY ARE EITHER DEAD, OR ARE DYING. OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ASSURED THESE WORKERS THAT THERE WAS NO DANGER BEING EXPOSED TO THE RADIATION. NOW, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS ACKNOWLEDGED ITS RESPONSIBILITIES AND IS WORKING TO ENACT LEGISLATION TO PROVIDE COMPENSATION TO THE WORKERS AND DOWNWINDERS. I RECENTLY ATTENDED A HEARING IN LAS VEGAS WHERE ABOUT 2 0 0 INDIVIDUALS GATHERED TO DISCUSS THE IMPACT OF RADIATION EXPOSURE ON INDIVIDUALS WHO WORKED AT THE NTS. ALL 2 0 0 PEOPLE AT THE HEARING WERE DYING FROM THE MOST HORRIFIC TYPES OF CANCER, CANCERS THAT I HOPE NEITHER YOU NOR I WILL EVER HAVE TO SUFFER FROM. I IMPLORE MY COLLEAGUES TO ALLOW THE E P A TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR SETTING THE RADIATION STANDARDS. DO NOT JEOPARDIZE THE HEALTH AND LIVES OF THE MILLIONS OF NEVADANS THAT LIVE THERE TODAY, AND WILL BE THERE IN THE FUTURE. 8