Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 2637 - Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Land Withdrawal Act

(House Floor)
(Kostmayer (D) Pennsylvania and Miller (D) California)

The Administration strongly supports legislation authorizing permanent withdrawal from Federal land laws of property for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The Administration, however, strongly opposes any legislation which would not provide for permanent WIPP land withdrawal or which would unnecessarily delay or impede initiation of WIPP test program activities.

However, unless the final version of the land withdrawal legislation adequately addresses the objections noted below, the Secretary of Energy would recommend that the President veto it.

Specifically, as made in order for floor consideration by the Rules Committee, H.R. 2637 would needlessly:

—   delay the initiation of the WIPP test phase until the Environmental Protection Agency, has, by rule, issued certain disposal standards and approved test phase and waste retrieval plans, within an unreasonable time frame;

—   assign the Department of the Interior responsibility for the management of the withdrawn lands;

—   provide for termination of the land withdrawal if the State of New Mexico "finds" certain remedial plans inadequate;

—   limit the capacity of WIPP and the quantity of waste that can be emplaced in the facility during the test phase to 0.5 percent of total WIPP capacity; and

—   require numerous "certifications" and may inappropriately interject a non-governmental entity into Executive branch deliberations.