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

(SENT 6/18/92)
(House Rules)
(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). Three significantly different versions of H.R. 2637 have been reported by the Committees with jurisdiction over the bill. The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) version most closely resembles S. 1671, which has passed the Senate and is strongly supported by the Administration. Accordingly, the Administration supports House passage of the HASC version of H.R. 2637.

The Administration strongly opposes any legislation which would not provide for permanent WIPP land withdrawal or which would unnecessarily delay or impede WIPP's development and operation. Accordingly, if any of the provisions noted below are included in the bill presented to the President, the Secretary of Energy would recommend that he veto it. These provisions would needlessly:

—   delay the initiation of the WIPP test phase until certain disposal standards, to be developed by the Environmental Protection Agency, have "taken effect";

—   require the enactment of additional legislation before the commencement of disposal activities at the WIPP;

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

—   require the Secretary of the Interior to certify the stability of underground test rooms; and

—   assign the Department of the Interior responsibility for the management of the withdrawn lands.