"With the passage of this bill, millions
of Americans who have paid federally-mandated fees into the Nuclear
Waste Fund will see that their money is finally paying for what was
intended -- safe disposal of spent nuclear fuel." Said CCAGW
President Thomas Schatz. "This legislation is the next logical step
in fostering a safe nuclear energy industry. With foreign oil prices
on the rise, it's absolutely essential that alternative sources of
energy be encouraged."
Since 1983, consumers of nuclear energy
have paid $16 billion into this fund. Nuclear power supplies 10
percent of the electricity generated in Iowa, whose citizens have
paid more than $106 million into the fund. The President's veto of
S. 1287 keeps those funds from being used for their intended purpose
of disposing of nuclear waste in a central location, leaving spent
nuclear material in temporary storage around the country. There are
301 metric tons of nuclear fuel being stored in Iowa.
"By voting to override the President's
ill-advised veto of S. 1287, Sen. Harkin will help improve the safe
storage of nuclear waste, fulfilling the federal government's
promise to the nuclear energy consumers who have already paid
millions to make this happen," Schatz continued. "I would hope that
Sen. Harkin joins with the majority of both houses of Congress in
moving forward on this issue, and moving the waste out of his
state."
CCAGW is the lobbying arm of Citizens
Against Government Waste, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization
dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in
government.
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