March 5, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 39 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Pages H2329-H2330]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1615
            RESPONSIBLE DISPOSAL REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2019

  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 347) to extend the authorization of the Uranium Mill Tailings 
Radiation Control Act of 1978 relating to the disposal site in Mesa 
County, Colorado.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 347

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Responsible Disposal 
     Reauthorization Act of 2019''.

     SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION.

       Section 112(a)(1)(B) of the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation 
     Control Act of 1978 (42 U.S.C. 7922(a)(1)(B)) is amended by 
     striking ``September 30, 2023'' and inserting ``September 30, 
     2031''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Tonko) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may

[[Page H2330]]

have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H.R. 347.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, last September the House approved an identical bill, 
H.R. 2278, in the 115th Congress by a voice vote. Unfortunately, that 
bill did not move in the Senate, so we are back to reconsider H.R. 347, 
introduced by Mr. Tipton and cosponsored by my Energy and Commerce 
colleague, Ms. DeGette.
  The Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act established a process 
for remediating inactive uranium-ore processing sites, such as the one 
in Grand Junction, Colorado.
  To protect public health and safety from potential risks, uranium 
mill tailings must be disposed at a site that is licensed and that 
meets standards established by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and 
the Environmental Protection Agency.
  The continued operation of the Cheney Disposal Cell is critical. Last 
year, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment provided 
the following for the Record: ``Given that this is the only DOE uranium 
mill tailings disposal site left in the country, it is critical that 
this facility remains open to receive and dispose of the uranium mill 
tailings that are discovered in our communities. This action will 
ensure the continued protection of human health and the environment.''
  The cell receives approximately 2,700 cubic yards of additional waste 
per year, and has sufficient space to receive an estimated 235,000 
cubic yards, which represents 86 more years of operation at current 
rates.
  H.R. 347 would authorize the Department of Energy to continue to 
operate the Cheney Disposal Cell through September 2048 or until it is 
filled to capacity. Currently, DOE is authorized to operate this cell 
through September 2023.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a good, bipartisan bill, and I hope we can move 
it forward today.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Shimkus) will control the time for the minority.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, first, with apologies to our official reporter, and 
directed at you, ``let the good times roll,'' ``laissez les bons temps 
rouler.''
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 347, the Responsible Disposal Reauthorization Act 
of 2019, was introduced by our Colorado colleague, Scott Tipton, and 
cosponsored by my Energy and Commerce Committee colleague from 
Colorado, Diana DeGette.
  H.R. 347 extends the authorization of the Uranium Mill Tailings 
Radiation Control Act of 1978 site in Mesa County, Colorado. The 
legislation was passed by the House last September, and the bill today 
is identical to what we passed last year, save a change in dates.
  The legislation was considered by the Subcommittee on Environment and 
marked up through regular order. It was reported by the full committee 
with a bipartisan amendment by a voice vote.
  Mining and processing of uranium generates a byproduct known as 
uranium mill tailings. Congress passed the Uranium Mill Tailings 
Radiation Control Act 4 years ago to establish the framework for DOE to 
dispose of mill tailings, which are left over from nuclear defense 
activities and the development of our commercial nuclear industry.
  The act also authorized the Grand Junction, Colorado, site to serve 
as a disposal location. This is the only DOE uranium mill tailings 
disposal site remaining open in the Nation, so it is necessary for the 
final disposition of mill tailings discovered in communities.
  H.R. 347 extends the site's current authorization until 2031. The 
extension will enable the site to plan long-term operations to protect 
public health and the environment.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this bill, and I reserve the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers on my side, and 
I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Tipton), the author of the legislation.
  Mr. TIPTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Illinois for 
yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, the Department of Energy's Cheney Disposal Cell in Mesa 
County, Colorado, is a critical component of the DOE legacy management 
mission to protect public health and the environment.
  The cell receives radioactive waste materials that were produced 
decades ago during the uranium milling process. The waste materials 
continue to be uncovered during road construction, bridge replacement, 
home foundation excavation, and other construction activities in 
several towns in western Colorado. Once the waste materials are 
discovered, they must be properly disposed of at the Cheney Disposal 
Cell.
  The authorization for the Cheney Disposal Cell expires at the end of 
2023, or when the site is filled to capacity. Currently, the remaining 
capacity in the cell is approximately 234,000 cubic yards, therefore, 
an extended authorization is required. H.R. 347 would extend the 
authorization until 2031.
  As my colleague from Illinois noted, we passed this legislation in 
the last Congress, but this bill is now coming up at a critically 
important time. According to the Department of Energy, if the disposal 
cell is not reauthorized this year, DOE will have to take steps to 
begin to decommission the site. This means no more materials will be 
accepted in 2019 and we will lose a critical component of the DOE's 
legacy management program.

  I thank my colleague from Colorado, Ms. Diana DeGette, for her 
support on this bill, and for her leadership on the Energy and Commerce 
Committee for recognizing the need to bring this bill up now.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 347.
  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I continue 
to reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of the bill, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I, too, for the reasons that this legislation 
would allow for the only disposal site of its kind in the country, it 
is important that we pass this important infrastructure concept, and I 
encourage our colleagues to support the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 347.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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