BEN NIGHTHORSE CAMPBELL

COLORADO

UNITED STATES SENATE

WASHINGTON, DC 20510-0605

October 24 , 1997

Ms . Ellen Thomas
President

Proposition One Committee

P. O. Box 27217

Washington, D.C. 20038

Dear Ms. Thomas:

Thank you for taking the time to express your concerns about the handling of toxic and nuclear wastes. Safe nuclear waste disposal is a matter of great concern and requires a national consensus to revolve it. It is always important to me to hear the voices of Colorado citizens when contemplating this issue .

The current methods for the immediate disposal of these kinds of material is quite good, thanks to new technologies and strict environmental laws. Long‑range disposal, however, is a more complicated problem.

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1997, S. 104, was designed to meet the alarming problem of the increasing stockpiles of nuclear waste littered throughout the country. It seeks to compel the Department of Energy ( DOE ) to begin accepting the nuclear waste created by the nation 's 110 civilian nuclear reactors by late 1999, and storing it in one permanent central location. In order to meet this deadline, the interim storage facility, located in Yucca Mountain in southern Nevada, must begin accepting such nuclear waste by early January, 1999. It further requires that the DOE continue to develop a permanent storage facility .

I am deeply concerned about our current practice of storing spent nuclear fuel at sites across the country which were not designed for long term storage. I am also concerned, however, about the risks inherent in the transportation of high‑level nuclear waste in the quantities this bill contemplates. Estimates show that Colorado would see perhaps one shipment a day for at least thirty years, and the transportation infrastructure is simply not ready to handle that amount of waste. Furthermore, such transportation may not even be immediately necessary, as the Nuclear Waste and Technical Review Board has testified that there is no compelling technical or safety reason to move this waste to an interim facility in the next few years. It was for these reasons that I voted in the minority of the 65‑35 vote to enact S. 104.

I am committed to finding safe and practical ways to store our nuclear waste. While some toxic materials can be safely stored, and others may be treated to reduce their toxicity, there still exists the problem of long‑range storage of these wastes. In the meantime, I am working to ensure the safety of our existing facilities and research new methods, such as wind technology for generating energy safely into the future.

Again, I appreciate your comments and your concern. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future on this or any other issue.

Sincerely ,

/s/BEN NIGHTHORSE CAMPBELL

Ben Nighthorse Campbell U . S . Senator

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