Yucca Mountain

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Thank you for yielding; and, Congressman Dold, thank you for your leadership on this issue.

I am very grateful. I represent the Savannah River Site in Aiken and Barnwell Counties of South Carolina. I had the privilege of working with Congressman Jim Clyburn, very bipartisan. A portion of this site is located in Allendale County, South Carolina. We have worked together on the issues relative to the Savannah River Site, which should be noted is where the defense waste is currently being placed.

It is a consequence of the cold war, but it also is a consequence of victory in the cold war. I know that the persons who worked in the Savannah River Site are very, very grateful for the opportunities that they have had to provide for the protection of the American people, and it has been successful.

It is particularly meaningful to me because I am the only Member of Congress that actually worked at the Savannah River Site, so I know firsthand that it is really very professional, and it is also very environmentally sound.

We were talking about why are we here. For me, it is due to the environment and jobs. The environment we know is in danger if we have different sites around the country that could be addressed.

In the Department of Energy, I have another distinction. I was very grateful to be the deputy general counsel of the Department of Energy in 1981 and 1982. The defense waste bill came up through that time.

It was determined that there should be a geologic formation to place the waste of our country, whether it be defense waste or whether it be commercial. It was determined--and I know that you will be going through this to explain--that, indeed, Yucca Mountain is ideal.

None of us would ever want to put any community, any State at risk, but we know well that Yucca would not be of risk to the people of the West, but it would be very sound, and it would be very environmentally secure, and it would also, indeed, help create jobs.

Our State has been so fortunate to have the Savannah River Site, but we also have another distinction. We are one of the most nuclear-intensive States in the country. Nearly 60 percent of all the power that is produced in the State of South Carolina for almost 30 years has been nuclear.

We know what the consequence of this is, and that is that we have reliable energy, we have green, clean energy, and we have a level of inexpensive energy, which has a consequence of promoting jobs.

The jobs that have been created are quite self-evident in our State. We have a circumstance with the providing of low-cost energy. South Carolina now--particularly with the development of the BMW facility at Greer, South Carolina, of all things--is the leading exporter of cars in the United States, creating jobs in our State, our region, but then providing for extraordinary export around the world.

Additionally, South Carolina is the leading manufacturer of tires. Right next to the Savannah River Site is the Bridgestone facility, and this is a Japanese investment, over $1 billion.

Then right down I-20, not far in the district I represent, is the Michelin facility. There are two plants adjacent to each other. I was there recently with Ambassador Gerard Araud of France because we appreciate the French investment.

In fact, the Michelin facility is the largest Michelin facility in the world, nearly 2 million square feet with nearly 2,000 employees. Again, this is because of the success that we have with nuclear power.

Then further down I-20, we are very grateful of a German investment. Continental Tires has just announced that they just completed a half-billion-dollar facility in South Carolina. Then we also welcome from Singapore the Giti Tire company, which has announced a quarter-of-a-billion-dollar facility to be located in the upper part of South Carolina.

Over and over again, it is because we have safe, secure, clean energy. In fact, I want to commend the Obama administration. They actually have provided for the licensing of three new nuclear reactors in our country.

Two are located at the V.C. Summer facility at Jenkinsville, South Carolina, which is, again, adjacent to the district I represent in Fairfield County; and then directly across the Savannah River from the district that I represent is the Vogtle plant at Waynesboro, Georgia.

We are very supportive of these. All of them will be so helpful to achieve the environmentally very important determination of a geologic formation.

Then there is an economic side. Just as the people of Illinois, the people of South Carolina, and also the people of Pennsylvania have, through their rates, paid over $1 billion into the fund to build Yucca, so our people are invested.

We have done it in good faith, and we need to follow the law. The law is that, indeed, this be the geologic formation, which is safe for the American people and creating the opportunity for jobs.

A final point. South Carolina has taken this so seriously. I want to commend our Governor, Nikki Haley. I also want to commend our Attorney General, Alan Wilson. They have actually filed a suit--and it was inspired largely by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham and U.S. Senator Tim Scott--to enforce the law. The law needs to be enforced. It would be beneficial to the people of our State, and it would be beneficial to our region of South Carolina and Georgia, but it would also be beneficial to the American people.

I want to thank you for your leadership on this issue so the American people understand how environmentally sound this is, how positive it is, the energy that is being produced because of this, and then the potential for jobs, not just in our region but across the United States.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Thank you for yielding; and, Congressman Dold, thank you for your leadership on this issue.

I am very grateful. I represent the Savannah River Site in Aiken and Barnwell Counties of South Carolina. I had the privilege of working with Congressman Jim Clyburn, very bipartisan. A portion of this site is located in Allendale County, South Carolina. We have worked together on the issues relative to the Savannah River Site, which should be noted is where the defense waste is currently being placed.

It is a consequence of the cold war, but it also is a consequence of victory in the cold war. I know that the persons who worked in the Savannah River Site are very, very grateful for the opportunities that they have had to provide for the protection of the American people, and it has been successful.

It is particularly meaningful to me because I am the only Member of Congress that actually worked at the Savannah River Site, so I know firsthand that it is really very professional, and it is also very environmentally sound.

We were talking about why are we here. For me, it is due to the environment and jobs. The environment we know is in danger if we have different sites around the country that could be addressed.

In the Department of Energy, I have another distinction. I was very grateful to be the deputy general counsel of the Department of Energy in 1981 and 1982. The defense waste bill came up through that time.

It was determined that there should be a geologic formation to place the waste of our country, whether it be defense waste or whether it be commercial. It was determined--and I know that you will be going through this to explain--that, indeed, Yucca Mountain is ideal.

None of us would ever want to put any community, any State at risk, but we know well that Yucca would not be of risk to the people of the West, but it would be very sound, and it would be very environmentally secure, and it would also, indeed, help create jobs.

Our State has been so fortunate to have the Savannah River Site, but we also have another distinction. We are one of the most nuclear-intensive States in the country. Nearly 60 percent of all the power that is produced in the State of South Carolina for almost 30 years has been nuclear.

We know what the consequence of this is, and that is that we have reliable energy, we have green, clean energy, and we have a level of inexpensive energy, which has a consequence of promoting jobs.

The jobs that have been created are quite self-evident in our State. We have a circumstance with the providing of low-cost energy. South Carolina now--particularly with the development of the BMW facility at Greer, South Carolina, of all things--is the leading exporter of cars in the United States, creating jobs in our State, our region, but then providing for extraordinary export around the world.

Additionally, South Carolina is the leading manufacturer of tires. Right next to the Savannah River Site is the Bridgestone facility, and this is a Japanese investment, over $1 billion.

Then right down I-20, not far in the district I represent, is the Michelin facility. There are two plants adjacent to each other. I was there recently with Ambassador Gerard Araud of France because we appreciate the French investment.

In fact, the Michelin facility is the largest Michelin facility in the world, nearly 2 million square feet with nearly 2,000 employees. Again, this is because of the success that we have with nuclear power.

Then further down I-20, we are very grateful of a German investment. Continental Tires has just announced that they just completed a half-billion-dollar facility in South Carolina. Then we also welcome from Singapore the Giti Tire company, which has announced a quarter-of-a-billion-dollar facility to be located in the upper part of South Carolina.

Over and over again, it is because we have safe, secure, clean energy. In fact, I want to commend the Obama administration. They actually have provided for the licensing of three new nuclear reactors in our country.

Two are located at the V.C. Summer facility at Jenkinsville, South Carolina, which is, again, adjacent to the district I represent in Fairfield County; and then directly across the Savannah River from the district that I represent is the Vogtle plant at Waynesboro, Georgia.

We are very supportive of these. All of them will be so helpful to achieve the environmentally very important determination of a geologic formation.

Then there is an economic side. Just as the people of Illinois, the people of South Carolina, and also the people of Pennsylvania have, through their rates, paid over $1 billion into the fund to build Yucca, so our people are invested.

We have done it in good faith, and we need to follow the law. The law is that, indeed, this be the geologic formation, which is safe for the American people and creating the opportunity for jobs.

A final point. South Carolina has taken this so seriously. I want to commend our Governor, Nikki Haley. I also want to commend our Attorney General, Alan Wilson. They have actually filed a suit--and it was inspired largely by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham and U.S. Senator Tim Scott--to enforce the law. The law needs to be enforced. It would be beneficial to the people of our State, and it would be beneficial to our region of South Carolina and Georgia, but it would also be beneficial to the American people.

I want to thank you for your leadership on this issue so the American people understand how environmentally sound this is, how positive it is, the energy that is being produced because of this, and then the potential for jobs, not just in our region but across the United States.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

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