WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today expressed disappointment with [NAME] for his vote on S. 1287, the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2000, and urged him to change his vote when the bill returns to the Senate floor for a veto override vote.  The bill would allow the federal government to consolidate the disposal and storage of nuclear waste, as directed under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982.

"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 CAGW 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 1982, consumers of nuclear energy have paid $16 billion into this 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.

"By voting to override the President's unwise veto of S. 1287, [NAME] will help improve the safe storage of nuclear waste, fulfilling the federal government's promise the nuclear energy consumers who have already paid millions to make this happen," Schatz continued.  "I would hope that [NAME] would join with the majority of both houses of Congress in moving forward on this issue.  Continuing to stand in the way of this responsible nuclear stewardship is simply unproductive."

A Bisconti & Assoicates poll taken in March, 1999 found that two out of three Americans support the purpose of the bill to move used nuclear fuel from more than 70 sites in 33 states to a centralized management facility in Yucca Mountain, Nev.

CCAGW is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government.