S-722                 _______________________________________________

                                    SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 106

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1985 Regular Session

By Senators Talmadge, McManus, Williams and McDermott

Read first time 1/22/85 and referred to Committee on Energy and Utilities.

WHEREAS, The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 establishes a program for the permanent disposal of high-level radioactive waste; and

          WHEREAS, State and public participation in the planning and development of repositories is essential in order to promote public confidence in the safety of disposal of such waste and spent fuel; and

          WHEREAS, There are grave concerns as to the adequacy of the general guidelines issued pursuant to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 with respect to the methodology and the process by which the guidelines were adopted; and

          WHEREAS, The draft Environmental Assessment has ranked the Hanford site in eastern Washington in the top three for final site selection as a repository; and

          WHEREAS, The states of Nevada and Texas and a coalition of environmental groups have initiated separate lawsuits against the United States Department of Energy for failure to comply with the Nuclear Waste Policy Act;

          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, By the Senate of the state of Washington, the House of Representatives concurring, That the Governor and the Attorney General shall give the pursuit of legal causes of action under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act their highest priority to ensure that the rights of the state's citizens are protected to the maximum extent feasible.