BILL REQ. #:  H-4486.2 

Read first time 01/30/2004.   Referred to Committee on Technology, Telecommunications & Energy.

     TO THE HONORABLE GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO SPENCER ABRAHAM, THE SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY:
     We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:
     WHEREAS, Governor Locke recently launched "Bio 21" with the express intention to strengthen, enhance, and expand the biotechnology businesses for the people of Washington State through merging science, health, education, and research projects, encouraging partnerships from public and private participations; and
     WHEREAS, The "Bio 21" document was prepared under the leadership of the Technology Alliance of Washington in January 2004 at the direction of Governor Locke, recognizing that Washington State ranks 46th out of 50 states in obtaining research funding grants; and
     WHEREAS, The "Bio 21" document answered the question that Washington State does have unique assets at the intersection of biotechnology and information technology that should be exploited for the benefit of Washington's economy encompassing some of the most important companies in the world in the technology sectors, including software, biotechnology, wireless communications, aerospace technology, energy, environmental technology, and nanotechnology; and
     WHEREAS, Governor Locke has accepted the recommendations of the Washington Competitiveness Council's January 2002 report to examine Washington's ability to compete and create jobs in a global economy; and
     WHEREAS, Governor Locke recognizes that Washington State is the home of a unique United States Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) property, the five billion dollar Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) complex, located in the Tri-Cities, that could allow Washington State to provide a national center for radiopharmaceutical production that would bring in five hundred million dollars in private capital immediately to make these facilities market ready, benefiting the people of Washington State, the Nation, and the World, through improved health care; and
     WHEREAS, "Bio 21" recognizes fields of advanced science such as radiopharmaceuticals for diagnostic and therapeutic medical procedures with five billion dollars of market sales by 2008 projected by the U.S. DOE and the National Cancer Institute with tens of millions of these procedures being performed annually; and
     WHEREAS, United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson, on October 8, 2002, requested that U.S. DOE give "...the (community re-use commercialization) proposal every consideration..." for utilization of these facilities which could meet expanded national health care needs and provide a consistent national domestic supply of medical isotopes, which are now over ninety percent imported; and
     WHEREAS, The 30,000 member organization, the United States Radiological Society of North America, as of December 2003, is seeking the establishment of a United States radionuclide production facility to handle the projected growth in food security, homeland security, and health care that drives expanded United States isotope production requirements;
     NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the U.S. DOE act on United States District Court Judge Edward F. Shea's ruling to prepare the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to determine the final disposition of the unused FFTF property and that the U.S. DOE avoid every irretrievable action that could jeopardize future uses, and we request that the U.S. DOE FFTF complex be privatized to a qualified party for the production of medical isotopes and other energy related issues. Further, Your Memorialists call on Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham to immediately call a multicabinet meeting represented by the United States Departments of Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, and Agriculture and Washington State representatives to discuss multiagency uses.
     BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United States, Spencer Abraham, Secretary of the Department of Energy, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.