H-58                 _______________________________________________

                                            HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 41

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                        1986 First Special Session

By Representatives S. Wilson, C. Smith, Chandler, Long, Schoon, Silver, Cole, Miller, Allen, Barrett, Patrick, Betrozoff, Walker, Lundquist, Nealey, Padden, Van Luven, May, Brough and Thomas

Read first time 8/1/86 and referred to Committee on Energy & Utilities.

TO THE HONORABLE RONALD REAGAN, 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 THE UNITED STATES 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, To solve the problem of high-level radioactive waste disposal, Congress established a process for selecting two sites for the safe, permanent, and regionally equitable disposal of such waste; and

          WHEREAS, The process of selecting three sites as final candidates, including the Hanford reservation, for a first high-level nuclear waste repository by the United States Department of Energy violated the intent and the mandate of Congress; and

          WHEREAS, The United States Department of Energy has prematurely deferred consideration of numerous potential sites and disposal media that its own research indicates are more appropriate, safer, and less expensive; and

          WHEREAS, Placement of a repository at Hanford without methodical and independently verified scientific evaluation will pose a threat to the health and safety of the people and the environment of this state; and

          WHEREAS, The selection process is flawed and not credible because it did not include independent experts in the selection of the sites and in the review of that selection, as recommended by the National Academy of Sciences; and

          WHEREAS, By postponing indefinitely all site specific work for a second repository, the United States Department of Energy has not complied with the intent of Congress expressed in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, Public Law 97-425, and the fundamental compromise which enabled its enactment.

          NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that Congress:

          (1) Provide for the suspension of the preliminary site selection process for a high-level nuclear waste repository, including the process of site characterization, until there is compliance with the intent of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act;

          (2) Reverse the Secretary of Energy's decision to postpone indefinitely all site specific work on locating and developing a second repository for high-level nuclear waste;

          (3) Insist that the United States Department of Energy's site selection process, when resumed, considers all acceptable geologic media and results in safe, scientifically justified, and regionally and geographically equitable high-level nuclear waste disposal; and

          (4) Demand that federal budget actions fully and completely follow the intent of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act.      BE IT RESOLVED, That if the President recommends a site for a high-level nuclear waste repository in the State of Washington, the Legislature intends to call a special election to allow the people of the state to vote on disapproval of the site; and

          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Ronald Reagan, President of the United States, the United States 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.