H 3497 Concurrent Resolution, By W.D. Keyserling and Richardson
 A Concurrent Resolution commending Governor David Beasley for taking a strong
 stance against South Carolina becoming the world's nuclear dumping ground and
 memorializing the President of the United States and the United States
 Department of Energy to conduct a thorough and complete environmental impact
 statement regarding importation of foreign reactor spent fuel before
 undertaking any further attempts to bring high-level nuclear waste generated
 in foreign countries to the Savannah River Site.

   02/07/95  House  Introduced HJ-3
   02/07/95  House  Referred to Committee on Invitations and Memorial
                     Resolutions HJ-3

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

COMMENDING GOVERNOR BEASLEY FOR TAKING A STRONG STANCE AGAINST SOUTH CAROLINA BECOMING THE WORLD'S NUCLEAR DUMPING GROUND AND MEMORIALIZING THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY TO CONDUCT A THOROUGH AND COMPLETE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT REGARDING IMPORTATION OF FOREIGN REACTOR SPENT FUEL BEFORE UNDERTAKING ANY FURTHER ATTEMPTS TO BRING HIGH-LEVEL NUCLEAR WASTE GENERATED IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES TO THE SAVANNAH RIVER SITE.

Whereas, the President of the United States and the United States Department of Energy have persisted in their efforts to make the Savannah River Site the repository for large amounts of high-level nuclear waste generated in foreign countries throughout the world; and

Whereas, the General Assembly has previously gone on record opposing monitored retrievable storage of the nation's high-level nuclear waste at the Savannah River Site; and

Whereas, the chemical separation process conducted at the Savannah River Site to extract uranium and plutonium from irradiated reactor fuel and targets, which began forty years ago, has already resulted in the storage of thirty-three million gallons of highly radioactive liquid waste in South Carolina which originally was to remain in South Carolina for only ten years; and

Whereas, the United States Department of Energy, which is supposed to protect our citizens from environmental harm, has failed to issue an environmental impact statement regarding shipment and storage of foreign reactor nuclear fuel as required by the National Environmental Policy Act; and

Whereas, South Carolina has already absorbed far more than its fair share of the nation's nuclear waste; and

Whereas, there are many sites in the western United States that are far less environmentally sensitive than the Savannah River basin; and

Whereas, the biggest private investment in South Carolina's history is for the construction of a retirement community downstream of the Savannah River Site and dependent on the purity of the Savannah River for its drinking water supply; and

Whereas, designation as the world's nuclear dumping ground will harm the State's ability to attract tourists, retirees, and new business and industry; and

Whereas, the federal government has already caused the State of South Carolina to suffer economically by assigning the State a disproportional amount of defense-related cutbacks. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:

That the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina, by this resolution, commends Governor Beasley for taking a strong stance against South Carolina becoming the world's nuclear dumping ground and memorializes the President of the United States and the United States Department of Energy to conduct a thorough and complete environmental impact statement regarding importation of foreign reactor spent fuel before undertaking any further attempts to bring high-level nuclear waste generated in foreign countries to the Savannah River Site.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Governor of South Carolina, the President of the United States, and the United States Secretary of Energy.