Reed Amendment Supporting Cleanup West Valley Cleanup Approved

A Rep. Tom Reed amendment to restore millions in funding for nuclear cleanup at the West Valley Demonstration Project site passed the House of Representatives Tuesday evening in a bipartisan vote, ensuring cleanup efforts are able to continue at the local site.

“Providing adequate funding for nuclear cleanup is positive news for the health and safety of the local community, the care of the environment, and taxpayers who would otherwise see added costs in future years,” Reed said. “Rather than allowing more taxpayer dollars to disappear into D.C. bureaucracy, this common sense amendment is fair to taxpayers and directs help to the sites where it is needed most and I am pleased to partner with fellow New York Member Rep. Brian Higgins once again on this important amendment.”

“Cleanup at West Valley isn’t a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’ and delaying what needs to be done only costs more in the long run,” said Congressman Higgins. “If this radioactive waste makes its way into the Great Lakes, the environmental and economic implications would be devastating. By working jointly to get this done Western New York wins.”

With bipartisan support, the House passed Reed’s amendment to the 2014 Energy and Water Appropriations bill to provide funding for Non-Defense Environmental Cleanup. The bipartisan amendment was introduced by Reps. Tom Reed, Brian Higgins (D-NY), Bill Johnson (R-OH) and Jim Matheson (D-UT).

Making an investment now in nuclear site remediation will save taxpayers millions of dollars in the coming decades. “Taxpayers simply cannot afford higher taxes in coming years because Congress failed to act when it had the chance,” Reed continued. “We must make sure this cleanup project continues on schedule to avoid any delays that would increase public safety risk and cost. The better we are able to carry out nuclear cleanup efforts now, the better off taxpayers will be down the road.”

Without Reed’s amendment, cleanup projects like the West Valley Demonstration Project would have seen an $18 million reduction from last year. Rep. Reed has been a vocal advocate for West Valley cleanup, working closely with the West Valley Citizen Task Force and the Department of Energy, and sponsoring similar successful amendments in recent years defending local nuclear waste cleanup.

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