Energy and Water Bill Coming to House

[Michael Grynberg <grynberg@Citizen.ORG>]

  ENERGY AND WATER APPROPRIATIONS BILL TO GO TO HOUSE FLOOR NEXT
  WEEK.  AMENDMENTS TO BE OFFERED TO HELP RENEWABLES, END ADVANCED
  LIGHT WATER REACTOR AND PYROPROCESSING PROGRAMS
  
  As early as Tuesday, July 22, the Energy and Water Appropriations
  bill (not yet numbered) for fiscal year 1997 will be considered
  by the full House of Representatives.  We expect the following
  amendments will be introduced on the floor of the House.  Please
  call, fax, or email your Representative by Tuesday and tell him
  or her to support the following amendments.
  
  RENEWABLE ENERGY
  
  Representatives Dan Schaefer (R-CO), Scott Klug (R-WI), Karen
  Thurman (D-FL), David Minge (D-MN), Matt Salmon (R-AZ), and Vic
  Fazio (D-CA), will offer an amendment to restore about $42
  million to renewable energy programs. As it currently stands, the
  spending bill would cut renewables funding from $275 million this
  year to $231 million. To enhance our environment and our economy,
  solar, wind, geothermal and biomass energy programs should be
  strengthened, not weakened.
  URGE YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO SUPPORT THE SCHAEFER-KLUG AMENDMENT.
  
  
  ADVANCED LIGHT WATER REACTOR
  
  Representatives Mark Foley (R-FL), David Obey (D-WI), Edward
  Markey (D-MA), David Minge (D-MN), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), and
  Edward Royce (R-CA) will offer an amendment to save $17 million
  by eliminating the Advanced Light Water Reactor (ALWR) program,
  which helps the nuclear industy prepare to build new reactors. 
  The ALWR is welfare for huge corporations trying to sell reactors
  in foreign markets.  No domestic utility will build a new
  reactor, so why are taxpayers footing the bill?
  URGE YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO SUPPORT THE FOLEY-OBEY AMENDMENT.
  
  
  
  PYROPROCESSING
  
  Representative Edward Markey (D-MA) will offer an amendment to
  cut funding for "pyroprocessing," a leftover reprocessing
  technology from a reactor project that Congress terminated in
  1994.  Reprocessing poses proliferation and environmental risks
  by enabling the separation of nuclear weapons material and
  complicating disposition of high-level nuclear waste.  The bill
  currently directs $45 million to this needless program.  
  URGE YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO SUPPORT THE MARKEY AMENDMENT.
  
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  Michael Grynberg 
  Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy Project
  215 Pennsylvania Ave., SE
  Washington, D.C. 20003
  Internet: grynberg@citizen.org