2)
On May 10, S. 1119 was introduced by Senators McClure, Church,
Hatfield, Jackson, Johnston, and Matsunaga; and Senator Jackson
wrote to the Secretary of State informing himof the introductionof
5.1119 and the scheduling of a hearing on June 5. Theletter stated in
part that: “The inclusion of one of those sites, in my estimation, is
hkely to result in a needless and very serious reaction among members of the Pacific community. Furthermore, the Department of the
Interior, which has the general responsibility for territorial affairs in
the executive branch, has again not been informed of your proposals.”
The hearing on June 5 was conducted in executive sesston at the request of the administration since the identity of the potential sites had
been classified.The committee discovered, however, that the sites could
be made public. In addition, with respect to the timing of notice to the
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notify and inform the Congress and the apparent insensitivity of the
executive department participants in this venture to the concerns of
the Pacific community. The objectives of S, 1119 are to guarantee that.
the Congress is informedin a timely mannerand to assure the members
of the Pacific community that the United States will net sanction or
approve any proposal for spent fuel storage without full public disclosure of the site and open consideration and formal approval by the
U.S. Congress.
In light of the testimony received at the June 5 hearing, the committee determined that the only assurance that the Congress and the
Pacific Community would have that they would be kept informed and
not presented with a fait accompli would be enactment of S. 1119.
S. 1119 was unanimously reported from the committce and passed
the Senate without dissent.
.
Since Senate passage of S. 1119, further discussions have been held
by the administration with the Government of Japan, and there have
been additional expressions of concern from both the U.S. territories
and other members of the Pacific community. The Committee, accordingly, has added the text of 8. 1119, as passed by the Senate, to this
measure as an assuranceto the U.S. territories und Pacific community
that any such decision will be made in open discussion and after the
full and total involvement of the Congress.
This provision was added at the request of Senators Matsunaga and
McClure.
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believe there was anylegal requirement to notify the Congress of any
plans until such time as an authorization for the actual expenditure of
funds was needed for the repurchase, transportation, and storage of
spent fuel, Although the administration had stated intentions to keep
the Congress informed in the future, the witnesses objected io any
statutory requirement for such notice.
.
The committee wishes to emphusize that its concern, as expressed
by S. 1119, does not in any mannerreflect an opinion with respect to
the goals and objectives of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Act of 1978,
nor 1s the concern designed to limit in any way the conduct of negotiations pursuant to that act. The committee also wishes to emphasize
that it in no way wishes to prejudge'the feasibility or the desirability
of the use of island storage for spent nuclear fuel. The committce’s concern expressed in this measure are the failure of the administration to
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Congress, the committce was inforined that the administration did not