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H.R. 1588 -- Opposed by Environmentalists |
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Below is a letter from representatives of many environmental organizations opposing portions of H.R. 1588, the National Defense Authorization Bill for Fiscal Year 2004. Nancy Pelosi voted for this bill. A blog about the bill and her vote in favor of it is below.
PUBLIC CITIZEN * ALLIANCE FOR NUCLEAR ACCOUNTABILITY ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP * FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SCIENTISTS * FRIENDS OF THE EARTH * GREENPEACE * NATIONAL SECURITY ARCHIVE * NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL * NUCLEAR INFORMATION AND RESOURCE SERVICE * OMB WATCH * PHYSICIANS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY * REPORTERS COMMITTEE FOR FREEDOM OF THE PRESS * SIERRA CLUB * UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS * U.S. PUBLIC INTEREST RESEARCH GROUP * WOMEN'S ACTION FOR NEW DIRECTIONS * 20/20 VISION
August 13, 2003
Dear Defense Authorization Conferee:
As national environmental and public interest groups concerned with government accountability and nuclear safety, we are writing to express our strong objection to Section 3113 of the House-passed National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 (H.R. 1588). This troubling provision, not contained in the Senate legislation, would inappropriately grant expansive new authority to the Department of Energy (DOE) to restrict public access to unclassified information related to a broad range of nuclear energy and waste activities. We urge the conference committee to reject this provision.
Current law allows the DOE to prohibit dissemination of unclassified information pertaining to specified atomic energy defense programs. Section 3113 of the House-passed bill would expand this authority by deleting the reference to "defense programs" and making DOE's authority applicable to any facility "at which activities relating to nuclear weapons or nuclear materials are carried out," specifically including nuclear waste storage facilities and uranium enrichment facilities. An inappropriate distortion of legitimate national security precautions that could be used to restrict public scrutiny of highly controversial DOE projects such as the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository project and nuclear waste storage facilities within the weapons complex, this provision constitutes an intolerable and unnecessary assault on the principle of open government.
Contemporary national security concerns have introduced new challenges to the long-standing values of transparency in government. However, public access to federal actions and processes must not be abandoned in the name of homeland security. Sweeping restrictions on access to information, as proposed in the House bill, will not make our country more secure. On the contrary, government transparency - to the greatest extent possible consistent with national security goals – promotes accountability and appropriate protection of public health and safety.
The DOE and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission already have authority to restrict access to classified information about nuclear energy activities, and the existing statute also gives DOE power to restrict unclassified information concerning nuclear weapons-related facilities. The expansive new authority granted in H.R.1588 is unnecessary and would place unacceptable restrictions on public access to information and government accountability. When House and Senate conferees meet, we urge you to oppose this damaging provision that has no place in the Defense Authorization package.
Sincerely,
Wenonah Hauter
Director, Critical Mass
Public Citizen
Susan R. Gordon
Director
Alliance for Nuclear Accountability
Ken Cook
President
Environmental Working Group
Steven Aftergood
Senior Research Analyst
Federation of American Scientists
Erich Pica
Senior Policy Analyst
Friends of the Earth
Jim Riccio
Policy Analyst
Greenpeace
Meredith Fuchs
General Counsel
National Security Archive
Alyssondra Campaigne
Legislative Director
Natural Resources Defense Council
Michael Mariotte
Executive Director
Nuclear Information and Resource Service
Rick Blum
Director, Freedom of Information Project
OMB Watch
Jaya Tiwari
Research Director
Physicians for Social Responsibility
Lucy Dalglish
Executive Director
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Debbie Boger
Senior Washington Representative
Sierra Club
David Lochbaum
Nuclear Safety Engineer
Union of Concerned Scientists
Navin Nayak
Environmental Advocate
U.S. Public Interest Research Group
Susan Shaer
Executive Director
Women's Action for New Directions
Tom Collina
Executive Director
20/20 Vision
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