House Proceeding 05-07-09 on May 7th, 2009 :: 2:44:45 to 2:56:45
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2:44:42 to 2:45:03( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: well matters we want our mothers not to bungle. god bless them and god bless america. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2009, the chair recognizes the gentleman from american samoa, mr. filetow

2:44:45 to 2:56:45( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Eni F. H. Faleomavaega

2:45:04 to 2:45:24( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: ma vega for 60 minutes. falfal thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent to extend and revise my remarks. madam speaker, i rise today on behalf of myself and my good friend and colleag, the gentleman from new jersey, mr. christopher smith, as we have introduced a resolution

2:45:25 to 2:45:46( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: condemning the transport of certain types of nuclear waste commonly known as mix oxide fuel containing plutonium and uranium through international waters and we urge the countries that produce the nuclear waste within their borders. madam speaker, last month two

2:45:47 to 2:46:10( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: british flag vessels left france with 1.8 tons of plutonium bound for japan. they are scheduled to arrive in port at some point this month. from what has been made public, the shipment is to travel via cape of good hope around the southern indian ocean, then through across the southern

2:46:11 to 2:46:32( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: as it mainian sea, through austraa and new zealand and then through the west-southwest pacific ocean and finally to japan. the plutonium itself is contained within what is commonly known as mocx fuel. a toxic mixture of plutonium and uranium oxide. the mox -- the m.o.x. will be

2:46:33 to 2:46:54( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: used by japanese electric utilities to power their energy -- nuclear energy plapts. madam speaker, the mixed ox side fuel is legal. the release of even a small amount of it during transport over thousands of miles of open

2:46:55 to 2:47:16( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: sea, whether as a result of accidents or malicious intent, would cause serious environmental health and economic harm to surrounding areas. that much has always been made ear. but the m.o.x. poses a far more ominous threat. with the right technology, it can be reprocessed into

2:47:17 to 2:47:37( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: weapons-grade material. according to reputable estimates, enough plutonium is contained in the m.o.x. currently headed toward japan to produce more than 200 nuclear bombs. every member of this chamber, madam speaker, knows that al qaeda and its networks would li nothing better than to get their hands on enough material

2:47:38 to 2:47:59( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: to build a nuclear explosive device, a radiological bomb, however crude to detonate it where it can do the most harm. we and our allies around the world have committed our best intellig civilian officials, to work around the clock to eliminate the possibility of that ever happening. and yet,y permitting the

2:48:00 to 2:48:21( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: transport of m.o.x. over open seas, obviously we are providing terrorists one more avenue of attack for getting access to the nuclear materials they have so long coveted. indeed, the o.e.x. -- the oecd nuclear energy agency said that the risk of hijacking a ship

2:48:22 to 2:48:42( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: carrying nuclear materials, while small, could not be ruled out. madam speaker, private -- piracy has become an obvious problem around the globe. so far this year, just in the waters of somalia alone, pirates have attacked 61 ships. more than a dozen of those vessels remain in the pirates' hands to this very day.

2:48:43 to 2:49:03( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: one of them, the ukrainian cargo ship, actually contained military equipment. 33 battle tanks. madam speaker, i have no doubt that everyone here remembers the hijacking of the alabama

2:49:04 to 2:49:25( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: off the so ma'ama coast and the heroic actions of the captain and his crew. it was captured by four is a so malli pirates on -- so maul lee pirates on april -- sew maul lee pires on april 8, the captain surrendered and ended

2:49:26 to 2:49:46( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: up in a lifeboat with the pirates for four days. thankfully, captain richard phillips was rescued on april 12. our -- but our navy seals had to justifiably kill three of his takers. pirates have issued threats to targ this je region. madam speaker we know it

2:49:47 to 2:50:07( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: doesn't cost much to hire a band of somali pirates a are not particularly fussy about their clientele. not sail over somalian waters they will likely pass through the straits of maracca, the vital link between the indian

2:50:08 to 2:50:30( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: an pacific oceans. but make no mistake, those straits are plied with their own bands of pirates. indeed, according to the international maritime bureau, these and nearby waters have been ranked the world's most dangerous sea routes. in the year 2004, 40% of all pirate attacks in the world

2:50:31 to 2:50:52( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: took place in those straits and nearby indonesian waters. terrorists need not hire pirates to do their dirty work. in 2002, al qaeda operatives rammed a boat rigged with explosives into a french boat off the coast of yemen.

2:50:53 to 2:51:14( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: the two ships transrting the nuclear waste are not without protection. they are armed with five 30 millimeter naval cannons. in addition a group of armed police officers from the united kingdom office of civil nuclear security is on board. however a udy done by the u.s. department of energy

2:51:15 to 2:51:37( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: concludes that due to the risk of attack of nuclear shipments, there's a need to provide continuous backup support for the vessel by military security assets. in 1992 a shipment of 1.7 tons of m.o.x. nuclear material from france to japan was escorted by

2:51:38 to 2:52:00( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: a japanese coast guard vessel. this time, the public doesn't know what sort of vessel are escorting these ships. the pentagon concluded in its own assessment of sea shipments of plutonium that, and i quote, even if the most careful precautions are observed, no one can guar have to the cargo from a security incident such as an

2:52:01 to 2:52:21( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: attack on the vessel by small, st craft, especially armed with modern anti-ship missiles, end quote. madam speaker, thus the transport of this nuclear waste poses not only the environmental hazard we have long been concerned about, but also a nontrivial terrorist or

2:52:22 to 2:52:42( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: even nuclear danger as well. i ask my colleagues, is the practice of transporting these materials, nuclear waste materials, across international waters worth the risk? i say absolutely not. it the world through the united nations or countries that produce nuclear waste should

2:52:43 to 2:53:05( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: keep it within their own borders. that would be a first step. madam speaker, make no mistake, transport of nuclear materials even within a country's borders poses serious risks. nuclear fuel is dangerous stuff. according to the nuclear information and research service, and i quote a person

2:53:06 to 2:53:26( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: standing three feet from unshieldedrradiated fuel will receive a lethal radiation dose in 10 seconds. end of quote. plfer, the shipping containers in which radioactive waste are transported overland are designed to withstand at most a

2:53:27 to 2:53:48( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: 30-mile-per-hour crash into an immovable object. i'm sure every member of this chamber studiously obeys the speed limits but i'm not aware of too many highways with a speed limit of 30 miles per hour. what i find particularly disconcerting is the nuclear regulatory commission has not tested these shipping tasks.

2:53:49 to 2:54:10( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: instead, they rely on the reliab simulations. a nuclear information and research service fact sheelt also states, and i quote, the more severe an accident, the more likely at radioactive material would be released into the environment. a low-speed accident could

2:54:11 to 2:54:33( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: unseat a or damage a seal, -- a valve or damage a seal, releasing particulates into the environment, it could crack the brittle metal around the fuel. end of quote. in response to a baltimore rail accident involving dangerous chemical, our senate majority leader, harry reid of nevada, and i quote, he said, everyone

2:54:34 to 2:54:54( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: needs to recognize that transporting dangerous materials is very difficult. the leaking hydrochloric acid in baltimore is nothing compared to the high-level radioactive waste oposed for the you ka mountains site 100 miles northwest of las vegas. a speck the size of a pinpoint would kill a person.

2:54:55 to 2:55:18( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: what we should do with nuclear waste is leave it where it is. madam speaker, even just within our own domestic borders, we've been a -- we've become a deeply divided nation concerning the storage of nuclear waste materials within our own country. years ago, in its so-called infinite wisdom, congress decided to build a multibillion

2:55:19 to 2:55:39( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: dollar storage facility at you ka mountain in the state of -- at yucca mountain in the state of nevada. unfortunately, were the residents of nevada ever given the opportunity to have a say in the process despite strong objections from its delegation? if i were a resident of nevada, i would object to the whole

2:55:40 to 2:56:00( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: idea of other states shipping their nuclear waste materials in my backyard. the question that comes to mind, madam speaker what town, what city, what rural farm areas are going to be used or designated for shipments by truck, by train, by car, by airplanes, what guarantees are there that these shipments are

2:56:01 to 2:56:22( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: not going to be subjected by terrorist attacks or even by accident. remember the oil spill at valdez, alaska, madam speaker? everybody said it was absolutely safe to conduct such shipments of oil. well, it happened. the same thing can be said if nuclear waste materials will be

2:56:23 to 2:56:43( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: shipped to yucca mountain in the state of madam speaker, i could not agree more with the senate majority leader harry reid in his concerns. i urge my colleagues to join me and congressman smith in calling to an end and dangeus and needless practice of

2:56:44 to 2:56:46( Edit History Discussion )

Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: shipping m.o.x. nuclear waste material others the open