Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

On Monday, February 13th at 3:00, House Bill 2215, “the Nuclear Waste Dump bill” will be heard in Oregon’s House Climate, Energy, and Environment committee. [Update: this hearing on this bill has been carried over until Monday, February 20th, 3:00 pm. Written testimony will be accepted until 3:00 pm Wednesday, February 22nd.]

This bill, along with its Senate companion bill, (SB 676) seek to overturn the will of the people of Oregon established by ballot measure in 1980. That 1980 measure prohibited the construction of nuclear power plants in Oregon until an adequate, national high level radioactive waste repository is federally licensed, and then the proposed nuclear plant in Oregon would be subject to statewide voter approval. If HB 2215 becomes law and is passed by Oregon voters, it would allow the siting and operation of commercial nuclear power plants in Oregon, even though there is no federally licensed repository for its high-level nuclear waste.