Letter to Senators Mikulski, Shelby, Feinstein, and Alexander - Casey Pushes for Funds to Cleanup Abandoned Armstrong County Nuclear Site

Letter

The Honorable Barbara Mikulski
Chairwoman
Committee on Appropriations

The Honorable Richard Shelby
Vice Chairman
Committee on Appropriations

The Honorable Dianne Feinstein
Chairwoman
Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development

The Honorable Lamar Alexander
Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development

Dear Chairwomen, Vice Chairman, and Ranking Member:

As the Subcommittee prepares the Fiscal Year 2015 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, I urge you to provide robust funding for the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) managed by the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). In Fiscal Year 2014 the FUSRAP program received $103 million in federal funding.

The USACE, under the authorization of the FUSRAP, has been the lead governmental agency on the evaluation, remediation, and clean-up of radioactive waste at the Shallow Land Disposal Area (SLDA) in Parks Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, since 2002. In September 2011, the Pittsburgh District of the USACE determined that hazardous material was mishandled by a project contractor. At the same time, the USACE also encountered higher quantities of complex nuclear material at the site than originally expected. These troubling developments led the USACE to halt the project. Unfortunately, many other FUSRAP sites across the nation have also had delays that have prolonged their remediation. The SLDA and many other projects across the country will require significant FUSRAP funding to ensure that remediation can proceed as quickly and effectively as possible.

In closing, let me take this opportunity to thank you for your consideration of my request. It is imperative that this program get the funding it needs in order to ensure proper remediation of these locations so that the taxpayers who live near these sites get can have the peace of mind they deserve. I stand ready to provide any additional information to the Committee.

Sincerely,

Robert P. Casey, Jr.
United States Senator

Source