{
  "id": "RL31135",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL31135",
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  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
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      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 101103,
      "date": "2002-07-05",
      "retrieved": "2016-05-24T20:07:23.280941",
      "title": "Nuclear Waste Repository Siting: Expedited Procedures for Congressional Approval",
      "summary": "The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA), as amended, establishes a process for the\nfederal\ngovernment to designate a site for a permanent repository for civilian nuclear waste. In February\n2002, this process culminated in a presidential recommendation for a repository at Yucca Mountain,\nNevada. On April 8, the State of Nevada exercised its authority under NWPA to disapprove the site. \nAs a result of this state disapproval, the site may be approved only if a joint resolution of repository\nsiting approval becomes law after being passed by Congress during the first period of 90 days of\ncontinuous session after the disapproval. This period appears likely to terminate just after the August\nrecess.\n  The Act establishes an expedited procedure for congressional consideration of this approval\nresolution. Pursuant to this expedited procedure, approval resolutions were introduced in both\nhouses and referred to the respective committees of jurisdiction, which had until the 60th day of\ncontinuous session after the state disapproval to report or be discharged. The House committee\nreported on May 1, and the Senate committee on June 10. \n  In the House, once an approval resolution has been on the calendar for 5 legislative days, a\nsupporter may call it up if the Speaker recognizes him or her for the purpose. After 2 hours of\ndebate, the House then votes on the resolution without amendment or other intervening motion. The\nHouse passed its resolution on May 8. In the Senate, once such a resolution is on the calendar, any\nSenator may make a nondebatable motion to proceed to consider it. Normally, such a motion would\nbe offered by the majority leader. If rejected, the motion may be repeated. If adopted, the Senate\ndebates the resolution for 10 hours (which may be reduced by nondebatable motion), after which a\nfinal vote occurs. The statutory procedure forestalls filibusters against the resolution by prohibiting\nmost intervening motions or other actions, but does not on its face preclude amendment of the\nresolution. An attempt to consider the measure in the Senate was expected in early July.\n  After one house passes an approval resolution, the other takes up and debates its own measure,\nbut takes a final vote on the measure received from the first house. This procedure facilitates\nclearing the resolution for presidential action. The Act provides for this action to occur only if the\ntwo measures are identical, as the present House and Senate measures are. If the Senate resolution\nwere to be amended, however, the terms of the Act would apparently make this clearance procedure\nunavailable. An amended measure also would cease to have the form prescribed by the NWPA for\nan approval resolution, and accordingly might fail to qualify for further action under the expedited\nprocedure.\n  Either house might overcome such difficulties by using its constitutional power over its own\nrules to alter the procedure by which it considered an approval resolution. If an approval resolution\nwere enacted in a different form from that prescribed by the NWPA, however, it might arguably fail\nto meet the requirements of the Act for permitting construction of the repository.",
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    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs3390/",
      "id": "RL31135 2002-05-03",
      "date": "2002-05-03",
      "retrieved": "2005-06-12T04:54:15",
      "title": "Nuclear Waste Repository Siting: Expedited Procedures for Congressional Approval",
      "summary": null,
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
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      "topics": [
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Solid wastes",
          "name": "Solid wastes"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Expedited congressional procedure",
          "name": "Expedited congressional procedure"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Radioactive waste disposal in the ground",
          "name": "Radioactive waste disposal in the ground"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Congress",
          "name": "Congress"
        }
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}