From the Slog:
http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2011/03/25/washington-state-republicans-vote-against-nuclear-safety
Yet another good reason to get replace Dave Reichert in the 11th LD.
Fresh off their votes against funding for a tsunami warning center that serves the entire West Coast, our state’s four Republican House members recently voted for budget cuts that could make it harder to respond to nuclear mishaps.
House Republicans didn’t blink an eye as they enacted hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to programs that safeguard nuclear waste, research nuclear power, and train first responders to respond to weapons of mass destruction.
Which House Republicans from our state? Doc Hastings (R-4), Jaime Herrera-Buetler (R-3), Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-5), and Dave Reichert (R-8).
In the jump, more detail on exactly what their plan for nuclear-related cuts would do:
It would cut $131 million from the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy, which is responsible for safety research and nonproliferation efforts. It would also cut hundreds of millions from nuclear waste disposal and environmental clean-up programs; $97.1 million from nuclear nonproliferation efforts; and $1.4 billion from first-responder training for radiation, chemical, and biological disasters. That last cut would result in a reduction of 46,000 being trained for such emergencies, according to analyses provided by the House and Senate appropriations committees. Other cuts hit international nuclear security efforts, grants to protect ports, and Federal Emergency Management Agency preparations for all-hazards catastrophes.
