HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 1-1           WHEREAS, Compliance with international disarmament treaties

 1-2     to curtail the proliferation of nuclear arms and defuse weapons of

 1-3     mass destruction has created new challenges for the United States

 1-4     related to the dismantling and cleanup of nuclear missiles; and

 1-5           WHEREAS, The development, production, and disassembling of

 1-6     nuclear weapons produce transuranic waste, a highly radioactive

 1-7     conglomeration of contaminated laboratory gloves, tools, dried

 1-8     sludge, and other substances from testing and production

 1-9     facilities; and

1-10           WHEREAS, To create a safe and environmentally responsible

1-11     method for permanently disposing of transuranic waste, the United

1-12     States Department of Energy (DOE) has designed the Waste Isolation

1-13     Pilot Plant (WIPP) in southern New Mexico that will set the

1-14     standard for deep geologic disposal of defense-related radioactive

1-15     waste; and

1-16           WHEREAS, The transuranic waste to be deposited at the WIPP

1-17     facility will be shipped by truck from all across the country,

1-18     travelling through many states, including Texas, which is a major

1-19     thoroughfare for radioactive materials coming from South Carolina,

1-20     Tennessee, Illinois, and Ohio; and

1-21           WHEREAS, While a majority of the proposed route through Texas

1-22     is on Interstate 20, a segment runs along U.S.  Highway 285; this

1-23     portion of the route, which begins in Pecos, Texas, and continues

1-24     into New Mexico, is a treacherous and narrow two-lane road; and

 2-1           WHEREAS, The State of New Mexico, in a prudent move to

 2-2     protect the public safety of its citizens, has dedicated part of

 2-3     the impact funds received from the DOE for housing the WIPP to

 2-4     widen its section of U.S. 285; this highway is a dangerous and

 2-5     inadequate road that has already been the scene of one accident

 2-6     involving an empty WIPP transport truck; and

 2-7           WHEREAS, There are currently no federal funds allocated for

 2-8     the State of Texas to take the same necessary safety precautions by

 2-9     widening the section of U.S. 285 running through our state; the

2-10     health and safety of United States citizens residing in the Lone

2-11     Star State is no less important than that of our neighbors to the

2-12     northwest; now, therefore, be it

2-13           RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas

2-14     hereby respectfully request the Congress of the United States to

2-15     allocate funds for road expansion in Texas along the designated

2-16     route for transporting hazardous waste to the WIPP project; and, be

2-17     it further

2-18           RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official

2-19     copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to

2-20     the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of

2-21     the senate of the United States Congress, and to all members of the

2-22     Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this

2-23     resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a

2-24     memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.

                                                                      Walker

         _______________________________     _______________________________

             President of the Senate              Speaker of the House

               I certify that H.C.R. No. 202 was adopted by the House on May

         7, 1997, by a non-record vote.

                                             _______________________________

                                                 Chief Clerk of the House

               I certify that H.C.R. No. 202 was adopted by the Senate on

         May 26, 1997, by a viva-voce vote.

                                             _______________________________

                                                 Secretary of the Senate

         APPROVED:  _____________________

                            Date

                    _____________________

                          Governor