<home> -- <press releases> -- <May 22, 2008>
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 11, 2008 Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo was briefed by officials from the U.S. Department of Energy this afternoon on the events surrounding the weepage of a valve aboard the U.S.S. Houston. The briefing focused on the potential causes of the weepage with the primary coolant valve along with a greater understanding of the notification process. “The U.S. Department of Energy provided me with a comprehensive briefing about the facts surrounding the leak of water from a valve on the U.S.S. Houston. I have been reassured by these officials that their review concluded that there was no safety issue for the citizens of Guam or the crew on-board the Houston, “said Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo. “I intend to work with the leadership of the House Armed Services Committee to review the formal notification process to be used if any similar event were to occur again. I hope that we can bring a measure of clarity to how the notification process operates. I also remain concerned that the weepage was not discovered at an earlier time, either by the crew during operations or by other personnel during previous scheduled maintenance. I am working with officials from the Department of Energy and the Navy to identify solutions that will avoid this problem with similar vessels in the U.S. Navy’s nuclear propulsion force.” Congresswoman Bordallo added, “I sent a letter today to Congressman Solomon Ortiz, Chairman of the Readiness Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, requesting an oversight hearing on the U.S.S. Houston incident. I want to ensure that there is an opportunity for the committee to review this incident and to ensure that the operation and maintenance of our nuclear propulsion force meets the highest standards of safety. Contact: Joseph E. Duenas in joseph.duenas@mail.house.gov or audreya.taitano@mail.house.gov |
