Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-6) lauded the passage of H.R. 2740, the first of two spending measures – securing significant wins for the Sacramento region. Congresswoman Matsui played a pivotal role in securing critically important flood infrastructure and interim nuclear storage funds. The overall spending measure included funding for the Departments of Defense, State, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Energy, as well as the Army Corps of Engineers. The House passed the package by a vote of 226 to 203.

“The Sacramento region is one of the most flood-prone in the country, and there is nothing more important than delivering full funding to projects that secure our water infrastructure, bolster flood resiliency, and ultimately protect families and businesses,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “I am pleased to secure nearly $60,000,000 for Sacramento flood protection projects, and I look forward to working with the Army Corps of Engineers and state and local partners to ensure that our levees are strengthened and our communities are in the best position to grow and thrive.”

“Our region has endured an over thirty-year saga with the decommissioned Rancho Seco nuclear power plant. The current nuclear storage situation is not sustainable, and we need to remove the spent nuclear fuel from the site to make our community safer and provide SMUD the opportunity to redevelop the land. That’s why I am proud to have led my colleagues in successfully securing $25,000,000 for an interim nuclear storage program that will help decommissioned plants across the country turn the page and begin the process of removing nuclear fuel from their communities,” added Matsui.

Congresswoman Matsui delivers wins for the Sacramento Region by:

• Securing funding for flood infrastructure projects in the Army Corps of Engineers flood control construction projects, including $59,000,000 for the American River Common Features Natomas Basin, $400,000 for the West Sacramento Project, and additional funding that will be made available through a Corps Work Plan.
• Obtaining six “new starts” for Army Corps of Engineers Projects in the region, a critical designation for which projects like the West Sacramento Project may compete to move forward with construction activities.
• Leading a coalition of members and successfully securing $25,000,000 for nuclear interim nuclear storage activities to remove spent fuel from decommissioned power plants, like Rancho Seco.
• Securing $495,000,000 for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) in advance funding -- $50,000,000 above the currently enacted level. Funding will be used by local PBS stations, such as Northern California’s KVIE, across the country.

Congresswoman Doris Matsui is also the author of H.R. 3136, the STORE Nuclear Fuel Act, which creates a legislative framework to initiate a consolidated interim storage program at the Department of Energy. It allows for both active and decommissioned nuclear power plants, with priority given to decommissioned plants, to move spent nuclear fuel to interim storage facilities. More information on the bill can be found here.

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