Senate · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session

SR989: SR989 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE); to reinstate and fully fund radiological and water quality protections for the Savannah River and surrounding communities; urge

Last action March 19, 2026 · Senate Read and Referred

A Georgia Senate resolution would urge the U.S. Department of Energy to restore and fully fund radiological and water quality monitoring along the Savannah River near the Savannah River Site.

In plain language

This resolution addresses long-standing concerns about environmental and radiological monitoring near the Savannah River Site, a U.S. Department of Energy facility used for nuclear materials production and cleanup that sits next to the Savannah River. A state-supported monitoring program ended in 2004, and a later community-based effort called the Radiological Education, Monitoring, and Outreach Project (REMOP), run by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, sampled water, soil, wildlife, and food in Burke County between 2017 and 2019. The resolution formally urges the Department of Energy to reinstate, fully fund, and expand radiological and water quality monitoring and reporting along the Savannah River between the Savannah River Site and Plant Vogtle. It calls for transparent public reporting, coordination with state agencies and universities, and engagement with affected Georgia communities. It also directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies to the public and press. As a resolution, it expresses the Senate's position and does not create new law or funding on its own.

What the bill does

Formally urges the U.S. Department of Energy to reinstate and fully fund radiological and water quality monitoring along the Savannah River corridor.
Calls for expanding monitoring and reporting to cover the stretch between the Savannah River Site and Plant Vogtle.
Requests transparent public reporting of monitoring results and coordination with state agencies and academic institutions such as the University of Georgia.
Asks for meaningful engagement with affected communities in Burke and Richmond counties.
Directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press.

Who it affects

Residents of Burke and Richmond counties near the Savannah River Site, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, and the U.S. Department of Energy, which owns and operates the Savannah River Site.

Why it matters

If the Department of Energy responds, residents near the Savannah River Site could see renewed independent testing of water, soil, and food for radioactive and chemical contamination, along with public reporting, at a time of renewed federal activity including proposed plutonium pit production at the site.

Key provisions

Recites the history of DOE-supported monitoring in Georgia that ended in 2004 and the 2017-2019 REMOP project run by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory.
Notes renewed federal activity at the Savannah River Site, including proposed plutonium pit production, and ongoing water quality concerns in Burke and Richmond counties.
Resolves that the Senate urges DOE to reinstate, fully fund, and expand monitoring and reporting along the river corridor between the Savannah River Site and Plant Vogtle.
Specifies the monitoring should include public reporting, coordination with state agencies and academic institutions, and community engagement.
Directs the Secretary of the Senate to make copies available to the public and press.

Status timeline

2026-03-19Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2026-03-18Senate Hopper (Senate)

Topics

Savannah River
environmental monitoring
nuclear site cleanup
water quality
Burke County