An amendment consisting of several amendments offered en bloc that would replace the provisions of the bill relating to the renewal of authority of the Department of Energy to enter into contracts for the interim storage of high-level radioactive waste. The amendment exempts the DOE from having to obtain state or local permits to carry out geological and other scientific studies at the proposed nuclear waste disposal site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The amendment would not restrict the state's right to file lawsuits in federal court for the purpose of enforcing environmental standards and would not effect the state's legal prerogatives regarding future work that will take place at the site if it is formally selected as the permanent disposal site.