Opening Statement As Prepared for U.S. Senator George V. Voinovich (R-OH); Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety Hearing on NRC Oversight
– Edited By April Murelio –
Thank You, Mr Chairman.
Chairman Carper, thank you for holding this hearing. I would like to welcome the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Commissioners and industry panelists, and I look forward to hearing your testimony. I note with pleasure that we have a full complement of Commissioners for the first time in several years.
I want to share with you at the outset that I had made a promise to a friend of mine, the late Commissioner Ed McGaffigan, who I greatly respected for his service and contributions to our country. I had promised him that I would ensure that the NRC Commissioner positions would be filled with high-quality people, people who were dedicated to enabling the safe use of nuclear materials in the United States.
I am pleased to say that I have now been able to honor my promise to Ed McGaffigan. Mr. Chairman, as you know, I have spent the better part of the last 10 years in the Senate involved in shaping nuclear energy policy for this country, mainly as Chairman or Ranking Member on this Clean Air and Nuclear Safety Subcommittee. During that time, this Committee focused a great deal of time and effort on oversight of the NRC. We did this primarily to make sure it was doing its job of ensuring the safety and security of our nation’s nuclear power plants, but also to ensure that the NRC was ready to meet the challenge of enabling a Nuclear Renaissance in this country.
Mr. Chairman, I take great pride in the fact that this Committee has helped the Nuclear Regulatory Commission become one of the best and most respected regulatory agencies in the world. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the world is paying NRC a very high complement, because most of the countries in the world today adopt the NRC’s standards and practices.
On a personal note, I was at the Santa Fe Seminar on Nuclear Energy in November of last year, and the Japanese representatives sought me out to tell me what they thought of NRC. They were very complimentary, calling NRC approval of procedures or design the “Gold Standard” in the nuclear industry.
We have worked very hard as a Committee to place the right people on the Commission, provide the NRC with the right resources and tools necessary to do its job, and hold them accountable for results. I believe we have been very successful in this endeavor, and at the same time we have created the positive environment necessary for a high-performing organization. I think we should take great pride in the fact that NRC continues to be ranked as “The Best Place to Work” among large federal agencies.
Nonetheless, both this Committee and the NRC must remain vigilant. Although the operating performance of today’s plants has continued to improve, both industry and NRC must remain focused on safety, or we will lose public support for nuclear power. For those at this hearing, I want to reinforce that we all understand that nuclear safety is a global issue. A reactor accident anywhere in the world will greatly affect public support for nuclear power here in the U.S. This means that industry and the NRC cannot be inwardly focused on the United States, and instead must monitor developments internationally and coordinate safety information with the appropriate nuclear authorities. Enhancing public support is absolutely essential for a rebirth of the nuclear industry!
And our country does need nuclear power. I like to tell people nuclear is a three-fer: it provides the reliable, base-load electricity our country demands; it will help us reach our goal of reducing carbon emissions, and it will strengthen our manufacturing bases and create good paying jobs. As demonstrated by President Obama’s recent call for increased use of nuclear power in his State of the Union Address, and the DOE’s FY11 budget request for an additional $36 billion for nuclear loan guarantees, I think that momentum is building and the policy environment in the United States is shifting towards the long-awaited growth in nuclear power.
The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) issued its independent assessment report of the new reactor licensing process on April 6, 2010. This was a very positive report. The Center’s assessment was that the NRC and industry have done a remarkable job under trying circumstances during this initial licensing of new nuclear power plants. It speaks very well for making the nuclear renaissance in the U.S. a reality. I’d like to commend Chairman Jaczko and the NRC Commissioners, the NRC staff, and the nuclear industry for their coordinated effort and hard work demonstrated to date. Keep up the good work!
While the BPC report is very encouraging, we must keep the momentum going. I am very concerned that we are allowing our global leadership in nuclear power to erode. I have been informed that we have actually fallen behind in this key U.S. technology – reportedly China is breaking ground on building a new fleet of reactors as we speak.
I am hearing from the CEO’s of companies that they are very interested in new plants, but not just for new large light water reactors similar to today’s plants. They are also very interested in the development of small modular reactors (SMRs) that are more affordable and adaptable to the specific needs of a company. SMRs represent a whole new area where America can regain its leadership role and export our technology, and as such they represent a very unique and important opportunity for us. In particular, the SMRs of light water reactor technology build upon our expertise from small Navy nuclear reactors and represent a near-term, high technology growth industry for the U.S.
I have met with U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, and DOE is very much trying to support the Nuclear Renaissance, including the development of these new SMRs. I believe that many of the pieces of the nuclear puzzle are being put into place, which makes it a very exciting time for those at this hearing.
In summary, I believe that today’s oversight hearing is a very important one. I urge all of us to continue to maintain our focus on the safety of operating reactors, while we thoughtfully address the challenges remaining to enable the development of a technology so vital to America’s future. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I look forward to hearing from our distinguished panelists.