[Senate Hearing 118-348]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 118-348
BUSINESS MEETING
=======================================================================
MEETING
before the
COMMITTEE ON
ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
MAY 31, 2023
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Environment and Public Works
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov
______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
56-011 WASHINGTON : 2025
COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware, Chairman
SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia, Ranking Member
BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, Maryland KEVIN CRAMER, North Dakota
BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont CYNTHIA M. LUMMIS, Wyoming
SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, Rhode Island MARKWAYNE MULLIN, Oklahoma
JEFF MERKLEY, Oregon PETE RICKETTS, Nebraska
EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas
DEBBIE STABENOW, Michigan ROGER WICKER, Mississippi
MARK KELLY, Arizona DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska
ALEX PADILLA, California LINDSEY O. GRAHAM, South Carolina
JOHN FETTERMAN, Pennsylvania
Courtney Taylor, Democratic Staff Director
Adam Tomlinson, Republican Staff Director
C O N T E N T S
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Page
MAY 31, 2023
OPENING STATEMENTS
Carper, Hon. Thomas R., U.S. Senator from the State of Delaware.. 1
Capito, Hon. Shelley Moore, U.S. Senator from the State of
Virginia....................................................... 2
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL
Letter of Support from more than 30 Labor-Environmental NGO's and
business groups for the Accelerating Development of Versitile,
Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act of 2023........ 5
Letter of Support from American Nuclear Insurance (ANI) for the
Accelerating Development of Versitile, Advanced Nuclear for
Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act of 2023............................. 7
LEGISLATION
Senator Carper and Capito's Amendments to S.1111 Legislation in
the nature of a substitute..................................... 11
Senator Carper and Capito's Amendments to S.1111 Legislation..... 94
BUSINESS MEETING
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WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 2023
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Environment and Public Works,
Washington, DC.
The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:47 a.m. in room
406, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Thomas R. Carper
(chairman of the committee) presiding.
Present: Senators Carper, Capito, Cardin, Sanders,
Whitehouse, Merkley, Markey, Stabenow, Kelly, Padilla, Cramer,
Lummis, Boozman, Wicker, Mullin, Ricketts.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. THOMAS R. CARPER,
U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF DELAWARE
Senator Carper. Good morning, everyone. I call this
business meeting to order.
I want to thank everyone for joining us today as we
consider the nomination of Jefferey Baran to serve as
Commissioner of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. We will also
consider Senator Capito's Accelerating Deployment of Versatile
Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy, or the ADVANCE Act. As soon
as a voting quorum is present, we will proceed to a vote on
Jeff Baran, President Biden's nominee to serve another term as
Commissioner of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
I want to pause for a moment to say a special thanks to you
and to everybody who has worked to help shape the ADVANCE Act.
We all know we need to provide, to meet our energy needs in
this Country, we need to do it in a way that does not
exacerbate the challenges that we face with respect to climate.
Nuclear is a great compromise.
I want to thank you very much for your work and members on
both sides, and Sheldon, for your support as we have crafted
this legislation.
Senator Whitehouse. Happy to do it, Chairman.
Senator Carper. Let me say a word or two if I can about
Jeff Baran. Jeff Baran is a dedicated public servant who has
served on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission since 2014.
Throughout his time on the NRC, he has demonstrated his
commitment to ensuring the safety and security of our Nation's
use of nuclear energy and materials.
Commissioner Baran has also advanced America's energy
security and efforts to slow climate change through the
Commission's work to establish the right regulatory framework
for the safe licensing and operation of new carbon-free
technologies. This includes the next generation of nuclear
reactors and fusion energy systems.
In addition, Commissioner Baran understands that his job is
to serve the public, the people of this Country. He has focused
on providing opportunities for engagement and input from all
stakeholders, especially those in disadvantaged and underserved
communities.
Finally, maintaining a full slate of commissioners will
help the NRC continue to carry out its responsibilities
effectively and efficiently. With that in mind, I will vote yes
on Jeff Baran's nomination. I urge my colleagues to do the
same.
With that said, Senator Capito, let me yield to you for
anything you would like to share with us. Again, thank you for
your leadership on this.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO,
U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA
Senator Capito. Thank you, Chairman Carper. I want to begin
by saying the news we got over the week is happy/sad for us, to
know that you are going to be joining Senator Cardin into a
better life, and that is life after the Senate.
[Laughter.]
Senator Capito. I do want to pay tribute to your service,
but I will do that as we move through the year, because you are
not going anywhere.
Senator Carper. Many people have been so kind in the last
week. If I had known folks were going to be that nice, I might
have recessed earlier.
[Laughter.]
Senator Capito. The one thing I will say is we have a lot
in common. We are both native West Virginians, as we both
remark about our love for our State. Also through your entire
service, you have served on this committee. That is the same
with me, although my service is much shorter than yours.
I will move to the issues at hand. Nuclear energy is
critical to strengthening our energy and national security,
providing for energy reliability and achieving our
environmental goals. Our geostrategic rivals are offering long-
term nuclear energy deals to establish energy dependent
relationships around the globe and dominate the nuclear energy
landscape into the 21st century.
America can and should lead in nuclear energy, and that is
why I introduced the ADVANCE Act. The ADVANCE Act is
bipartisan, with 16 cosponsors. The Chairman is on the bill,
Senator Lummis, Senator Whitehouse, Senator Ricketts, Senator
Cardin, Senator Graham and Senator Kelly, all members of this
committee. It will assert America's global leadership in
nuclear energy.
The legislation will assist States like my home State of
West Virginia to repurpose brownfields sites by deploying
advanced nuclear reactors at previously developed facilities
like decommissioned conventional power plants. The bill
incentivizes nuclear innovators to rapidly develop new
technologies.
The bill requires the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to
identify and resolve key regulatory issues like advanced
manufacturing and construction techniques, advanced nuclear
fuel licensing and non-electric uses of nuclear to enable
greater use of technologies. It extends a key Federal policy to
provide backstop insurance coverage to help deploy more nuclear
energy. The bill reduces excess regulatory costs and cumbersome
red tape.
The Carper-Capito manager's amendment makes targeted
improvements to the introduced bill based on the bipartisan
feedback that we got from our colleagues. The amendment
supports early licensing work to enable the deployment of
advanced nuclear reactors at critical national security
infrastructure sites. The amendment adds clarity to the NRC's
new authority to hire and retain expert staff, to ensure
licensing reviews are successfully completed.
In short, the bipartisan ADVANCE Act will jumpstart the
deployment of new, safe, and reliable nuclear technologies. As
The ADVANCE Act moves forward, I hope we will continue to work
together to incorporate additional bipartisan policies that
arise to enable efficient, safe licensing reviews.
The NRC is tasked with licensing and regulating nuclear
material to ensure reasonable assurance of adequate protection
of public health and safety, to promote the common defense and
security, protect the environment, and improve the general
welfare. Advancement of the NRC's important mission is why I so
strongly support the aptly named ADVANCE Act, but why I oppose
the other business item we are considering today, which is the
renomination of Jeff Baran to serve as a commissioner.
We stand at a pivotal moment, ready to accelerate the
liftoff of new advanced reactors and renew American leadership
in nuclear. Unfortunately, Commissioner Baran is not the right
fit for this moment. NRC commissioners establish the standards
and safety regulations to enable America's nuclear companies to
fulfill our Nation's established nuclear energy policy goals.
Since Commissioner Baran joined the Commission in 2014, he
has pursued policies supporting his regulatory philosophy. That
philosophy has frustrated, I believe, the mission of the NRC.
He has called for unjustifiably increasing regulatory burdens
and reducing regulatory predictability. His record supports
ratcheting up regulations and associated compliance costs to
really no useful end.
During his renomination hearing, he tried to distance
himself from that record, espousing priorities that are 180
degrees removed from how he actually voted during his two terms
as a commissioner.
I am considering his renomination based on his record and
continued service of Commissioner Baran on the Commission, in
my view, would impede America's advancement toward a future of
nuclear energy leadership to the benefit of Russia's and
China's geostrategic plans, and would limit access to clean
baseload generation at home and abroad.
For these reasons, I cannot support and urge my colleagues
to oppose Commissioner Baran's nomination. I thank the Chairman
for scheduling this business meeting.
Senator Carper. You bet. Happy to do it.
Senator Capito. I would like unanimous consent to enter
letters of support from more than 30 labor-environmental NGO's
and business groups and a letter of support from American
Nuclear Insurance.
Senator Carper. Without objection, so ordered.
[The referenced information follows:]
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Senator Carper. We are awaiting the arrival of Senator
Fetterman. We will vote right away on the nomination of the NRC
Commissioner.
I want to take just a minute until Senator Fetterman
arrives here just to mention a couple of other things on the
ADVANCE Act. As our Nation's largest source of reliable,
carbon-free electricity, nuclear energy is critical to meeting
our climate goals and maintaining our energy security.
This bipartisan legislation will help the United States
remain a clean energy leader by providing the certainty needed
to safely deploy the next generation of nuclear reactors and
fuels. The bill will also aid tribal communities and
communities facing economic challenges associated with retired
nuclear plants and stranded waste.
Additionally, the ADVANCE Act will help ensure that the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission has the tools and work force to
keep our current reactors safe and to efficiently review new
nuclear technologies.
Preserving and expanding our Nation's use of clean and
reliable nuclear energy is also essential for our economic and
for our national security interests. This bill will help
strengthen the U.S. nuclear supply chain infrastructure and
will support the export of American nuclear technologies,
benefiting the domestic industrial base and filling a vacuum
that would likely otherwise be filled by China and Russia.
I thank Senator Capito and Senator Whitehouse again for
their leadership and collaboration on this legislation. I want
to thank everybody on this committee who has participated in
crafting this bipartisan legislation. I urge our colleagues to
join us in voting yes on this bill.
We are still awaiting the arrival of Senator Fetterman.
Senator Whitehouse, please.
Senator Whitehouse. Let me just say some quick thanks to
you, and to Ranking Member Capito. I think this is the fourth
nuclear reform bill that I have worked on in a bipartisan
fashion. I want to recognize Senator Barrasso and Senator
Crapo, who have done good work in this space as well. Senator
Capito has really been a terrific partner and I want to thank
her for this.
Chairman, your work has been really exemplary, not only
supporting us in the design of the bill but also putting
together the manager's amendment that will enhance smooth
passage forward of the measure. Much appreciation to the both
of you. Let's hope for a good day on the committee.
Senator Carper. All right. Senator Sanders?
Senator Sanders. Senator Carper, any way that we could
start the vote?
Senator Carper. Yes, we are going to start the vote on the
ADVANCE Act, I think. Okay. I now call up S. 1111, the ADVANCE
Act. In early April, I joined Senator Capito and Senator
Whitehouse in co-leading the introduction of the bipartisan
ADVANCE Act.
Over the following weeks, Senator Capito and I worked to
refine that legislation, with the help of a lot of you. Those
refinements are embodied in an amendment in the nature of a
substitute, which I circulated yesterday morning. This
amendment represents non-controversial changes from the
legislation as introduced. By unanimous consent, the Carper-
Capito amendment in the nature of a substitute is considered to
be the base text for the purpose of today's markup.
Is there any objection? Hearing none, so ordered.
[The text of the amendment follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Senator Carper. Does any Senator wish to offer an amendment
to this legislation?
Senator Lummis. Mr. Chairman?
Senator Carper. Yes, please.
Senator Lummis. I would like to call up Lummis Amendment
No. 1. This amendment is simple. It clarifies that two Federal
agencies should not be doing the exact same environmental
analysis on a project. This is a classic example of government
waste and duplicity.
In my home State of Wyoming, we are having this TerraPower
project that is planned to build a new advanced reactor called
Natrium at a retired coal-fired power plant in Kemmerer,
Wyoming. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is already licensing
this site and doing the NEPA analysis.
Unfortunately, a totally new office at the Department of
Energy, the Office of Clean Energy Development, established
under the recent Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, stepped in and
asserted that they needed to do their own environmental
analysis of the project, rather than deferring to the NRC. This
is duplicative. It is wasteful, and an unnecessary delay of a
project that I believe both sides support.
I will not be requesting a vote on this amendment, but I do
hope to highlight exactly why permitting reform is necessary. I
am proud to support the underlying bill as a cosponsor. I
appreciate Ranking Member Capito and her staff as well as you,
Mr. Chairman, for your work on this legislation.
I withdraw my amendment.
Senator Carper. Thank you so much.
Other amendments, please? Hearing none, the Clerk will call
the roll on the ADVANCE Act, please.
The Clerk. Mr. Boozman?
Senator Boozman. Yes.
The Clerk. Ms. Capito?
Senator Capito. Yes.
The Clerk. Mr. Cardin?
Senator Cardin. Aye.
The Clerk. Mr. Cramer?
Senator Cramer. Aye.
The Clerk. Mr. Fetterman?
Senator Carper. Aye by proxy.
The Clerk. Mr. Graham?
Senator Capito. Aye by proxy.
The Clerk. Mr. Kelly?
Senator Kelly. Aye.
The Clerk. Ms. Lummis?
Senator Lummis. Aye.
The Clerk. Mr. Markey?
Senator Markey. No.
The Clerk. Mr. Merkley?
Senator Merkley. No.
The Clerk. Mr. Mullin?
Senator Mullin. Yes.
The Clerk. Mr. Padilla?
Senator Padilla. Yes.
The Clerk. Mr. Ricketts?
Senator Ricketts. Aye.
The Clerk. Mr. Sanders?
Senator Carper. No, by proxy.
The Clerk. Ms. Stabenow?
Senator Stabenow. Aye.
The Clerk. Mr. Sullivan?
Senator Capito. Aye by proxy.
The Clerk. Mr. Whitehouse?
Senator Whitehouse. Aye.
The Clerk. Mr. Wicker?
Senator Wicker. Yes.
The Clerk. Mr. Chairman?
Senator Carper. Aye.
The Clerk will report.
The Clerk. Mr. Chairman, the yeas are 16, the nays are 3.
Senator Carper. The legislation has been favorably
reported. I am grateful to everyone who came and stayed. We
still have some work ahead of us on the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission nominee. Maybe we can take care of that off the
floor today. We will see if that can be worked out. That would
be good.
I think we can probably let people go now. For anyone who
wants to stay and make statements for the record, you are more
than welcome. Anybody who wants to stay and share remarks, that
will be fine. Senator Markey, I understand you may have
something you would like to say. You are more than welcome to
do that.
Senator Markey. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, very much. I
understand, Mr. Chairman, that this legislation is important to
many members of the committee. We should not give a boost to
the nuclear industry without commensurately confronting the
longstanding issues of how to deal with nuclear waste and
nuclear decommissioning.
Senator Carper. The hearing will be in order, please.
Senator Markey. If we support new plants with reactors
without addressing the needs of operating reactors and affected
communities, we will be adding radioactive fuel to a fire and
making our existing problems worse.
The ADVANCE Act takes unprecedented steps to have the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission promote nuclear exports, not
simply nuclear safety, which is its core mission, all to prop
up the ailing U.S. nuclear industry at home and abroad. I
remain deeply concerned about this extension of the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission's mission. It is supposed to be a
regulator.
Other agencies are supposed to be promoting American
commerce. That is not the job of the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission. Its job is to promote safety, it is to ensure these
plants are safe.
That is what happened back in 1974, we broke the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission off from the Atomic Energy Commission, so
there would be separate missions, separate goals, separate
responsibilities. Now to turn the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
into an agency that is promoting a technology it is supposed to
be regulating begins to blur this role, especially as we are
talking about exports overseas.
I am also concerned that in Section 103 of this legislation
it could allow the NRC to skirt the critical non-proliferation
safeguards in this bill, and unilaterally approve an export
license for foreign countries to receive nuclear materials.
That could present a significant non-proliferation risk and put
a domestic nuclear safety agency in charge of important
national security decisions.
With all due respect to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
the Commission was never meant to be in the business of
deciding if Saudi Arabia gets nuclear materials. We are
blurring the historic role that this agency plays. This
legislation is not wise. We have to keep these lines strong.
Moreover, I am concerned that Section 104 has an overly
expansive definition of embarking civil nuclear nations. We
need to be much more cautious when exporting such risky and
dangerous technologies. While some of the bill's supporters
argue we need new nuclear technologies to combat the climate
crisis, I have an arched eyebrow as to why this bill focuses
solely on nuclear energy and not on other zero-emissions
technologies, such as wind and solar and geothermal, which is
what our Country should be promoting around the rest of the
world.
It is also shortsighted to me to make such a Herculean
effort to promote new nuclear technologies when we are yet to
solve the longstanding problems resulting from our existing
nuclear fleet. To this day, the Navajo Nation is dealing with a
legacy of uranium contamination, including more than 500
abandoned uranium mines, and homes and water sources polluted
with elevated levels of radiation.
While Section 405 of the ADVANCE Act acknowledges this
ongoing concern, the funding authorized in this legislation
will not address the full legacy of radioactive pollution.
Providing a capped level of authorized funding for communities
dealing with this radioactive legacy contrasts greatly with
Section 202 of the bill, which allows for nuclear companies to
receive an uncapped award for licensing costs.
It is deeply disappointing to me that we are capping costs
for cleanup, but not capping prizes for technologies that will
likely rely on uranium, which caused this pollution in the
first place.
Additionally, while this bill provides some funding to
assist communities impacted by the closure of impending nuclear
power plants, it does not include legislative proposals that
would fully address the concerns of communities struggling to
overcome the social and economic burden of indefinitely hosting
stranded nuclear waste, when there is no long-term storage
solution in sight.
Our communities have become de facto nuclear storage
facilities, endangering them, their families, and the
environment. These communities, including those in
Massachusetts around the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, deserve
more funding, a meaningful say in the decommissioning process,
and a real pathway to consent-based, long-term storage for our
Nation's spent nuclear fuel.
That is why I have supported and introduced legislation in
the past like the Nuclear Waste Task Force Act and the Dry
Storage Act and Senator Sanders' Nuclear Plant Decommissioning
Act.
Chairman Carper, I want to work with you as we move forward
between here the floor. I think that there are many problems
with this legislation. There are real nuclear non-proliferation
issues here. We know that there are countries around the world,
including Saudi Arabia, that have potential instability and we
do not want to wind up in a situation where nuclear power
plants have been sold to North Korea, which then turn into
nuclear bomb factories, or nuclear power plants that have been
sold to Iraq, which then turn into nuclear bomb factories.
Or in the instance of Iran, we were going to sell six
nuclear plants to Iran in the late 1970's, and had already
finished that deal before the Shah of Iran fell. Can you
imagine if they had six nuclear power plants that had already
been constructed with U.S. aid in the 1970's before the Shah
fell? That is what we are talking about here.
I just want to make sure we understand that as we are going
to become nuclear Johnny Appleseeds and encouraging the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission to be promoting this nuclear technology
around the world, with lower safeguards in terms of what the
protections are, then yes, in the short term, the nuclear
industry will reap the financial benefits of it. Inevitably,
inexorably, the world will reap the whirlwind, and the next
ayatollah or equivalent somewhere in the world would then have
access to the nuclear materials that could hold the whole world
hostage.
From my perspective, I just think a lot more thought has to
go into this legislation. Safeguards have to be included. I
just want to have an opportunity to be able to work with you,
Mr. Chairman, and the Ranking Member, to build in those
safeguards.
Senator Carper. Thank you, Senator Markey.
Let me say, while I do not fully agree with your
characterization of the legislation, I hear your concerns. Your
staff has shared those with us as well, and shared those
concerns with Senator Capito's staff. We look forward to
finding, if we can, ways to address our Nation's growing
nuclear spent fuel and ways to ensure that we have an effective
and efficient decommissioning process that helps us safely when
needed to close a nuclear site. I commit to working with you on
those issues.
Senator Merkley.
Senator Merkley. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think my
colleague from Massachusetts has laid out and summarized more
eloquently than I can concerns that I do have. I do want to
emphasize that blurring the distinction between export
promotion and nuclear safety is a huge mistake.
We have nations that very much want nuclear technology, and
my colleagues has mentioned Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia does not
want the gold standard, they do not want international
supervision. We have to remember that there is a Shi'ite force,
major force, in the Islamic world, and there is a Sunni force.
Those two countries, Iran and Saudi Arabia, are in competition
with each other.
Here we are, putting extraordinary restrictions on Iran,
which I have supported, although I would have liked to have
seen the deal that really dismantled their operations
sustained, a massive mistake that increased risks in the world,
for the Trump Administration to exit that agreement.
We seem to feel like there is some massive difference with
Saudi Arabia. We should remember that there is no way Iran is
not going to pursue a weapon if Saudi Arabia is pursuing a
weapon. Saudi Arabia is much more on that track than Iran is,
ironically. They are also developing the missiles to deliver
it.
We should be very careful about taking a safety
organization that has integrity, that has responsibility, that
has clarity on safety and say that they should promote the
export of nuclear technology. There are far more complicated
issues in the world. We should not blur that distinction.
Saudi Arabia is not on the banned list here, and there is
no condition about the gold standard that we have previously
promoted if we were to export, so that we would not end up
essentially putting them on the track that we are saying that
Iran, that we do not want Iran to go down.
I have supported the development of small nuclear reactors,
knowing that we have solved neither the nuclear weapon nor the
dirty bomb problem, simply because I felt like the research on
an ultimate safe reactor was extremely important in a world in
which we are facing climate change. How and when these are
deployed, when they could create risks in international affairs
that include dirty bomb risks and nuclear bomb risks, should
never be confused with the issue of safety done by the nuclear
agency, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
I share a lot of my colleague's concerns.
Senator Carper. I thank you both for your thoughtful
comments. I yield to the author of the legislation, Senator
Capito.
Senator Capito. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I take the
gentleman's concerns into consideration. We had a very
overwhelming vote in committee, 16 to 3. I think that shows the
desire of the members of the committee to move forward on this
technology and to move forward on the development of the
technologies. I mentioned in my statement that we will be
hopefully working this bill further, as hopefully we can get to
the floor, and we will have conversations with your staffs.
I would say the mission of the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission is safety. That is No. 1. Any time they are before
our committee, any time we have talked with them, that is their
No. 1 mission. They espouse it, not just espouse it, practice
it, and verbalize that every single time they are in front of
our committee. I am sure with the ADVANCE Act that would be
front and center as well.
I do think that if we as a country can become the chief
technologist, the chief developer, the chief innovator of these
smaller, modular reactors, we can lead the world. We can put
safeguards in, if that is what the desire of the committee
would be.
I appreciate your concern. I know the waste is a concern. I
do think, and remember where I am from, I am from a State that
generates a lot of natural gas and coal and has for 100 years
at least. Every day I hear how everything needs to be cleaner
and greener. This technology would lead us to that, and provide
us with a baseload energy source and could recommission areas
in my State and other States, thereby helping us with job loss
and other things that are connected with it as we are moving
forward.
Let's just keep working on it together. I appreciate your
staying later and giving us your thoughts. Thank you.
Senator Carper. Senator Markey.
Senator Markey. The problem is this. There is a dual
identity to nuclear energy. In the hands of some, it has this
incredible ability to generate electricity. It has this
unfortunate side product of uranium and plutonium.
In the eyes of others, it has this incredible ability to
give access to plutonium and uranium, but it has a wonderful
side benefit of electricity as well. That is what those
countries, those individuals, will be trying to focus on.
We have to be very careful, because of its dual identity.
We have not solved the nuclear waste problem in our own
country. We do not want uranium and plutonium in other
countries in the world without full scope safeguards. If we are
going to be exporting and we are going to be promoting these
technologies, then we have to promote the gold standard. We
have to promote full scope safeguards.
That is where we need the leadership. We are not going to
be the leader on the technology, but we can be the leader on
the values that we attach to the technology, the standards that
we attach to the technologies, the goals that we have for our
planet and our society for these technologies. That is what is
missing here.
I just want to make sure that as we are going forward that
we have a full discussion about that. We have to be speaking
with a loud, clear voice about what our expectations are, not
just for ourselves but for the rest of the world as they
compete with us. We can not have them continually lowering
their standard, and we are going to lower ours as well in terms
of those safeguards, because then we just become nuclear
merchants out on the road hawking our wares.
Ultimately, at some point, maybe not 5 years from now or 10
or 15 or 20, there will be unfortunately a compromise of this
technology. Then that generation will have to deal with the
fact that we didn't build in the safeguards up front.
I am looking forward to working with you.
Senator Carper. Both Senator Capito and I and our staffs
are looking forward to working with you. I want to thank both
you and Senator Merkley for your thoughtful comments.
In closing, I would say achieving our economy-wide
decarbonization goals requires a diverse set of solutions, as
we know. Nuclear energy has an important role to play in that
regard.
The ADVANCE Act builds on the actions we have taken through
the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction
Act to preserve and expand our Nation's use of nuclear energy.
This bill is, I believe, an exciting step forward. I thank
Senator Capito and her team very much for their leadership and
collaboration on this important piece with Senator Whitehouse,
my staff, and myself. I look forward to working with our Senate
colleagues to pass this legislation, make it better if we can,
and send it to the President's desk.
Finally, I would like to ask unanimous consent to submit
additional materials relating to the morning's votes into the
record, including letters of support for the ADVANCE Act of
2023.
[The referenced material was not submitted in time for
print.]
Senator Carper. I also ask unanimous consent that the staff
has the authority to make the technical and conforming changes
to each of the matters approved today.
Is there objection? Hearing none, with that, this business
meeting is adjourned. Thank you all.
[Whereupon, at 10:20 a.m., the business meeting was
adjourned.]
[all]