[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 160 (Thursday, October 2, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10488-S10489]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. HATCH (for himself and Mr. Reid):
  S. 3680. A bill to amend the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to provide for 
thorium fuel cycle nuclear power generation; to the Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, today I rise to introduce the Thorium 
Energy Independence and Security Act of 2008, together with my dear 
friend and colleague Senator Harry Reid. This is a simple bill that 
would establish offices at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the 
Department of Energy to regulate domestic thorium nuclear power 
generation and oversee possible demonstrations of thorium nuclear fuel 
assemblies.
  I am very much in favor of our Nation's nuclear power industry. It is 
an industry that has successfully relied on mixed oxide uranium fuel 
for decades, and I foresee a long future for nuclear power. I am 
particularly excited about the potential of thorium nuclear power as a 
new source of nuclear power in the future.
  Thorium nuclear power has a number of potential benefits over 
conventional uranium. For one, it is much more abundant in the world 
and in the United States than uranium. Also, a thorium fuel rod would 
remain the reactor about three times as long as conventional nuclear 
fuel, thereby cutting the volume of spent nuclear fuel coming out of 
reactors by as much as two-thirds. Thorium nuclear fuel could also 
significantly reduce the possibility that weapons grade material would 
result from the process. Finally, a thorium fuel cycle can be used as a 
very effective and efficient means for disposing of existing plutonium 
stockpiles.
  Our Nation has focused mostly on mixed oxide nuclear fuel cycles, and 
our regulatory structure reflects that. With the growing interest in 
thorium nuclear power in the world and in the United States, it is time 
we made sure our government has a regulatory infrastructure in place to 
accommodate this new generation of nuclear power.
  Clearly, we are introducing this legislation late in the 110th 
Congress. We hope to raise awareness of the bill and generate feedback 
from interested parties. A number of governments throughout the world 
are aggressively seeking to establish thorium nuclear power as an 
element of their power supply. These governments want the benefits of 
nuclear power, without the difficulties associated with large volumes 
of waste, much of which can be turned to weapons grade material. Our 
aim with this legislation is to ensure that the United States does not 
fall behind the movement. I hope my colleagues will take a look at the 
potential for thorium power.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. REID:
  S. 3681. A bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 5070 Vegas Valley Drive in Las Vegas, Nevada, as the 
``Joseph A. Ryan Post Office Building''; to the Committee on Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and honor Joseph 
A. Ryan, a former Postmaster from Las Vegas, NV. I urge my colleagues 
to support this legislation, which will designate the U.S. Post Office 
at 5070 Vegas Valley Drive in Las Vegas, NV, in his name.
  Joseph ``Joe'' Ryan was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on May 19, 1927. 
He attended the College of St. Thomas and the University of Minnesota, 
and went on to do post-graduate work at UCLA, Duke University, and the 
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. During World War II, 
Mr. Ryan honorably served our country in the United States Coast Guard, 
and he later went on to work for Northwest Airlines before joining the 
United States Postal Service. Prior to serving as the Postmaster for 
Las Vegas, Mr. Ryan worked as the Postal Service's General Manager of 
Customer Programs for the Western Region.
  Mr. Ryan was appointed Postmaster of Las Vegas in May of 1983 and 
retired in October of 1992. As Postmaster, Mr. Ryan was responsible for 
overseeing the many post offices in the Las Vegas valley. The 1980s and 
early 1990s was a time of tremendous growth in southern Nevada, and 
under his leadership, eight new post offices opened throughout the 
community, including the stunning main facility on Sunset Road. During 
his tenure, Joe was known for his exceptional dedication to customer 
service and was greatly admired by the

[[Page S10489]]

local Postal Service employees. His work as Las Vegas Postmaster was 
recognized in 1988 by the Direct Marketing Association, which awarded 
him the National Postmaster of the Year Award. In 1991, I was happy to 
join my friend and colleague Senator Richard Bryan in honoring 
Postmaster Ryan with the U.S. Senate Productivity Award.
  Beyond his work with the Postal Service, Mr. Ryan has been an active 
member of the Las Vegas community and has given his time and efforts to 
improve this fast-growing city. He worked with the Nevada Development 
Authority, served on the board of the United Way of Southern Nevada, 
and was a member of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce Leadership Group.
  Joe and his wife Pamelia have been married for over 50 years and have 
four children and three grandchildren. Mr. and Mrs. Ryan are especially 
proud that all four of their children are college graduates. Joe Ryan 
has served the Postal Service admirably and has contributed greatly to 
our community, so it is fitting that the Congress recognize his hard 
work by naming a post office in his honor.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no ojbection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 3681

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. JOSEPH A. RYAN POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 5070 Vegas Valley Drive in Las Vegas, 
     Nevada, shall be known and designated as the ``Joseph A. Ryan 
     Post Office Building''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the ``Joseph A. Ryan Post Office Building''.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Ms. SNOWE (for herself, Ms. Cantwell, and Mr. Stevens):
  S. 3682. A bill to provide incentives to small business concerns for 
innovative energy-efficient technologies and products, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise in support of the Small Business 
Energy Innovation Act, which I am introducing today to inspire 
Americans to invest in the technologies that will ultimately solve our 
energy crisis. As our country confronts the challenges of an economic 
crisis it is essential that the financial resources for our nation's 
energy entrepreneurs are sustained. This legislation will provide 
technical assistance and make financial resources available to ensure 
that energy innovators have greater access to capital to develop 
meritorious energy ideas.
  One of the truly concerning aspects of the current financial 
situation is that loans to small businesses are becoming more difficult 
to obtain. One industry in particular, our clean energy sector, is 
working harder to find startup funds in order to help meet the 
challenges of greenhouse gas emissions, energy costs to consumers, and 
our reliance on foreign oil. At a recent speech in Atlanta, author Tom 
Friedman urged America to retake the lead in the world through 
innovation in ``ET''--Energy Technology. Friedman said the United 
States needs to ``invent a source of abundant, cheap, clean, reliable 
electrons.'' He compared the ``ET'' movement to the ``IT'', Information 
Technology, movement of the last decade. The author called on 
Washington to create the environment and the incentives to allow the ET 
movement to prosper.
  As Ranking Member of the Small Business Committee, I have heard 
countless stories of small business success and how the Small Business 
Administration can facilitate the transition of a small business to a 
major company. Nowhere is this role more critical than in our renewable 
energy sector. Businesses and families are struggling with the 
inordinate costs of diesel, gasoline, electricity and home heating oil. 
Yet, we know that our country can do better. We must develop 
technologies that allow Americans to utilize clean energy from 
America's resources. Accordingly, my legislation would create a 
Director of Energy Innovation in the Small Business Administration who 
is entrusted with coordinating energy innovation at the SBA and 
``promoting energy independence.''
  In addition, the legislation provides grants of up to $200,000 for 
nonprofits to assist small businesses that are developing renewable 
energy systems, advanced energy efficiency systems, advanced 
transportation fuels, carbon capture and sequestration practices, 
advanced electrical generation, efficient end-use energy technologies, 
production facilities for fuel efficient vehicles, and pollution 
control equipment. These critical initiatives require expertise that 
is, in many cases, difficult for a small business to find. This 
provision will assist small businesses in bringing products to market.
  The Small Business Energy Innovation Act creates in the Department of 
Energy a grant program of up to $250,000 for small businesses that are 
working to improve our energy security. When you consider the potential 
dividends of this investment, this critical seed money for energy 
innovators who are leading our energy revolution is a prudent 
investment. The potential rewards to our economy, our environment, and 
our national security are well worth this modest government 
expenditure.
  Finally, this legislation develops a small business guaranteed loan 
program that is modeled after the loan guarantee program that was 
authorized in the 2005 Energy Bill. The current loan guarantee program 
is fostering the development of commercial scale innovative 
technologies for large companies, while this legislation will develop a 
corresponding small business loan program. Loan guarantees will enable 
the Department of Energy to share some of the financial risks of 
projects that employ new or significantly improved energy technologies 
that will move our country towards energy self-sufficiency.
  I hope that this legislation, coupled with the America Competes Act, 
which I cosponsored last year, will bring about the research and 
entrepreneurship that our country requires to claim the lead in 
producing energy efficient products. I look forward to working with 
Chairman Bingaman of the Energy Committee and Chairman Kerry of the 
Small Business Committee and my other colleagues to pass this 
legislation and create a strong commitment to the energy innovators who 
possess the ideas that will facilitate the end to our reliance on 
foreign oil.

                          ____________________