[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 29 (Wednesday, March 3, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S1019]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HATCH (for himself and Mr. Reid):
  S. 3060. 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 Security Act of 2010 with my good friend and colleague Senator 
Harry Reid as an original cosponsor. Our legislation would establish a 
regulatory framework and a development program to facilitate the 
introduction of thorium-based nuclear fuel in existing and future 
nuclear power plants in the U.S.
  The U.S. is dependent on foreign sources for about 90 percent of its 
uranium fuel needs. However, the most recent U.S. Geological Survey 
Thorium Mineral Commodity Survey confirms that the U.S. has the largest 
thorium deposits in the world.
  I have been a longtime supporter of our Nation's nuclear power 
industry, and I expect to see a long future for nuclear power in this 
nation. I believe that future is enhanced with the possibility of 
thorium nuclear power as new source of nuclear power in the future.
  Thorium-based nuclear fuel will remain in 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.
  For these reasons, 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 U.S. does not fall behind the 
movement. I hope my colleagues will take a look at the potential for 
thorium-based nuclear power.
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