[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 49 (Tuesday, March 24, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S1778]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL NUCLEAR SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a copy of
my remarks at the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and
Water Development be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
National Nuclear Security Administration
We're here today to review the president's fiscal year 2016
budget request for the National Nuclear Security
Administration, which is a semi-autonomous agency within the
Department of Energy that is responsible for managing our
nuclear weapons stockpile, reducing global dangers posed by
weapons of mass destruction, and providing the Navy with safe
and effective nuclear propulsion.
This is the subcommittee's third hearing this year on the
president's budget request, and I look forward to hearing our
witnesses' testimony.
The NNSA, has an important national security mission, but
faces many challenges. That's why we need to do what we were
sent here to do--to govern.
Governing is about setting priorities, and we are going to
have to make some hard decisions this year to make sure the
highest priorities are funded.
The president's 2016 budget request for defense spending is
about $38 billion higher than what is allowed under the
spending caps in the Budget Control Act.
In fact, if spending this year is consistent with the
Budget Control Act, fully funding NNSA's budget request alone
would require almost the entire increase in defense spending
for all defense programs--including the Department of
Defense.
We will work with Senator Cochran and Senator Mikulski to
increase the subcommittee's defense spending allocation, but
we're going to need your help to understand the NNSA's most
urgent priorities, and that is why we are holding this
hearing.
I'd like to focus my questions on three main areas, all
with an eye toward setting priorities:
Keeping large construction projects on time and on budget;
Senator Feinstein and I have worked pretty hard on that.
Effectively maintaining our nuclear weapons stockpile; and
Supporting our nuclear Navy.
The NNSA is responsible for three of the largest
construction projects in the federal government: the Uranium
Processing Facility in Tennessee; the MOX Fuel Fabrication
Facility in South Carolina; and the Plutonium Facility in New
Mexico.
Combined, these projects could cost as much as $20 billion
dollars to build, and over the past four years, Senator
Feinstein and I have worked hard with the NNSA to keep costs
from skyrocketing and to make sure hard-earned taxpayer
dollars are spent wisely. We need to make sure these projects
are on time and on budget.
Senator Feinstein and I have focused much of our oversight
on the Uranium Processing Facility, because costs had
increased every time we would get a status update.
Three years ago, we began holding regular meetings with the
NNSA administrator and his team.
We said we wanted 90 percent design completed before we
began construction and urged the NNSA to take aggressive
steps to get costs under control.
The administrator asked Thom Mason, the laboratory director
for Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee to head a Red
Team to review the project. The result of that review may be
a model for how to keep these kinds of projects on time and
on budget.
The Red Team's report included 17 recommendations, nearly
all of which the NNSA has now adopted, to keep the uranium
facility within a $6.5 billion budget with completion by
2025.
Based on these recommendations, the Uranium Facility will
now consist of at least two buildings--one with high security
and one with less security--with construction of these
buildings to begin once their design is at 90 percent.
As I understand it, NNSA recently completed a portion of
the site preparation for this project under budget by $10
million. That's a good start, but there's a lot more work to
be done.
I'm going to ask you more today about the uranium facility,
particularly about your schedule for completing the design
and when you anticipate construction can begin.
I also want to ask you about how you are applying the
lessons we learned from the Red Team Review Team and to the
other big construction projects, and look forward to any
updates you can provide.
General Klotz, I know you plan to go to Tennessee tomorrow
to see the progress on this project. I appreciate your hands-
on approach to making sure this important project is
delivered on time and on budget.
Another large portion of the budget request is the work
NNSA is doing to maintain our nuclear weapons stockpile, and
I want to make sure we are spending taxpayer dollars
effectively.
The budget request includes $1.3 billion to continue the
four ongoing life extension programs, which fix or replace
components in weapons systems to make sure they're safe and
reliable.
These life extension programs are needed but they are very
expensive, and I will ask you today whether you will be able
to meet your production deadlines on time and on budget.
Naval Reactors is responsible for all aspects of the
nuclear reactors that power submarines and aircraft carriers.
Naval Reactors is currently designing a new reactor core that
will not need to be refueled during the life of the ship.
This work will save taxpayers billions of dollars because
we won't have to build two extra submarines to make up for
those that are not in service when they are being refueled.
The small nuclear reactors that Naval Reactors designs have
had an impeccable safety record for more than 60 years; there
has never been a reactor accident.
I also want to hear more about your plans for storing the
Navy's used nuclear fuel.
We talked a lot in our hearing last week with the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission about Yucca Mountain and storing used
nuclear fuel from commercial reactors, and I'd like to hear
from you how this issue impacts your operations.
With that, I would recognize Senator Feinstein to make her
opening statement.
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