[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 65 (Friday, May 1, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E641-E642]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                                  2016

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                      HON. RODNEY P. FRELINGHUYSEN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 29, 2015

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under

[[Page E642]]

     consideration the bill (H.R. 2028) making appropriations for 
     energy and water development and related agencies for the 
     fiscal year ending September 30, 2016, and for other 
     purposes:

  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chair, I rise to congratulate Chairman Mike 
Simpson and Ranking Member Marcy Kaptur for their leadership in 
preparing the FY 2016 Energy and Water Appropriations bill. Both of you 
deserve thanks for your hard work putting together a bill that supports 
programs critical to our nation's security, safety, and economic 
competitiveness. Your bill prioritizes investments in our critical 
nuclear security enterprise, and creates more opportunities to advance 
American competitiveness, and assumes the key role of the Army Corps of 
Engineers in resolving so many issues important to every state and 
Congressional District in the nation: navigation and flooding 
emergencies.
  To my mind, the defense programs included in your bill are its single 
most critical responsibility. The bill funds Weapons Activities at the 
National Nuclear Security Administration to ensure that the Secretary 
of Energy has the investments he needs to certify to the President that 
our nuclear stockpile is reliable. It is essential that we provide the 
safety, security and reliability of the nation's nuclear weapons 
stockpile. These weapons are a vital part of our national defense 
postures and they are essential to meeting our commitments to our 
allies, even if they are never used. They are a deterrent.
  The bill also funds Naval Reactors, which supports our U.S. Navy's 
nuclear-powered Fleet including the Ohio class replacement submarine 
and our aircraft carriers and other submarines.
  The Appropriations committee has always provided vigorous support for 
these national defense priorities and I thank Chairman Simpson for his 
work in this area.
  Additionally, scientific research at the Department of Energy 
strengthens American competitiveness and enables true breakthroughs in 
the energy sector, and the bill preserves and protects it, especially 
in fusion energy, nuclear and fossil energy, and areas that will 
bolster our nation's electric grid. The bill also protects public 
safety and keeps America literally open for business by providing for 
the Army Corps of Engineers to meet the need for navigable rivers and 
open and accessible ports.
  Finally, a word about Yucca Mountain. Many Members of Congress have 
been advocates for Yucca Mountain as we consider it essential to our 
nation's energy independence. Decades of analysis, millions of 
documents, and billions of taxpayer dollars have been put towards the 
scientific examination of Yucca Mountain as a safe and secure geologic 
repository for nuclear waste. Your bill includes funding to keep the 
license processing for Yucca Mountain moving forward and it also 
prohibits the Administration from moving ahead with any other plan not 
authorized by Congress. This will ensure that we keep Congress in the 
driver's seat for nuclear waste policy.
  Mr. Chair, former chairman of this subcommittee, I know the challenge 
that you and Ms. Kaptur faced crafting this bill. I commend you on the 
fine bill that you put together. This is a fiscally conservative bill, 
which funds critical national security, jobs, and infrastructure 
priorities. This bill deserves our support.

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