[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 61 (Tuesday, April 9, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2323-S2324]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL NUCLEAR SECURITY ADMINISTRATION FISCAL YEAR 2020 BUDGET
REQUEST
Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a copy of
my opening statement at the Subcommittee on Energy and Water
Development's budget hearing for the National Nuclear Security
Administration's fiscal year 2020 budget request 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 Fiscal Year 2020 Budget
Request
Mr. ALEXANDER. The Subcommittee on Energy and Water
Development will please come to order.
Today's hearing will review the administration's fiscal
year 2020 budget request for the National Nuclear Security
Administration.
This is the second of the Subcommittee's four budget
hearings this year.
We heard from Secretary Perry last week, and we'll have two
more hearings in the coming weeks to review the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission and the Army Corps of Engineers and the
Bureau of Reclamation budget requests.
Senator Feinstein and I will each have an opening
statement.
I will then recognize each Senator for up to five minutes
for an opening statement, alternating between the majority
and minority, in the order in which they arrived.
We will then turn to Administrator Lisa Gordon-Hagerty to
present testimony on behalf of the National Nuclear Security
Administration and then give Admiral Frank Caldwell an
opportunity to give a brief statement.
At the conclusion of the witnesses' testimony, I will then
recognize Senators for five minutes of questions each,
alternating between the majority and minority in the order in
which they arrived.
First, I would like to thank our witnesses for being here
today, and also Senator Feinstein, with whom I have the
pleasure to work with again this year to draft the Energy and
Water Appropriations bill.
Our witnesses today include: Ms. Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, the
Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration
(NNSA); Dr. Charles Verdon, Deputy Administrator for Defense
Programs; Dr. Brent Park, Deputy Administrator for Defense
Nuclear Nonproliferation (Dr. Park is a former Associate
Laboratory Director from Oak Ridge National Laboratory); and
Admiral Frank Caldwell, Deputy Administrator for Naval
Reactors.
Our subcommittee has a good record of being the first of
the appropriations bills to be considered by the Committee
and by the Senate each year. For each of the past four years,
Senator Feinstein and I have been able to have our bill
signed into law.
Last year, we worked together in a bipartisan way on the
fiscal year 2019 Energy and Water Development Appropriations
bill that was signed into law before the start of the fiscal
year--the first time that happened since 2000.
In last year's appropriations bill we provided $15.2
billion for the National Nuclear Security Administration,
including $1.9 billion for the six life extension programs,
which fix or replace components in weapons systems to make
sure they're safe and reliable.
We also funded the Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12
National Security Complex at $703 million, which will
continue to keep this project on time and on budget, with a
completion year of 2025 at a cost no greater than $6.5
billion.
I look forward to working with Senator Feinstein on another
strong bill this year.
We're here today to review the administration's fiscal year
2020 budget request for the National Nuclear Security
Administration (NNSA), the semi-autonomous agency within the
Department of Energy that is responsible for a vital
mission--maintaining our nuclear weapons stockpile, reducing
the global dangers posed by weapons of mass destruction, and
providing the Navy with safe and effective nuclear power.
The president's fiscal year 2020 budget request for the
NNSA is $16.5 billion, an increase of $1.3 billion (or 8
percent) over last year (the fiscal year 2019 enacted level).
Today, I'd like to focus my remarks and questions on three
main areas:
1. Effectively maintaining our nuclear weapons stockpile;
2. Keeping critical projects on time and on budget; and
3. Supporting our nuclear Navy.
When the Senate agreed to ratify the New Start Treaty in
December 2010, we also agreed to support funding to modernize
and maintain our nuclear weapons stockpile, plus the
facilities to do the work. A vital part of NNSA's mission is
completion of the five ongoing life extension programs, which
fix or replace components in weapons systems to make sure
they're safe and reliable. The budget request includes $2.1
billion to continue the life extension programs. I want to
make sure we are spending taxpayer dollars effectively.
Completing all of the work that needs to be done for these
weapons systems will result in a higher workload than the
weapons program has had in any time since the height of the
Cold War, and it will require a large number of highly-
trained experts at the production sites, like Y-12 in Oak
Ridge Tennessee, the weapons laboratories, and the federal
employees that work for NNSA. I'd like to hear more today
about whether NNSA has enough qualified people to do this
work. I would also like to discuss today whether NNSA will be
able to keep the life extension programs on time and on
budget.
The NNSA is responsible for some of the largest
construction projects in the federal government. Senator
Feinstein and I have worked hard to keep costs from
skyrocketing. We want to make sure hard-earned taxpayer
dollars are spent wisely and that these projects are on time
and on budget.
First we focused on our oversight on the Uranium Processing
Facility in Tennessee. We held routine meetings with the
Department's leadership to discuss the project--particularly
how the Department implemented the recommendations of a Red
Team review, completed in 2014, to get the project on track.
After completing more than 90% of the design for the
nuclear facilities, NNSA began construction of the Uranium
Processing Facility last year. I'd like to hear more about
the progress on construction from the witnesses today.
Senator Feinstein and I also worked with the Department on
ways to get excess plutonium out of South Carolina more
quickly and for less cost. Last year, Secretary Perry
canceled the MOX project in favor of the Dilute and Disposal
alternative, which the Department of Energy estimated will
save taxpayers more than $20 billion. I'd like to hear more
today on the progress NNSA is making at removing the
plutonium from South Carolina.
Lastly, the NNSA is restarting our ability to make
plutonium pits for the stockpile. The budget request includes
$712 million for plutonium sustainment, which is 97% more
than the current funding level. This difficult, but important
work, will be done in New Mexico and South Carolina. The NNSA
has
[[Page S2324]]
decided to use existing facilities and expertise in New
Mexico to make some pits, and repurpose the MOX facility in
South Carolina to make the remainder. That's a good plan and
I support it. I want to hear from Administrator Gordon-
Hagerty today how NNSA is applying the lessons we learned
from UPF and MOX to make sure we get the pit production
restart done on time and on budget.
Naval Reactors is responsible for all aspects of nuclear
power for our submarines and aircraft carriers. Naval
Reactors has a lot on their plate right now--they are
designing a new reactor core for the next class of
submarines, refueling a prototype reactor, and building a new
spent fuel processing facility for nuclear waste from defense
activities.
Admiral Caldwell and I had an opportunity talk about the
new spent fuel processing facility earlier this week. It is a
part of the Navy's consolidated interim storage for its used
nuclear fuel.
The Navy's program shows that it can be done safely and
effectively, but that does not replace the need for a
permanent repository at Yucca Mountain. That used nuclear
fuel will still need to go to Yucca Mountain once it is
built. I look forward to Admiral Caldwell's comments today on
the progress he's making on his important work, and
particularly how Naval Reactors stores used nuclear fuel. I'd
also like to hear what is being done to keep the new
Columbia-Class submarine design on track.
The NNSA needs to complete a lot of important work, and
this work is going to require good planning and effective
oversight. I look forward to working with Administrator
Gordon-Hagerty as we begin putting together our Energy and
Water Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2020, and also with
Senator Feinstein, who I will now recognize for her opening
statement.
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