[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 75 (Thursday, May 5, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S2353]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Nomination of Kathryn Huff

  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to support the 
nomination that we are soon to vote on, and that is the nomination of 
Dr. Kathryn Huff. She was nominated to serve as the Assistant Secretary 
for Nuclear Energy at the Department of Energy.
  Now, while I don't agree with her on many issues, she is a strong 
supporter of nuclear energy. She is well qualified for the position to 
which she has been nominated. She holds a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering 
and currently serves as a special adviser to the Energy Secretary.
  Before joining the Department, Dr. Huff was an assistant professor in 
the Department of Nuclear, Plasma & Radiological Engineering at the 
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has also worked in our 
National Laboratories.
  At her nomination hearing in early March, Dr. Huff testified:

       It would be my honor to help the United States bolster and 
     reclaim its global leadership in nuclear energy.

  Now, more than ever, it is critical that the Department work 
diligently to make America energy-dominant again. Nuclear technology is 
essential to meeting America's energy, environmental, and national 
security objectives. We need to be looking for opportunities to expand 
our use of nuclear energy. Dr. Huff is ready and able to take on that 
responsibility.
  Russia's army is funded by the sale of energy. That includes uranium. 
Russia accounts for one-third of the world's uranium conversion and 
half of the world's uranium enrichment capacity. It is our third 
largest supplier of uranium--for us in the United States.
  Russia's brutal attack on Ukraine has opened the world's eyes. We 
can't be reliant on Russia. Now is the time for the United States to 
stop buying Russian uranium. Now is the time for the United States to 
ramp up our domestic uranium production. Dr. Huff recognizes that 
opportunity, and she is prepared to act.
  The Department of Energy needs to take immediate action to establish 
a strategic uranium reserve. This is to ensure our existing reactors 
have the fuel that they need.
  We also can't allow America's advanced reactor developers to be 
dependent on Russia. The Department of Energy needs to take immediate 
action to develop an American supply of high-assay, low-enriched 
uranium. To meet these challenges, we need experienced leadership in 
place at the Office of Nuclear Energy. Dr. Huff is up to that task. So 
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting her nomination.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. MANCHIN. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for up 
to 3 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.