[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5955]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ADVANCED TEST REACTOR 
                    AT THE IDAHO NATIONAL LABORATORY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL K. SIMPSON

                                of idaho

                  in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 25, 2017

  Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call your attention to an 
extraordinary facility located on the Department of Energy's 890-
square-mile site in Idaho, and the many people who have been employed 
there over the last 50 years.
  Idaho National Laboratory is this nation's lead nuclear research, 
development and deployment laboratory. It also has emerged as a world 
leader in cybersecurity, keeping our critical infrastructure safe from 
those who would do us harm, and broader clean energy research and 
development.
  One of INL's crown jewels is the Advanced Test Reactor. This summer, 
we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of ATR, and recognizing that 
experiments conducted there have helped ensure our national security 
and advance knowledge about clean nuclear energy.
  Just as importantly, we also recognize that, with regular maintenance 
and upgrades, ATR will continue to be this nation's test reactor of 
choice at least through 2050.
  What makes ATR so unique--and valuable--is its ingenious cloverleaf 
design, envisioned by an engineer named Deslonde deBoisblanc on a 
lonely stretch of Highway 20 in the Idaho desert more than a half 
century ago.
  deBoisblanc's design resulted in a one-of-a-kind reactor that can 
house simultaneous experiments under distinct temperatures, pressures 
and irradiation conditions. That means, at the ATR complex, we can test 
materials for academia, industry and the U.S. Navy--all at the same 
time. The knowledge that our talented scientists, engineers and 
technicians pull out of this reactor is incredibly valuable.
  For example, when the Navy began sending fuel samples from its 
nuclear submarines to the INL site, that science was in its infancy. 
Eventually, nuclear fuel became more complex. The Navy needed to test 
larger fuel elements, not just samples, and with the Cold War 
accelerating, it needed those test results more quickly.
  So, ATR was built, started up in 1967, and two years later brought to 
full power of 250 Megawatts. The impact on America's Nuclear Navy has 
been remarkable. Early submarines had to be pulled out of duty every 
two years or so for expensive and time-consuming refueling. Because of 
what we have learned from experiments at ATR, the reactor cores for the 
Navy's newest submarines last for their entire lifetimes, more than 30 
years.
  Idaho National Laboratory's Advanced Test Reactor has saved taxpayers 
millions of dollars and made our country safer and more secure. That's 
a testament not only to the facility--and deBoisblanc's unique design--
but also to generations of world-class scientists, engineers, 
technicians and mechanics who have kept the reactor functioning at the 
highest possible level these five decades.
  ATR has also played a central role in helping sustain this nation's 
current light-water nuclear reactor fleet, which produces 19 percent of 
America's electricity and 63 percent of its carbon-free electricity.
  In 2007, ATR became a National Scientific User Facility. That allows 
our colleges and universities to run experiments at ATR, with the 
Department of Energy footing the bill. As a result, we have expanded 
knowledge about clean nuclear energy throughout the nation and built a 
foundation for the next generation of reactors, including small modular 
reactors, such as one that could begin producing power in the Idaho 
desert as soon as 2024.
  It is a great honor to congratulate INL on ATR's 50th anniversary, 
acknowledge its dedicated, talented and determined workforce, from past 
and present, and look ahead to many more years of valuable service to 
our nation.

                          ____________________