Charting the Course for American Nuclear Technology: Evaluating the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy Research and Development Roadmap
Date: Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Time: 10:00 AM
Location: 2318 Rayburn House Office Building
Opening Statement By Chairman Bart Gordon
Good morning and welcome to today’s hearing to review the Department of Energy’s recently published “Nuclear Energy Research and Development Roadmap.” I look forward to learning from the witnesses how this policy framework will shape federal RD&D programs for nuclear technologies.
I would like to welcome our expert panelists who will discuss and evaluate the four main objectives highlighted in the Roadmap and help us understand how innovation in nuclear energy can affect our national energy portfolio, our economic competitiveness, and our national security.
As I have said before, I am supportive of nuclear power as I believe it is a part of the solution to the challenges of energy independence and climate change. Our 104 commercial reactors today produce 20 percent of our electricity and 70 percent of our emissions free energy and have run with a strong record of safety and operating efficiency.
However, the decision by the Administration to cancel funding for the Yucca Mountain repository has served to highlight a continuing question with nuclear power: how can we best manage the waste? Furthermore, as capital costs continue to rise for construction of new plants, the future of a U.S. domestic industry that in the 1970s seemed so promising, now appears wholly dependent on loan guarantees and subsidies, and is losing pace to foreign powers pursuing advanced nuclear technology.
The Roadmap at issue in today hearing proposes solutions to these and other problems affecting nuclear power. It outlines four R&D objectives. First, establish solutions that can improve reliability and safety of the current fleet of reactors and extend their life expectancy. Second, advance reactor technology to both improve affordability and performance. Third, develop sustainable and efficient nuclear fuel cycles. And fourth, understand and minimize the risks of proliferation and terrorism.
This hearing is a continuation in a series of discussions on nuclear power that will culminate in the Committee moving R&D legislation later this year. I am hopeful that today’s panelists will shed some light on the best path forward for our research and development strategy and will highlight the challenges that must be addressed as we proceed towards once again becoming a global leader in nuclear energy.
Again, I would like to thank the witnesses for their participation today and I look forward to your testimony.
Thank you.
Witnesses
Panel 1
1 - Dr. Warren P. Miller
Assistant Secretary Office of Nuclear Energy U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy U.S. Department of Energy
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Panel 2
1 - Mr. Christofer Mowry
President and CEO Babcock & Wilcox Nuclear Energy, Inc. Babcock & Wilcox Nuclear Energy, Inc.
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2 - Dr. Charles Ferguson
President Federation of American Scientists Federation of American Scientists
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3 - Dr. Mark Peters
Deputy Director for Programs Argonne National Laboratory Argonne National Laboratory
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4 - Dr. Thomas L. Sanders
President American Nuclear Society American Nuclear Society
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5 - Mr. Gary M. Krellenstein
Managing Director Tax Exempt Capital Markets JP Morgan Chase & Co. Tax Exempt Capital Markets JP Morgan Chase & Co.
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