Today, I want to urge our commissioners to be precise and direct with your thoughts on these initiatives.

It is also my understanding that staff has studied the safety of the pools ten times now and has consistently concluded that the fuel pools are safe.

I am not suggesting that, but it does seem reasonable that there is a significant difference between a nuclear plant that is operating and a nuclear plant that is shut down.

I want to commend the Commission for basing their recent vote to eliminate further generic assessments to expedite the transfer of spent fuel from pools to dry storage on facts and sound science.

I think that would really be unfortunate.

I am concerned that taking so long to move on in that area really clutters your table and doesn't allow you to properly focus on the Tier 1 recommendations, the high priority recommendations.

While the President's efforts to kill coal fire generation are obvious and already underway, I am really concerned about another and somewhat more subversive and under cover effort which is ongoing to really cripple the nuclear industry.

Your actions have made an impact in the lives of children, and what we want to do is take it to that next step.

Thank you for convening this hearing. Your continued focus on the tragic events that resulted in the death of Transportation Security Officer Hernandez is appreciated.

Today the subcommittee will examine the Fish and Wildlife Service's recent efforts to further regulate oil and gas activities within the National Refuge System.

I have introduced a bill, H.R. 3993, the Critical Access Hospital Relief Act of 2014, which would repeal the regulation.

I hope you all can support a bill that I have out there, H.R. 2027, which would establish a level playing field for physician-owned hospitals and ensure that patients will continue to have a choice in where they receive their health care.

There is a fundamental difference between refuge lands and those managed by the National Park Service.

I would discourage the Service from assuming that it must mirror other Federal agencies such as the National Park Service or the Forest Service.

Government does have to step in, but only as a last resort, not because some agency or some bureau feels like--some service feels like--'Hey, we don't have enough to do...'

When you have a government that wants to function in a dictatorial way... then we are no longer a country of democracy.

Louisiana is one of the best States when it comes to regulations.

the ability to address problems is far easier done at the State capital than here, in Washington.