the idea of deliberately allowing the 99 reactors which produce 60 percent of our carbon free emissions, to allow that number to decline I think would be serious malpractice by all of us involved.

It is behind schedule and over budget.

To me, storing this stuff at waste sites, candidly, is not acceptable.

I deeply believe we desperately need a new policy on nuclear waste, and this subcommittee has been committed to making progress toward that goal.

Did you approve those steam generators? Not you, but did the Commission?

And to me, I mean, this is almost diabolical that you leave, you know, six million people in the area without the benefit of power, but the spent fuel is there.

I wanted to--oh, good. Just a word to the distinguished chairman of the Energy Committee, both Senator Alexander and I mentioned that we had completed our joint effort at a nuclear waste policy act.

Well, let me just--let me just ask you another thing because I am just a lay person, sort of a simple soul.

I would say particularly because of earth instability in that area, you would want to get the stuff out of there.

The problem for me, and, again, just a simple problem, is that it is all out of sight.

Yes, I guess this is a problem that I certainly have is that you spend a billion, $1.22, and you do not really have a project yet.

I am really less concerned about the optics for Mr. Poneman than I am the Department's.

A public agency would want to protect the public above all, and not just the public today or 50 years from now.

I hope you will continue to be open to the small reactor application when it comes.

I am delighted that we have finally introduced a waste policy act bill for our country, which has no waste policy that we know of.

Well, my number is wrong. I said $186 million. It's $195 million?

Among the capabilities that the NIF brings to stockpile stewardship, which is its primary mission, is the ability to study materials compressed to extremely high pressures.

I don't want to see us look back on this as we have looked back on one other project and say, well $600 million has been wasted.