But, now, of course, if I had signed an agreement, I might find it politically difficult to agree to any modification that reduced spending, reduced employment in my area, and would even minutely reduce the pristine nature of the cleanup.

So, it's going to be decades before you-- but, your ultimate plan was to transmit this waste to Yucca, correct?

Nothing comes from nothing. The money spent should compete with other energy environmental concerns.

The final bill, at a staggering $1.2 trillion, is the largest single expenditure in our Nation's history.

We've gone from having a plan to having no plan. That's what Senator McCain has complained about, and I think he's correct.

Let's just follow what Senator Graham suggested, that, as I understand it--I may be wrong, but, as I understand, the South Carolina agreement was that you get 90 percent of the waste removed...

But, do you agree--where did this $210- to $260-billion figure come from?

I would like to follow up on these agreements.

Are you looking creatively and are you demanding of every employee under you that they are thinking on how we can do this project in an effective way?

It has impact if we don't use Yucca, because--frankly, I share your view that the storage, in dry cask storage on site, is not a danger.

if you have provisions in those agreements that don't make sense for the taxpayers of America, have you undertaken any evaluation to see to what extent they can be amended to accomplish the goal and also to contain these incredibly surging…

We can't just waste that money. It has to be productively utilized.

It's just stunning, breathtaking beyond most anything anybody could imagine.

I certainly hope that we're not locked into some sort of agreement we made 30 years ago.

I join you in welcoming our witness, Dr. Ines R. Triay.

this $6 billion increase in funding was a stimulus package bill that DOE projects would create 13,000 jobs.

I remember declaring in amazement that that had to be the largest cost overrun in the history of the Republic.

It's difficult for me to imagine how it could be spent effectively in the short timeframe it's been suggested it would be spent.

I think--of course it's a benefit in cleaning up, but I'm talking about the economy and the productivity of the Nation is not much enhanced by this effort.

But, you would admit that, just a few years ago, the high-side estimate for the cleanup was $180 billion, I believe, and now the high-side estimate is $260 billion.

I consider the amount of money we're talking about unacceptable. $260 billion is unacceptable.

There are a lot of ramifications for not proceeding with Yucca. It's not just commercial-reactor spent fuel, it's nuclear Cold War residue, fuels like this.

Pakistan has been a long-time ally of the United States. This is a very important nation.

We can hope it would continue to maintain its democratic traditions.

I just think we need to thank the men and women in uniform who made that happen.