Well, thanks very much, Mr. Chairman. And, Mr. Burns, essentially what you are saying, if I understand it, is that there is now a voluntary proposal to provide a pilot nuclear waste facility in Texas.

the only coalition strike option in the fight against ISIL militants, for 54 days executing 20 to 30 sorties each day.

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.

Governing is about setting priorities, and given our fiscal constraints, especially on non-defense spending, we are going to have to make some tough decisions this year to make sure the highest priorities are funded.

I do not, except thank you, lady and gentlemen, for being so game and answering these questions.

Thanks very much. I hope to cover two subjects in my 5 minutes.

After years of delay, Yucca Mountain can and should be part of the solution to our nuclear waste stalemate.

The government's failure to follow the law not only imperils the future of nuclear power in our country, but it also results in wasting billions of hard-earned taxpayer dollars to settle lawsuits by utilities, who are stuck with the used…

We have none. Believe it or not, we came to agreement.

Is dry cask storage safer than spent fuel pool storage?

The risk of an accident and its impacts can be significantly reduced by expediting the movement of spent fuel.

Thanks very much. I wanted to ask about the mixed oxide fuel fabrication facility.

I am very disappointed at that action. So hopefully, we can reverse it. We'll see.

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

I do not want the United States of America 10, 20, 30 years from now to suddenly wake up and discover that we are a country without nuclear power.

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.

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

Governing is about setting priorities, and unfortunately, the President's budget request for these agencies shows a failure to do so, in my opinion.

Be assured that I will behave.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

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

I do not think I ever had a better person to work with in the Senate than you.

Sites, although it is the most expensive, may just well turn out to be the best, because it produces the most, although it is expensive.

I really cannot agree with that.

I plan to work with our Republican majority, and I hope the President and Senate Democrats who share the same concerns, to make the tough choices so we can pass a real plan to fix the long-term debt.