Tom Carper

This is a high priority for our country and for me, as well, so thank you.

We are getting significant responses from the public. I have been cc'd on a bunch of letters saying these are bad.

I think that today, more than ever, Americans understand the need to develop domestic sources of renewable energy, and the need for us to become energy independent.

Everything I do I know I could do better. I think that is true for all of us and it remains true of the nuclear industry.

There is a responsibility for all of us to work together to make sure that we fully implement the lessons that we learn.

I do believe the 10-mile Emergency Planning Zone is the appropriate planning standard for us.

We upgrade our relicensing procedures to formally include seismic safety criteria and standards that directly relate to earthquake hazard.

I would not anticipate fuel damage after 48 hours.

If a nuclear power plant in this country faced a full blackout similar to what we have seen at the Fukushima facility, in your opinion, would we have a few days before we might see the fuel rods degrade and therefore witness harmful…

I do think the plan is flexible enough, and certainly in the power of the Governor, that in the event that the circumstances go beyond that 10 miles, that we certainly could react to.

Maybe the worst thing that could happen was on the heels of this terrible tragedy... for us not to have learned anything from it.

We need to learn the lessons from that. That information needs to be transparent.

Do we have any idea if those batteries can be recharged?

If we needed to expand it, we certainly could and would do that.

I think the lesson that we need to learn is what can we take away from the events in Japan that would allow us to evolve that plan?

We need to be mindful of, to learn as much from this as we can, to make sure that kind of tragedy does not occur here or hopefully in any other country.

I just hope that you... will think about how it makes any sense to just keep on going unless there is major reinforcements.

We need to implore the Congress support the NRC, not only in these efforts but in implementing and ensuring that followup actions are taken.

Thanks so much. Thanks for coming here to testify for us today. Very, very good testimony. Thank you.

We have not had one single fatality related to a reactor in the last, well, in the history of those facilities.

Over the years, the NRC has strived to create a 'culture of safety' in the U.S. nuclear energy industry.

We need to answer that question now.

While we cannot predict when or where the next major disaster will occur, we know adequate preparation and response planning are vital to minimize injury and death when it does happen.

If it is not perfect, make it better.

I would just ask us to be as mindful and concerned about our air pollution problems that relate to fossil fuel plants as we are the potential loss of life or endangerment of health due to nuclear power plants.