Responses by Dr. Mark Peters, Deputy Laboratory Director for Programs, Argonne National Laboratory

As a candidate, he had promised very clearly that Yucca Mountain would not be used as a nuclear waste repository.

I absolutely believe that the demand by the Secretary of Energy to exclude any consideration of Yucca Mountain from the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future detracted from the Commission's ability to develop the best possible…

We continue to believe Yucca Mountain was--and is--the right answer for permanent nuclear waste disposal.

Yucca has been a political failure with, you know, then-Presidential candidate Senator Obama promising to close it.

the Administration's decision to halt work on Yucca Mountain is wrongheaded and counter to the Nation's long-term best interests.

I am not talking about risk to our astronauts, because I have to believe that NASA will not put any of our astronauts on a commercial system until it is convinced that NASA's safety standards have been met.

What Obligation does your company have under traditional contracting to report anomalies to NASA?

I want the private markets to relieve NASA of the cost and burden of building a new launch system for low Earth orbit.

However, as Members of Congress, we must be vigilant stewards of the taxpayers' dollars, and we cannot let either enthusiasm nor hope blind us to that responsibility as we assess NASA's proposals.

I am not opposed to this new approach, but in the time remaining I want to focus my remarks on the business case, as that is an area that I would like to see discussed at greater length.

I think that NASA owes Congress and the laudable companies that are before us today a much more thorough assessment of the situation ahead.

What Obligation does your company have under space act agreements to report anomalies to NASA?

What obligation does your company have under space act agreements to report anomalies to NASA?

What obligation does you company have under space act agreements to report anomalies to NASA?

We have demonstrated repeatedly--across a range of commercial and defense aircraft and spacecraft--our ability to develop and manufacture safe and reliable products, and to do so in such a manner as to run a profitable, well-performing…

What Obligation does your company have under the modified FAR acquisition to report anomalies to NASA?

To paraphrase my friend and former Chairman of this Committee, Bart Gordon, I don't want to find ourselves at some future time throwing additional sums in this program because the commercial launch companies are 'too important to fail.'

In this type of environment, there is a risk that during the period of contract performance NASA's requirements may change so significantly that contractors can successfully argue that the Agency is changing the contract's scope.

Mr. Manson transferred him out of the agency. Thankfully, one of Mr. Manson's successors had the good sense to rectify this abusive conduct.

The Endangered Species Act is a critical tool for protecting our natural resources.

Well, I think we have seen in many instances where Judges have used their own political philosophies have bent to affect how they judge things and not entirely independent.

the Endangered Species Act, when it is allowed to work, protects wildlife from utter destruction.

MacDonald's zeal to advance her agenda has caused considerable harm to the integrity of the ESA program and to the morale and reputation of the FW.

It really saddens me that he may have been one of the last of his kind in the Republican Party.