Political Quotes

“Madam President, along with my colleagues Senator Mike Crapo and Representative Mike Simpson, I recognize an important anniversary being celebrated at the U.S. Department of Energy's, DOE, 890-square-mile site in eastern Idaho. On February 18, 1949, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission decided to build the National Reactor Testing Station in Idaho. For 70 years, work done by the scientists, engineers, technicians, and support staff at Idaho's lab has helped promote American prosperity and contributed to our national security. Since 1967, research conducted at Idaho National Laboratory's, INL, Advanced Test Reactor has powered and modernized the U.S. Nuclear Navy. Fifty years ago, the Navy had to refuel its nuclear fleet frequently, an expensive and time-consuming process. Today, as a result of experiments conducted at the Advanced Test Reactor, ATR, the Navy's nuclear fleet can run the lifetime of the ship--more than three decades--without refueling. That saves American taxpayers millions of dollars and ensures that our fleet is actively defending U.S. national security instead of sitting in port waiting to be refueled. Roughly a decade and a half ago, Congress designated INL as the Nation's lead nuclear energy research and development laboratory. This is fitting because on December 20, 1951, INL first demonstrated nuclear fission could be used to generate power to light our homes and cities.…”