I am not straying from my support for safe nuclear energy as a vital component of America's present and future energy mix.

I continue to be a strong supporter of nuclear energy, and I hope that you and the President also continue to do so.

It is my understanding that the Department of Energy or the U.S. Government had entered into contracts with the nuclear power plants in the U.S. to take their waste material from the operation in their reactors.

At this point I would like to recognize the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Burgess, for 5 minutes.

The U.S. Government is offering any and all assistance that has been requested.

Now more than ever the politically based policies must end. America does demand safe common sense solutions.

I think that is important that we talk about that because, obviously, safety is an important issue.

For the President to have a Blue Ribbon Commission that excludes any discussion about Yucca Mountain is a fraud.

Blocking Yucca Mountain is penny wise and pound foolish, especially considering the $13.5 billion already spent.

This is truly a devastating disaster and they need as much assistance from around the world so they can recover.

Well, thank you, Secretary Chu. And because of the event in Japan and Chernobyl and Three Mile Island and other events, the news media certainly is focused on what is happening in Japan and the impact that that would have on nuclear power…

Our economy crumbled because Wall Street took high-risk investments and transformed them into safe-looking bonds.