Sherrod Brown: “Mr. Chairman, the gas turbine modular helium reactor fails to meet the basic test of spending Americans' hard-earned tax…”

“Mr. Chairman, the gas turbine modular helium reactor fails to meet the basic test of spending Americans' hard-earned tax dollars: Does it work? The only commercial version of this reactor closed after 16 years of operation and never achieved more than 14 years of capacity. Based on this failure, the National Academy of Sciences determined the reactor has low market potential and endorses its elimination. Even worse, as has been pointed out on the floor, the gas turbine is a budget-buster. Eliminating it will save $20 million now in fiscal year 1996 and $2.5 billion later. Several opponents of this amendment, proponents of this boondoggle, have said it does not really save $20 million now. The fact is, every time there is a huge budget-busting engineering project on this floor, whether it is Super collider, whether it is the space station, whether it is this reactor, the proponents of these boondoggles always argue 'It will not save any money today,' and they do not talk about how much money it will save in the future. That cost savings, that $2.5-billion cost saving in the long run, is what is so important. Additionally, the gas turbine modular helium reactor, Mr. Chairman, is a potential environmental hazard. The reactor does not have a containment structure to prevent an accidental environmental catastrophe in the event of a problem.”