Joe Cunningham: “Mr. Chairman, I respect the gentleman's opinion. But let me put some actual facts. First of all, it was said that the…”

“Mr. Chairman, I respect the gentleman's opinion. But let me put some actual facts. First of all, it was said that the taxpayers were against this. This technology replaces $1 billion per week in oil that we are purchasing, $1 billion, and it is cleaner. We say there is not benefit from this. There is 75 percent less nuclear heavy metal waste. It was also mentioned that Colorado was a failure. It is because they used 25-year-old technology, mechanical technology. The system in Pennsylvania has been 86 percent efficient and produces 50 percent higher yield than any current nuclear operating plant that we have in existence. So there is benefit. The private industry itself has put in over $800 million into this program, and it is good science. Only the modular helium reactor has got these characteristics, that it is also meltdown-proof, one of the problems that many people were afraid of in early nuclear technologies, which was that there was going to be a meltdown. This system will not do that, Mr. Chairman. Early demonstration plans in Pennsylvania and Colorado have proved the integrity of the basic science. As I mentioned, in Colorado they used 25-year-old technology, and that is why you have a pilot program is to determine the pluses and the minuses. We determined that it was a minus. So we established a system in Pennsylvania which proved very, very effective.”