Lamar Alexander

We're going to have to get back to regular order, with predictability so that we're spending the money wisely

And also, we have to break this nuclear waste stalemate at some point.

I think it's in our national interest for you to be agile in this pioneering stage of advanced reactors and modular reactors.

Well, my own view is I'm concerned for our country about the closing of so many reactors for a variety of reasons.

It makes no sense if you care about climate change to close nuclear plants that are producing carbon-free electricity.

Now after you complete the, if you were to complete the review and approve the private proposal, the next step would be construction. Is that right?

Do you believe that it would be possible to place used nuclear fuel in a private consolidated storage site more quickly than in Yucca Mountain?

Was that suspension due to a reorganization of ownership?

When does the 3-year period start? Has it already started with those two applications?

Last year you told this Committee the review process could take up to 3 years. Does that still seem accurate?

I understand that these can be licensed under the Commission's existing regulations. Is that right?

Instead of building more windmills, which only produce 17 percent of our carbon-free electricity, or solar farms, which only produce 4 percent of our carbon-free electricity, the best way to make sure the United States has a reliable…

The quickest, and probably the least expensive, way for the Federal Government to start to meet its used nuclear fuel obligations is for the Department of Energy to contract with a private storage facility for used nuclear fuel.

I am very pleased with the fiscal year 2018 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, which highlighted my priorities.

I strongly believe that Yucca Mountain can and should be part of the solution to the nuclear waste stalemate.

I am going to go to the floor to make some remarks about Barbara Bush.

I think every member of this committee would look forward to working with you to do that on these various projects.

Well, I would say--and now my time is up, and I want to set a good example--but I know that Chairman Shelby and the Vice Chairman Senator Feinstein, and others of us will want to try to at least have our target for next year, and you are…

But what we have done the last 4 years is, in the Congress, we have not paid much attention to the President's budget.

A logical time to be able to get that amount of construction in the ground.

You have restarted construction of the Chickamauga Lock.

Well, Mr. James, that might be true, but if you are not spending what you are already collecting, why would you collect more?

So if you are not proposing to spend what we are already collecting, why would you propose raising taxes further on waterway users?

And the President's budget estimates that the Trust Fund will collect about that same amount in the upcoming year, $104 million.

And increasing the fee, increased the amount of money deposited into the Trust Fund by about $20 million a year.