You might close the Chickamauga Lock after 2013?

Even the possibility that it might close at the end of 2013 is a startling development to me if that's what you're saying.

General Temple, it is my understanding that the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) owns more than 21,000 MW of power...

Well, we're in a position perhaps to do that if you were to recommend it.

Have you given any consideration to changing the cost sharing on the Olmsted Lock from the current 50-50 to something such as 90 percent from the Treasury?

I want to congratulate the Corps of Engineers for the work you did during the floods and natural disasters of 2011.

The feeling is absolutely mutual, and I'd like to write that down if I may.

You don't start out by talking about the money, you start out by talking about the policy and the need.

The Corps estimates that our investments in the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project of about $14 billion over the last 80 years probably saved about $500 billion.

We need to take a big look at these two trust funds, and think bigger than the funds.

I did hear one witness encourage us to think of carrots instead of mandates.

My time has expired. Mr. Watjen, thank you for coming.

This committee, and the Congress, has struggled with what we call 'The Class Act,' which is part of the health insurance law.

And Senator Harkin, thank you very much for your courtesy.

They are invincible.

So there was not much relationship between them?

it seems to me that, using good Navy procedure, that there ought to be a single person accountable to Senator Feinstein and to me for an on-time, on-budget project and that ought to be you.

Right. Let me shift quickly to my other two.

Well, that's very important and another part, Madam Chairman, of making good use of the taxpayer dollars.

I want to make sure that on the uranium facility at Oak Ridge, that as you go through a competition for management--and that's your prerogative to do that; it's a part of keeping everybody honest and making the taxpayer secure--but I want…

So you'll be able to tell us about the same time you tell the Office of Management and Budget, which will probably be October, November, what you think it's going to be.

I mean, basically, this centrifuge project is completed to the point where we need to know whether it works or not.

But our responsibility in oversight is to try to protect the taxpayer dollars, and we have so many urgent needs within just this budget that if we can save money, we've got a place to put it or to reduce the debt, which we have in our…

Well, it seems to me, Madam Chairman, isn't the idea that the research and development (R&D) project is ready to be demonstrated for 2 years.

So that might be early next year that you could say to Senator Feinstein and me and what the schedule is and what the cost objective is?