On the recordNovember 30, 2010
This companion bill to S. 3844 ensures that the proposed nuclear cooperation agreement with Australia is approved before the existing agreement expires at the end of this calendar year. Since the Australia 123 agreement was submitted on May 5, changes to the announced House schedule created the possibility that Congress might possibly adjourn before the agreement met the Atomic Energy Act's requirement of a review period of 90 days of continuous session. The direct result would have been a disruption of several months of our nuclear trade and cooperation with Australia, which supplies the United States 25 percent of its uranium. But now it appears that the projected extension of the lame duck session will be sufficient to meet the 90-day requirement. However, there are still several reasons the House should still vote to pass this bill. The most important is the opportunity to express our strong support and admiration for our close ally, Australia. For seven decades the United States and Australia have developed ever closer ties, which have been repeatedly tested in both war and peace.
