Alan Simpson: “I appreciate the way in which the gentleman is addressing two very important issues. The committee has decided that the…”

“I appreciate the way in which the gentleman is addressing two very important issues. The committee has decided that the Department hasn't yet told us what their option is if MOX were to close down. We are asking for real cost estimates. There are differences of opinion about what the cost estimates for the life cycle of MOX are. So we have asked for further clarification. And as the gentleman rightly stated, if we put it in cold standby and the decision is to proceed with MOX from the Department, it is going to cost us much more to bring it back up, which is why we have chosen the path that we have chosen. {time} 2000 The gentleman is also correct that I am as supportive and I think my ranking member is also--in fact, I think most of the Members on our subcommittee are--that nonproliferation is a very important issue. The question is: Can the Department spend $25 million more, and what will we get for that? I want to work with you to make sure that we are doing the right thing and the intelligent thing in both arenas, so I appreciate the attitude that the gentleman is displaying in this. I know there are a couple of individuals who would like to speak for a moment on MOX, so I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson).”