Confirmation of Annie Caputo and David Wright

Floor Speech

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Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate Annie Caputo and David Wright on their confirmation as members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Regrettably, it has taken almost a year for the Senate to confirm these excellent nominees. This is yet another example of how broken the Senate's confirmation process is and why we need to change the rules so we can process nominees in a timely manner.

Annie and David will make outstanding commissioners. For over a decade, Annie has served as a top adviser on nuclear energy issues to members of the House of Representatives and the Senate. She has worked on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, advising the committees' chairmen, including former Chairman Jim Inhofe and, now, me.

Here on Capitol Hill, Annie is considered the dean of nuclear energy policy. More than any other staff member, she knows the nuclear power sector. As a nuclear engineer, Annie knows the physics behind nuclear power. She also knows the challenges it faces and the bright future it can have if we make the right decisions here in Washington. Likewise, Annie knows our Nation's nuclear regulatory agencies, especially the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. She understands how the NRC can be improved, how it can be more responsive to the public and its licensers, and the best way to accomplish that goal.

Prior to becoming chairman, I found Annie to be instrumental in helping me conduct oversight of the nuclear industry and the NRC. She was particularly helpful following Fukushima. Since becoming chairman, I have seen how she is an invaluable part of the Environment and Public Works staff. For example, Annie was largely responsible for drafting S. 512, the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act. This is a bill that will help facilitate the licensing of advanced reactors and reform how the NRC collects fees from its shrinking pool of licensees. It is a bill that we need if this country is going to allow nuclear power to succeed in the future. Last year, the committee passed this bill by a broad bipartisan vote of 18 to 3. It remains a top priority of mine and is legislation Congress should send to the president by the end of the year.

Beyond the area of policy, I want to thank Annie for the role she played at the committee office. I want to thank her for helping my other staff, especially the way in which she served as a mentor to them. They are better staffers for the time they spent learning from and alongside Annie. I know other Members of Congress in the House and Senate feel the same way and share my gratitude to her.

So congratulations, again, Annie. Congress will be a poorer place without you. But our loss will be the NRC's gain.

While I do not know David on a personal level, I also believe he will be an asset to the NRC. For about a decade, David served as a member and chairman of South Carolina's Public Service Commission. He also served as the president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. David is held in high esteem among those who work on nuclear issues.

Like Annie, he is a dedicated public servant. I wish the two of them the very best in their new roles on the Commission.

Thank you.

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