Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Agriculture, Rural Development, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act, 2022

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. WEBER of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of amendment No. 109 within this en bloc.

My amendment identifies an immediate need of the United States nuclear industry, the need to provide full funding for construction of the Department of Energy, the DOE, versatile test reactor project.

As ranking member of the Subcommittee on Energy for the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, I know that there is no clean energy future without advanced nuclear. The best vehicle to accelerate us down the road of emissions reductions is nuclear energy.

The versatile test reactor is an absolutely critical piece of DOE's R&D infrastructure that will allow U.S. nuclear researchers to validate and test a wide range of advanced reactor designs right here in the good old U.S. of A. Any responsible U.S. nuclear energy strategy must include robust support for this facility.

Madam Speaker, last Congress, as part of the sweeping nuclear provisions in the Energy Act of 2020, we were able to authorize robust funding for the versatile test reactor. It was a tremendous bipartisan--that my friend from Arkansas is pointing out--achievement I was proud to lead. But this authorization is all for naught without the yearly appropriations to back it up.

That is why I am very concerned to see that the 2022 appropriations bill provides no funds, zero, zip, zilch, nada, to keep the versatile test reactor project on budget and on schedule.

If we are serious about our clean energy future, Madam Speaker, and we want to decrease our dependence on competitors like China and Russia for advanced nuclear R&D, we must commit to our investment in this essential research infrastructure.

The United States can and should lead the world in advanced nuclear. Moving forward, I will continue to work with my colleagues to prioritize nuclear innovation and keep America safe, energy independent, and globally competitive.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source