Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Chairman, I rise strongly to oppose the amendment of my friend. The funds my colleague seeks to remove are administrative costs that the Department of Energy needs to conduct oversight of its existing loan portfolio.

The recent loan guarantee to create the first new nuclear facilities in over 30 years at the Vogtle plant in Georgia will create thousands of jobs and will need oversight to ensure funds are spent properly.

In April, the Department made available $8 billion of loan guarantees to accelerate advanced fossil energy technologies on the cusp of development. These loan guarantees, among others, need administrative support for decades to come.

Without those administrative costs, the Department would not be able to monitor risk, manage projects, or provide the proper financial analysis that a loan guarantee needs. These activities are essential to ensure that taxpayer funds are protected in the existing loan portfolio.

For these reasons, Madam Chairman, I cannot support our colleague's amendment, and I urge Members to vote ``no.''

Madam Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

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