'Can You Provide A Timeline?': James Comer Questions Jennifer Granholm About Nuclear Policies

5 months ago

At a House Oversight Committee hearing last week, Rep. James Comer (R-KY) questioned Energy Sec. Jennifer Granholm about new programs and policies relating to nuclear fuel.

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Transcript

00:00 [Mr. Gowdy] The gentleman's time has expired. I will now recognize myself for five minutes.

00:05 Madam Secretary, let me go back and correct something you said earlier. When we were discussing

00:11 coal, you said coal is shutting down because of economics. It is shutting down because

00:15 of the economics created by the Biden administration and even further back than that, the Obama-Biden

00:22 administration.

00:23 But, Secretary, my congressional district is home to the former gaseous diffusion plant

00:27 in Paducah, Kentucky, which is undergoing cleanup by the Department of Energy. As you

00:32 are aware, the fiscal year 2024 appropriations package required the Department to conduct

00:36 a costbenefit analysis to determine whether a new administrative facility is the best

00:40 benefit to the taxpayer versus upgrading the current 70yearold facility.

00:46 Madam Secretary, what is the status of this costbenefit analysis, and when can you expect

00:50 that it will be available for review?

00:51 [Secretary Warren] Yes, let me get back to you on that.

00:53 [Mr. Gowdy] Okay. Let me say I urge you to move quickly on this analysis so that we can

01:00 ensure that the upcoming appropriations bill allows the Department to move forward with

01:05 the best option to support cleanup efforts, which is our goal there in Paducah.

01:11 I was glad to see the Department of Energy award grant funding to the Paducah Chamber

01:15 of Commerce to review how cleanup efforts can be complemented by future reindustrialization,

01:20 which is a goal there. Can you provide an update to how the Department intends to ensure

01:25 that cleanup complements reindustrialization?

01:28 [Secretary Warren] Well, you are talking about that site?

01:33 [Mr. Gowdy] Yes, or any site.

01:34 [Secretary Warren] Yeah, I mean, this is one of the things that I think was so important

01:39 by in the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and the bipartisan infrastructure law

01:43 is that it gave us an incentive to be able to offer, for example, 48(c) tax credits to

01:51 former energy communities or energy communities that were challenged. And so to be able to

01:56 lure manufacturing to those communities is embedded in the tax laws that were passed

02:03 by Congress. That is true for the way the Loan Programs Office is operating as well.

02:10 There is a whole component there to be able to help loans for communities that have powered

02:14 our Nation for the past 100 years.

02:16 [Mr. Gowdy] Well, I strongly encourage the Department to work closely with the community

02:21 to ensure that reindustrialization continues in parallel with the cleanup efforts.

02:25 So as you know, a crucial part of this reindustrialization will be attracting industries that recognize

02:31 and utilize the specialized skills and knowledge of the existing regional nuclear energy workforce.

02:37 To that end, I understand that DOE plans to issue a funding opportunity announcement for

02:42 novel and innovative nuclear enrichment technologies. Given that DOE has had this funding for nearly

02:48 two years, can you provide a timeline on when that funding opportunity might be released

02:52 and when DOE plans to make those awards?

02:54 [Ms. Warren] Yes. I have to check with our Office of Nuclear Energy on the exact timing

02:58 on it, but I can get back to you.

02:59 [Mr. Gowdy] Will that FOA be tailored to encourage the commercialization of new technologies

03:04 like laser enrichment?

03:06 [Ms. Warren] I will have to check with them to see what exactly they are contemplating

03:11 in terms of new technologies.

03:12 [Mr. Gowdy] I look forward to getting a response.

03:15 In recent months, Congress has taken significant action to bolster the front end of the nuclear

03:19 fuel cycle, including passing a ban on Russian uranium imports, passing the Nuclear Fuel

03:24 Security Act, and appropriating $2.7 billion to incentivize the new LEU and HALU capacity.

03:34 Can you provide assurance that DOE will not establish criteria that would discourage or

03:38 prevent new market entrants from participating in any competitive funding opportunities associated

03:43 with this new funding?

03:44 [Ms. Warren] Sure. If we are putting out an RFP, we would make sure that it is competitive.

03:50 We encourage all suppliers.

03:53 [Mr. Gowdy] When does the DOE plan to make awards related to that new funding?

03:57 [Ms. Warren] Obviously, this is a whole strategy, this uranium strategy, the $2.7 billion, and

04:02 so we are really being thoughtful about it. I know you had a hearing with Dr. Huff about

04:07 the way it is being implemented, both for HALU as well as for lowenriched uranium. So

04:14 we expect that in the next few months we will be able to have more to say about the sequence

04:18 and the timing of putting out funding opportunities.

04:20 [Mr. Gowdy] We would like to work with you on that and have a community, Paducah, that

04:26 is really ahead of the curve and working together. And I strongly encourage you they have had

04:32 a multiyear relationship with the DOE over the previous three or four administrations.

04:37 So we think there is a lot of opportunity there to where the community can work with

04:43 the DOE in lots of new opportunities for good paying jobs.

04:49 And in my remaining few seconds, I have to say that I want to make a plug. We are very

04:57 blessed in America to have the greatest energy economy anywhere. That is anchored by the

05:07 oil companies. And oil is something that is a commodity we use every day. I strongly encourage

05:15 this administration not to saddle the industry with excessive and burdensome rules and regulations

05:21 that are only increasing the cost to consumers, which is fueling inflation in America.

05:28 We believe that our as many of our colleagues have stated, our energy opportunity is much

05:36 greater than what we are utilizing now. And we believe the thing that is holding us back

05:41 are bad policies and burdensome rules and regulations by the Biden administration. So

05:46 we strongly encourage you to work closely with the energy companies. Not only do they

05:51 provide tremendous energy for American consumers, they provide good paying jobs to their workers

05:59 and pay a lot of taxes that keep our communities afloat. So I wanted to mention that because

06:06 this was an energy hearing.

06:09 I don't see any further questioners, so we will close. I want to thank you, Secretary,

06:20 for being here today and for answering questions. The oversight committee is not as bad as they

06:26 say on TV. Hopefully you will tell your colleagues in the Cabinet that this was a good experience

06:35 and hopefully we will see more of your Cabinet colleagues in front of this committee like

06:41 we are supposed to do.

06:43 So with that and without objection, all members will have five legislative days within which

06:47 to submit materials and to submit additional written questions for the witnesses, which

06:51 will be forwarded to the witnesses for their response. If there is no further business,

06:54 without objection, the committee stands adjourned.

06:56 [Whereupon, at 2:00 p.m., the committee was adjourned.]

'Can You Provide A Timeline?': James Comer Questions Jennifer Granholm About Nuclear Policies

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