Chairman Voinovich, Ranking Member Lieberman and distinguished members of the subcommittee, I am Joe Colvin, president and chief executive officer of the Nuclear Energy Institute, the Washington, D.C., policy organization for the nuclear industry. I am pleased to testify regarding the performance of the commercial nuclear industry and the industry’s safety regulator, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) coordinates industry policy on various issues affecting the nuclear energy industry, including federal regulations that help ensure the safety of the 103 commercial nuclear power plants operating in 31 states. NEI represents 275 companies, including every U.S. utility licensed to operate a commercial nuclear reactor, their suppliers, fuel fabrication facilities, architectural and engineering firms, labor unions and law firms, radiopharmaceutical companies, research laboratories, universities and international nuclear organizations.