Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Carper and members of the subcommittee, I am Admiral Frank L. “Skip” Bowman, U.S. Navy (retired). I serve as president and chief executive officer of the Nuclear Energy Institute. Thank you for this opportunity to express the nuclear energy industry’s views on legislation to address the management of used nuclear fuel, and in particular the role of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

In his 2006 State of the Union address, President Bush affirmed the nation’s commitment to “safe, clean nuclear energy” as part of a diverse portfolio that will meet America’s future electricity needs. A long-term commitment to nuclear energy will make the United States more energy independent and ensure the diversity of our energy sources. We appreciate the leadership of this subcommittee in continued strong oversight of the NRC and its key role in enacting the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This legislation encourages diversity of energy sources, including such emission-free sources of electricity as nuclear energy. 

Summary
I will focus my testimony on the following key issues:

First, the Department of Energy must make visible and measurable progress in implementing an integrated national used nuclear fuel management strategy. The Yucca Mountain, Nev., repository is a critical component of any such integrated strategy. This progress will help ensure that the expanded use of nuclear energy will play a crucial role in our nation’s strategy for meeting growing electricity demand. 

Second, S. 2610 can play a key role in addressing the challenges facing the DOE and NRC on the Yucca Mountain project, as well as help set the stage for new nuclear plants. 

Third, Congress must take additional actions (beyond S. 2610) to support the removal of used fuel from commercial nuclear plant sites as soon as possible, together with steps to accelerate development of new technological approaches that would substantially benefit disposition strategies. In formulating this policy, the administration and Congress must consider potential impacts on NRC in terms of resources and capability, and make sure they don’t detract from the agency’s current effort in the new reactor licensing arena.