Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS -- (Senate - November 16, 2009)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. WEBB. Mr. President, I am pleased to be cosponsoring this legislation with the senior Senator from Tennessee. This is a strong attempt by both of us to go toward the area of problem solving rather than political rhetoric that surrounds a lot of this issue when we examine the pieces of legislation that are before us that are making an attempt at solving climate change issues. They are, in some cases, in contradiction to what our energy needs are at large.

On the one hand we stopped building nuclear powerplants 30 years ago because of widespread fears among people who were in the political process about the technology that was involved. On another level we stopped drilling for oil offshore after some incidents, now 40 years ago. Then on another level, we heard repeatedly that coal was too dirty.

At the same time we consume more and more energy, rightfully so, given the productivity of the country and the state of our economy. But we are in contradiction in terms of what we need versus what we fear. I believe the time has come for us to focus on those areas in terms of energy production that we know are achievable, that we know are safe, where we know we are good and which also can contribute positively in the area of climate change.

We have an enormously complex climate change bill that was passed in the House. We have another enormously complex climate change bill that may be before the Senate. We can't predict whether those bills will pass. If they do pass, we know there are some detriments. What Senator Alexander and I are trying to do on a bipartisan basis, hopefully, with the support of our colleagues, is to put a simple piece of legislation forward that will address the areas that are achievable, that can give us an end result and get this legislation passed, while all of these other issues continue to be examined.

Senator Alexander outlined the major points of this legislation. I would like to emphasize a couple. One is that we will be able to provide $100 billion in loan guarantees, but that is not $100 billion in money. That is $100 billion in guarantees. It depends on the success rate. The basic projection on this is that it will be between 1 and 10 percent of that $100 billion that our taxpayers actually would be required to pay. So we are going to be able to bring at least a dozen nuclear powerplants online.

When I say ``nuclear powerplants,'' I mean the electrical generation capability of a traditional nuclear powerplant. We may have more than those given the miniaturization of nuclear power that is now underway.

We are going to be able to develop a nuclear workforce. Let me stay on this point for a minute. Senator Alexander was a former Secretary of Education. I have spent all of my life, since I was 18 years old, in and around the naval service from which our nuclear power programs first began. One of the great benefits of the nuclear power program in the United States has been quality individuals whose talents are unmatched around the world.

I first watched this when I was at the Naval Academy many years ago, where among the brightest people at the Naval Academy, many were selected for the nuclear power program. They went through intensive training. But also among the enlisted sailors, the quality of the training was unsurpassed. We would like to see this take place in terms of workforce development in the United States.

We want to put $100 million a year in over a 10-year period to develop superb craftsmen as well as nuclear engineers.

We are looking at many mini-Manhattan Projects for alternate energy. This doesn't simply narrow the focus to nuclear energy. But we do know right now, even though we haven't built a new nuclear powerplant in the United States for 30 years, that 70 percent of the carbon-free electrical power in the United States comes from nuclear energy.

This is a good match for what people are trying to do in the area of climate change. I believe the way we have designed this legislation is focused. I am comfortable with the fact that the expansion of nuclear power as an alternate energy is doable. It is reasonable in scope and in cost. It will go a long way toward our eventual goal of dramatically reducing carbon dioxide emissions. As a result, this is legislation that will be beneficial to our economy, to our national health, to our position around the world.

I hope colleagues will join us in moving this legislation forward. We can do it in a timely manner, and we know the results are there.

I yield the floor.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source