TVA's Watts Bar Nuclear Facility

Floor Speech

(Mr. DesJARLAIS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DesJARLAIS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to share my findings from last week's tour of TVA's Watts Bar Nuclear facility located in Tennessee's Fourth District in Rhea County.

The Watts Bar facility is constructing a second nuclear unit, which will be completed late next year. It will be the 21st century's first new reactor to go online, doubling the facility's capacity and then creating reliable energy for nearly 1.3 million homes and businesses.

This project has contributed significantly to the local economy by providing more than 3,300 high-paying jobs. TVA makes safety and security its top priority. During the construction of Unit 2, the workers have achieved a milestone of 22.8 million work-hours without a lost-time incident.

I would like to extend a special thanks to TVA's senior vice president of operations and construction, Mike Skaggs, and his team for making my visit so educational and productive.

Madam Speaker, it is imperative that we continue to support the safe, affordable, and reliable energy that nuclear provides in order to attract industry and create jobs.

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