Energy and Power Subcommittee Discusses Uranium Tail Re-enrichment Pilot Program

Energy and Power Subcommittee Discusses Uranium Tail Re-enrichment Pilot Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 13, 2011	CONTACT: Press Office (202) 226-4972
Energy and Power Subcommittee Discusses Uranium Tail Re-enrichment Pilot Program Live Webcast Click HERE to watch the hearing beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET Opening Statement of Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (Remarks as prepared) I would like to call this hearing to order. In 2008, this Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on the Department of Energy’s inventory of depleted uranium hexafluoride canisters called “tails,” where the Government Accountability Office (GAO) testified that reenriching these tails to secure the useable uranium would be worth around $7.6 billion, and maybe as much as $20 billion.  Since that time, this potential value has dropped to $4 billion, as the GAO will testify today.  Simply put, the Department of Energy has failed to realize the value of the uranium tails and as a result they have already lost the taxpayers roughly $3.6 billion. That is the reason we are here today considering my legislation --- the Energy and Revenue Enrichment Act.  DOE has talked to my office about these tails for five years and for five years we have not seen any results.  All the while, this Committee has been waiting patiently, as have the taxpayers, for DOE to initiate a program that makes sense and should be a no-brainer.  Read more… Witness Testimony and Additional Background Click HERE to view witness testimony and other hearing materials on the Energy and Commerce Committee website.