Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry.

Thursday, April 12, 2018

ANS Nuclear Policy Wire April 12, 2018

ANS Nuclear Policy Wire
April 12, 2018

For the Record
 
Secretary of Energy Rick Perry testified to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce today regarding the Fiscal Year 2019 Department of Energy Budget. He commented on a variety of DOE initiatives, including R&D funding, the Integrated University Program, and DOE's role in aiding civil nuclear programs: 
 
On the Saudi Arabia 123 negotiations:  if we do not succeed in [negotiations], the alternatives are China or Russia. Number one, neither of those countries care about nonproliferation. The other one is we will lose the opportunity to develop our supply chain and intellectual chain that will further put America at a disadvantage... not just on the civil nuclear side, but also down the road in our ability to protect the country from a nuclear weapons standpoint. This is a critical time in US history relative to supporting civil nuclear energy.
 
On R&D funding: Innovation rather that regulation is the motto from our perspective. Whether it's from the nuclear side of things or the fossil fuels or the renewables, the national labs and the dollars [Congress is] authorizing for the national labs will go a long ways towards making America more competitive in the energy marketplace.
 
On SMRs: We think SMRs are incredibly important in the future, in the role that they play, particularly for our national security, if the concern is about keeping these devices secure. SMRs are going to play a very very important role in the diversity of our energy supply.
 
On the Integrated University Program: There are a number of places across the country we're partnering with [universities like the Universty of Missiouri]. [Producing medical isotopes] for precision medicine and [for] our ability to practice precision medicine, these facilities are going to be important.
 
On funding ITER: The previous management was very very poor. They wasted a lot of money. They have new management now. We have a couple of projects that are being funded...if this committee and if Congress get comfortable, along with administration, that it is headed in right direction, we will make sure the US dollars that are expended there are expended properly, and that there's good oversight, and that we have the proper outcomes that we've been looking for.
 
On DOE's role in reforming energy markets: One of the roles DOE needs to play is to rebalance...to take our thumb off the market scale. 
 
On national security versus economic efficiency: With that in mind, the more important issue is national security, to know without a doubt that our energy supply will be there when we need it, whether from a cyber-attack that stops transmission of gas somewhere, whether it's a hurricane... that hits the northeast or some part of the country. The national security side is even more important than economic side.
 
On a potential 202(c) ruling on FirstEnergy's coal and nuclear plants:  I'd like to work with you and Congress on any other options that are out there, that are reasonable, that get the result of which we need, the result of which from my perspective is a diverse portfolio...I think it's really important for this country to have a civil nuclear program in place. Too many previous administrations made some decisions that from my perspective put particularly the nuclear energy industry in jeopardy. We now see the results of that.
 
On the timing of that ruling: Expedition is of importance.
 
On being an Aggie: Whoop! 

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