Statement by the Honorable Michael Burgess, MD

Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee Hearing:

Status of the Yucca Mountain Project

March 15, 2006

Thank you Mr. Chairman, and thank you for having this important hearing.

A growing economy, such that of the United States, requires energy to fuel our homes and businesses. According the United States Energy Information Agency, electricity generation worldwide is expected to nearly double between 2002 and 2025. Nuclear energy provides a reliable, low cost source of electricity and currently accounts for 20 percent of our electricity nationwide.

Ensuring that we have a safe, adequate, and long-term plan for storage of nuclear waste is paramount and will only become more important as we look to nuclear power as an emissions-free source of electricity.

The Department of Energy and Congress have been discussing and studying Yucca Mountain as a potential permanent repository for spent nuclear fuel for nearly two decades. The repository was originally scheduled to be open and accepting fuel by January 1998, but has still not broken ground.

I look forward to an update on the status of the Yucca Mountain project, particularly in light of the Administration's proposed Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP).

Again, Mr. Chairman, I thank you for this crucial hearing in which we can address some of these essential concerns regarding nuclear facilities.

Thank you