WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) questioned Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Chris Wright about refocusing the Department’s mission, investing in American nuclear fuel security, and protecting the future of coal.
DOE Secretary Chris Wright testified at today’s Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing.
“Over the last few years, I believe Congress irresponsibly saddled you, the department, with 71 new programs overseeing hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars.
“And I think that this situation is fraught with waste, fraud, and abuse.
“It left the department, your department now, without a clear direction.
“So can you talk a little bit about how you are getting the Department of Energy back in a focused direction with regard to your overall mission?”
“Congress has made key investments in nuclear innovation and you’re an expert in the area.
“These investments include the Nuclear Fuel Security Act (NFSA) to strengthen our fuel supply chain, and the Advanced Rector Demonstration Program (ARDP) to move advanced reactors forward.
“Can you speak about those plans in the program?”
“And finally, we were together when the president signed his coal executive orders.
“You know the last administration was flat-out anti coal every way they could be.
“They wouldn’t support projects that we needed, even when the ones resulted in diminished emissions. They just were against everything.
“I thought it was short-sighted, left our valuable resource underutilized.
“What’s the department doing in terms of restarting coal research, whether it’s novel combustion, carbon capture, or coal products made from newly mined coal as a result of the president signing the executive orders?”
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