▶ 0:07:34The hearing will come to order. I would like to welcome everyone to today's energy and water member day. Today, our fellow members will have the opportunity to testify on issues under the jurisdiction of this subcommittee that are important to them. Each witness will have five minutes to present their testimony. Members of the subcommittee will then have the opportunity to ask ask questions if they desire to do so.
▶ 0:08:01I know everyone is busy and has busy schedules today, so I will forego any extended remarks. I look forward to learning more from our colleagues on their priorities for the fiscal 27 energy and water bill. Now, I would like to recognize my friend and colleague, miss kaptur, the ranking member, for any opening remarks she may like to make. >> thank you, chair fleischmann. It's always good to be at this point and welcome all of our colleagues who are joining us today.
▶ 0:08:28We appreciate your time and the serious attention you paid to your district, and I look forward to hearing your testimony about your priorities, including federal programs of importance to you and to the people that you represent. Thank you very much, Mr. chairman, and let's proceed. >> thank you, miss kaptur. We will now turn to our witnesses. First up, I'd like to welcome congressman jefferson van drew from the state of new jersey. Mr. van drew, you're recognized for five minutes.
▶ 0:08:56>> I always like to kid around and say, when I'm called jefferson, it always reminds me when I was a kid and I was in trouble if I did something, it was always jeff with my parents and family. If I did something bad, it was jefferson, right? So thank you so much. Good morning, chairman fleischmann and ranking member kaptur. It is a pleasure to once again testify before the house appropriations subcommittee on energy and water. I thank all of you on the committee for your hard work.
▶ 0:09:22My district of southern new jersey is one of the most coastal in the entire country. I work to take care of my coastal communities, from the bay shore to the barrier islands of new jersey shore. That's why I always request that this committee provide strong levels of funding for the us army corps of engineers.
▶ 0:09:44We expect the army corps to release its work plan and budget very, very shortly, and I ask the committee to fully fund all the new jersey operations and maintenance projects, including the president's budget, to keep our waterways clear. I also asked the committee to provide strong funding levels for beach replenishment. I have two community projects funding items I'm submitting for beach replenishment, which is a lifeline for the new jersey shore.
▶ 0:10:12Um, for those that haven't been, we always have certain vision of new jersey. I really love to have you down sometime. We have beautiful beaches and bays and meadows and farmland. Our beaches are a lot to take care of and to maintain in southern new jersey. And we're on the top three. It's florida, north carolina and new jersey for being coastal and having these beach maintenance programs. The first of them is brigantine inlet to great egg harbor inlet for 35 million in construction.
▶ 0:10:41The project has two components. The first component will construct a protective beach on absecon island, including atlantic city, ventnor, longport and margate. This is a regular. Nourishment and historic trends and input from the army corps suggest that it will cost 30 million for fy 27.
▶ 0:11:02When I say a regular nourishment, these beaches are nourished on a cycle every so many years, depending on which particular beach it is. The second component is 5 million. To continue advancing the design of new jetties in atlantic city, to better protect the beaches and mitigate erosion. This isn't in my remarks, but I wanted to mention that too. We're also looking at new and better ways for beach replenishment and for structure.
▶ 0:11:31Um, you know, folks that, for example, are in idaho might say, why are we always throwing sand on the beaches and eventually it gets washed away? Not all of it does. Number one, secondly, though, sometimes it does. And we want to look at better ways to spend money to help mitigate that process of placing sand and then losing the sand. And it's one of the things that we're doing here in the atlantic city, ventnor, longport, margate area.
▶ 0:11:58And the second component anyhow, is a $5 million to continue advancing the design of new jetties in atlantic city to better protect the beaches and mitigate erosion. The design process received 1.5 million in the fy 25 work plan already, and the requested funding will allow this process to move forward to final design the second. So we've already invested in that. The second beach is barnegat inlet.
▶ 0:12:23It's a little egg inlet for 35 million in construction. The project in long beach island, which is the northern part of my district, an area called ocean county, is one of the largest in the state of new jersey. It protects over 30 billion in property. It's not just about beaches. And let me be very blunt, rich people going to the beach. This is also all these dunes. All these beaches protect structure inside.
▶ 0:12:51So it's actually public safety as well so that streets and roads aren't washed away. My hope is that it will be included in the fy 26 work plan, but I have submitted it as an fy 27 earmark, just as an insurance policy. Njdep is a nonfederal sponsor. All these things I'm talking about have nonfederal sponsors, uh, new jersey dep, that's new jersey department of environmental protection, and they're taking they're doing a piece of this as well.
▶ 0:13:20My final community project funding, uh, request is investigation funding. Again, trying to look at new and better ways for the island of brigantine seawall funds will advance a section 103 study to extend the seawall and northern brigantine island. The current seawall is no longer sufficient to protect the property and the ecosystems.
▶ 0:13:44On the north end of this beautiful community, the army corps issued a federal interest determination on this project in 2017, and njdep department of environmental protection has agreed to sponsor this nonfederal study. So I just want to point out, with all these things that I mentioned to you, that the basic part of my testimony, there are nonfederal sponsors, so we have the state willing to invest in the other piece of this. And with that, I'm done.
▶ 0:14:19>> uh, congressman van drew, I want to thank you for a very thoughtful testimony and appreciate your meeting before the subcommittee today. I have no questions. Uh, does the ranking member have any questions? >> I have no questions. I have no questions. But, uh, I think I would just say for the record, if the army corps is listening, I hope they'll give those of us who aren't from the east coast a better understanding of the interaction among beaches along that, um, eastern perimeter, because it's very complicated, whether it's new jersey or whether it's north carolina.
▶ 0:14:48So we appreciate your testimony very much this morning. >> if I may speak for a second. Um, you're right, it is very complicated. And we're actually still learning, to be honest with you. And we don't want to waste federal dollars or state dollars for that matter. So looking at the best, safest, most environmentally acceptable ways to restore these areas and yet at the same time protect property.
▶ 0:15:14There is this notion, and we in congress for years, we've seen it, uh, where, you know, are we spending money obviously in the best, most efficient, most acceptable way to everyone possible. And I point out here, this is not just about protecting beaches for people to go bathing, which is an important part, but it's about protecting the billions, billions of dollars of infrastructure that are just a couple miles inland.
▶ 0:15:39So if you have good dune systems, if you have good plantings, if you have good seawalls where appropriate, the tricky part. Marcy, I'm sorry, ranking member. The tricky part about seawalls and permanent structure is you have to know how to do them and where to do them. If you do it the wrong way, you can actually cause more erosion or more problems.
▶ 0:16:00I'm happy to say that the army corps has, over the last number of years, started to really study new and better ways to go about that, to maximize every dollar. >> thank you. Mr. uh, andrew, I just wanted to say, for the record, hopefully the chorus listening, uh, what I've seen is they, each of us has a separate congressional district. And so they tend to come and see us about our congressional district. But in your particular area, uh, in other places, certainly the west coast, the south coast, louisiana, etc.
▶ 0:16:30The mississippi river corridor, you have to look at all the districts together because there's an interaction that occurs that they don't always explain. And I think it would be very helpful to us as members to see that, um, larger set of challenges across our various coasts. So thank you very much for allowing me to comment. >> any other no other questions. Mr. van drew, I want to thank you for your testimony and I hope you have a wonderful day, sir.
▶ 0:17:00>> chairman, thank you for your leadership. If rest of congress was this easy, boy, we'd be in good shape. >> thank you. I now welcome congressman jim costa from the state of california. Mr. costa, you are recognized, sir, for five minutes. >> thank you very much, Mr. chairman. Ranking member. Uh, it's, uh, been a regular annual occurrence to be before the subcommittee, and I appreciate it because of the good work all of you do.
▶ 0:17:24Um, the areas that I want to speak about are really dealing with western water and they're kind of centric to california, but they apply really to, uh, the colorado river and other applications of the bureau, um, bureau of, uh, land management, but the bureau of reclamation, excuse me, manages these various projects, federal projects.
▶ 0:17:46And, uh, I want the subcommittee to look at the shared goals in deploying a better reservoir management and advancing western water storage projects. Uh, it also involves. Thank you. Should I start over? Um, I should know better, but the fact is, is, uh, the, the, the operations of a lot of the aging infrastructure obviously needs to be attended to.
▶ 0:18:12Uh, and the president issued in the last month appropriations to do just that on commitments. Uh, first, the water operations technical support program, uh, gives us better ability to predict atmospheric rivers, uh, several days before they come into place.
▶ 0:18:32Uh, these tools give us better operational efforts to, uh, make the projects work and utilize all of the, the precipitation that's caused by these atmospheric rivers. Uh, we, we, we see them coming, uh, in, in changes that we had not anticipated previously. Um, the win at storage is dealing with areas with rapid, uh, melt of the snowpack.
▶ 0:19:02We've had two good storms in the western in california this year in december and then late february. And, uh, it looks like we're going to be below average. And therefore the ability to determine what the water content is in the sierra so we can better manage the reservoirs that, uh, catch, capture that water are critical, uh, to deal with drought conditions. These investments have proven to pay off in the past.
▶ 0:19:29I urge the committee to provide $201 million for the water infrastructure investments act, otherwise known as win for year, uh, 27. Um, there's also report language that complements what the president has done.
▶ 0:19:43Uh, as we know, water is, is the lifeblood, uh, to the west and to agriculture, where water flows, food grows, and, uh, we've been seriously impaired by the age of land subsidence, uh, where these canals that moved water along have, uh, subsided anywhere from 10 to 15 to 20ft, uh, rendering, uh, in one area of the franklin canal,
▶ 0:20:1422% of its original capacity to move water. We're fixing that. And the president's provided some additional funding for that, but this would complement that effort. So $60 million to repair the reclamation canals in fiscal year 27. Um, another, uh, innovative program that we've used. Uh, and I think we need to expand on it. All of these, by the way, have bipartisan support of the valley delegation. Uh, is the snow, uh, airborne observation program.
▶ 0:20:43Uh, this provides an ability to really, uh, aerial by aerial capability. Um, survey the water content in the various watersheds. Uh, and it gives us a better idea on how to operate the projects.
▶ 0:21:00Uh, and, uh, reclamation, snow water supply forecast utilizes nasa's developed, uh, technology on airborne snow observations to full watershed snowpack inventory at high resolution. It's been a great tool. And we want to urge the committee to fund efforts, $5 million toward this critically important program.
▶ 0:21:21And finally, um, uh, many years back, a number of my colleagues and I resolved a lawsuit settlement, uh, on dealing with the san joaquin river restoration program and the, uh, the water users have supported the out-of-court settlement agreement. This will continue the restoration program to maintain fish populations on the san joaquin river and reverse added adverse water impacts for the people who benefit from the water from that river.
▶ 0:21:51And so I urge the committee to provide full funding for the san joaquin river restoration program. And it is, uh, again, supported on a bipartisan basis to continue to meet the commitments that we created on the out-of-court settlement agreement. So those are my, my areas. And, uh, obviously the subcommittee has been very helpful, uh, with our efforts in california and we appreciate it. >> Mr. costa, I want to thank you for your testimony today.
▶ 0:22:22Uh, I have no questions. Uh, does the ranking member have any questions. >> in your part of california? Have the colorado river? Has the colorado river situation impacted you? >> yes.
▶ 0:22:37And we really have tried to set an example, um, back in, in 2000, 2001, I chaired the state senate energy and water committee, and we had a, uh, a settlement agreement that really provided additional conservation in southern california, where we receive water from the colorado river in the imperial valley district.
▶ 0:23:01The problem is, is when the law of the river was settled in the late 1960s, after a lot of, uh, consternation between the upper basin and lower basin states. And I'm looking at some friends of mine who represent those areas. It was done under an agreement that they thought in a ten year average. And we're reexamining all these ten year averages, that the yield of the colorado was 17 million acre feet on an average on a ten year basis.
▶ 0:23:25Well, uh, lake mead by las vegas that some of you may be familiar with with hoover dam has not been filled since 2000 and a year ago. It almost went to deadpool status. What we've really determined in the last two decades is that the average yield on a ten year basis for the colorado river is not 17 million acre feet, but it's more between 10 and 12 million acre feet.
▶ 0:23:49And so coming to grips with this agreement that split the water between upper basin states, lower basin states, including california and mexico, has now become a very, very difficult challenge because everybody has to look at the reality that the allocations that they thought they had going back to the 1960s that they had agreed upon, are no longer, uh, the real numbers. And therein lies the problem. >> Mr. simpson. Thank you. Thanks for testifying, jim.
▶ 0:24:20>> that is a fascinating subject about the upper and lower. >> basin and how. >> that water was divided and stuff was over appropriated because they thought there was a lot they were looking at wet water years and not dry water years. And so it's caused some some some problems. But what is your how close or what is the level of, of water that you have this year anticipated?
▶ 0:24:41Um, they're talking about a little more rain snow next week, but I think, uh, we're looking at, um, they, they raised it yesterday from 15% to 20%. And we've got our fingers crossed that, uh, we may be able to, to double that. Um, the, or the next snow survey is going to be at the end of this month, so will be early next week. And then the last one is at the end of april.
▶ 0:25:09Uh, but as you know, um, farmers, ranchers, dairy men and women are making decisions now and last month as to what they're going to plant in terms of annual crops based upon their water allocation. And so if we get additional water allocated in may, that's helpful, but it doesn't allow you to plant crops that you you'd want to plant now. >> right? >> and they're going to be. >> it's going to be an ugly. >> water year in the west.
▶ 0:25:35I mean, if you look up at our state, we're normally in outside my house, there'd be two feet of snow. They played golf year round out there. Yeah. In idaho, which is, uh, and the reason I asked that is because it affects my bill substantially and that I think we're going to have a really bad fire year this year. Yeah, no, that, uh, comp and we don't even have fire years anymore in the west there. It's a fire seasons. We have fire years. It's, it's year round. So thank you for your testimony. Thank you. >> and I thank Mr. simpson and Mr.
▶ 0:26:05Costa, again, I thank you for your testimony, sir. Okay. >> keep up the good work. >> thank you. I now welcome congresswoman jennifer higgins from the state of virginia. Miss higgins, you're recognized for five minutes. Welcome. >> thank you. Thank you, chairman fleischmann and ranking member kaptur, for the opportunity to participate in this member day. I want to begin with an issue that's long overdue for action and critically important to my district. And that's the erosion of the chincoteague inlet on the eastern shore.
▶ 0:26:34The inlet is a dynamic and rapidly shifting coastal inlet on virginia's eastern shore that serves as a critical navigation channel and harbor of refuge for mariners, while also supporting ecosystem health and coastal protection over time, increasing erosion and sediment movement of destabilized inlet threatening the town of chincoteague, working waterfront, local homes and businesses, and the surrounding barrier island system.
▶ 0:26:59Without a comprehensive feasibility study, we lack the data needed to evaluate long term stabilization strategies, protect the shoreline, and ensure safe navigation. The study was authorized under the 2016 water infrastructure improvements for the nation act, and the town formally requested it as far back as 2015. Since then, the community has done everything right.
▶ 0:27:22They have secured the required nonfederal cost share, received support from the commonwealth of virginia and built strong regional and congressional backing. I have personally pushed for this study at every level, including submitting requests to the office of management and budget for inclusion in the president's fiscal year 27 budget, and to the army corps of engineers for inclusion the fiscal year 26 work plan. Yet, despite being authorized for nearly a decade and fully ready to move forward, the study has still not been funded or initiated. This is not just a local issue.
▶ 0:27:51It's also a federal responsibility. Stabilizing the inlet is essential to protecting major federal assets, including nasa's wallops flight facility, the mid-atlantic regional spaceport, and nearby navy installations that depend on stable coastline conditions for operational access and mission continuity. As a member of both the natural resources and armed services committee, I see clearly how coastal erosion is not just an environmental challenge, but a direct threat to national security and federal investment and infrastructure.
▶ 0:28:19We cannot continue to delay a study that is authorized as a committed, state covered cost share, and is critical to protecting both communities and federal investments. I urge the committee to prioritize funding for the chincoteague inlet feasibility study. Secondly, I want to highlight the importance of continued, robust funding for beach nourishment. Federally authorized beach nourishment projects are one of the most effective investments we make in coastal resilience.
▶ 0:28:44These projects protect communities from storm damage while sustaining local economies that depend on tourism, recreation and coastal access. The return on investment is extraordinary, studies show. For every $1 spent on beach nourishment, beach tourism generates approximately $3,000 in economic output, $1,400 in direct spending and $200 in tax revenue. That is a level of economic return that far exceeds most federal programs in my district. Beaches are not just places where people vacation. They are critical infrastructure.
▶ 0:29:12They protect homes, homes, businesses and military installations, and they support an economy that generates billions in activity each year. Without continued federal partnership, these communities are left exposed to increasing storm risks and long term erosion. Finally, I want to address the glaring gap in coastal storm risk management studies and the need to ensure they are truly comprehensive. Communities like those in hampton roads, rely on the army corps of engineers to evaluate flood risk and identify mitigation strategies.
▶ 0:29:39However, current funding limitations and authorities often prevent the core from fully accounting for federal infrastructure, particularly military installations. Within these studies, in a region that is home to naval station norfolk and some of the most critical defense assets in the country, this creates a serious gap. Our local and federal infrastructure interconnected, and planning for one without the other undermines the effectiveness of both.
▶ 0:30:02In addition, I believe we should explore whether the department of defense should have the ability to partner more directly with the army corps of engineer to ensure military installations are fully incorporated into coastal storm risk management studies. In many cases, our most critical national security assets sit alongside vulnerable coastline coastal communities.
▶ 0:30:19Yet current funding structures do not always allow those federal assets to be fully analyzed within corps studies, providing a mechanism such as a dedicated fund or transfer authority for dod or d o w to support these studies would ensure we are protecting military readiness, strengthening coastal resilience and making smarter, more coordinated federal investment. Congress should ensure the corps has the resources and authority to conduct fully comprehensive, region wide studies that include all at risk areas, federal and nonfederal alike.
▶ 0:30:48Doing so will strengthen national security, improve flood protection outcomes, and ensure we're making the most effective use of taxpayer dollars. Thank you again for the opportunity to highlight these priorities. I look forward to working with the committee to ensure our coastal communities and critical federal assets are protected for the long term. Thank you. >> want to thank you, congresswoman, for that testimony. I have no questions. Uh, I would like to yield to the ranking member and see if she has any questions. >> I thank the gentlelady for testifying this morning. Thank you so very much for championing virginia. >> thank you very much.
▶ 0:31:19>> thank you, Mr. simpson. Thank you very much for your testimony. >> thank you. Thank you for having me. >> I now welcome congressman randy weber from the state of texas. Mr. weber, you're recognized for five minutes, sir. Thank you, sir, for representative. >> higgins leaves. I want to say that catherine higgins almost shared the same birthday. It's june 17th and june 18th. If I've got that right, pretty good. Okay, I just try to. I just looked too old to pay attention, so.
▶ 0:31:49But thank y'all, I appreciate that. And by the way, I didn't leave you out, Mr. simpson. September the 8th, and I think you're. Well. Well, I, I kind of, uh, I guess envision myself as the birthday geek, I guess, for lack of better. And he's got an october birthday. The chairman does. My sister was born october the 14th. He's born october the 12th. I was off one day, man. I'm getting I am getting too old to do this.
▶ 0:32:16So listen, thank you all for letting me testify today. My. Actually, I proudly represent texas 14th congressional district, which is located along the upper gulf coast of texas. Some of y'all probably know a bit about it. And folks, america is at an inflection point where energy independence, as well as economic resilience remain defining principles of this.
▶ 0:32:40Our god given sovereign nation without a strong and reliable energy framework, national priorities such as economic growth, military readiness, which I'm going to talk a bit more about that in a minute. And the uninterrupted, uninterrupted delivery of essential goods and services. And we're talking about not just in our country but around the world, that uninterrupted, uninterrupted delivery is worldwide and essential for what we do.
▶ 0:33:04America's position on the global stage is directly tied to our ability to produce, to refine and deliver energy at scale, and to do more so efficiently than any of our competitors or any of our adversaries, to name a few. So we want to do that efficiently and do it quickly. And texas 14th congressional district plays a critical role in that very mission.
▶ 0:33:31District 14 is home to some of the largest refining and petrochemical capacity in the united states, including three lng plants in my district, three lng plants, including critical port and waterway infrastructure that move energy products around the world.
▶ 0:33:51This system, supported by this infrastructure, is responsible for a substantial portion of the nation's fuel supply, including roughly 27% of america's gasoline, 35% of america's natural gas, and nearly 80% of the military grade fuel. Let that sink in.
▶ 0:34:1780% of the military grade fuel port of beaumont, by the way, moves more military personnel and equipment out of the country than any other port in the united states of america. It's extremely important maintaining our leadership in the global energy marketplace requires the infrastructure that is capable of supporting that production without constraint.
▶ 0:34:39Today, limitations in key navigation channels, along with growing exposure to coastal storm risk, present clear challenges to the reliability and efficiency of these very systems that we're talking about and counting on for the reliability of american energy as well as safety. I come today to highlight three key projects essential to realizing the mission of american energy dominance and economic strength.
▶ 0:35:04The galveston harbor and channel operations and maintenance dredging projects. One of them, the coastal texas protection and restoration project, which the state of texas has put hundreds of hundreds of millions of dollars into, and the sabine-neches waterway channel improvement project. The sabine-neches waterway is the second largest waterway in the gulf of mexico, second only to the mississippi river. So it's extremely long. The galveston harbor and the channel boats, the busiest entrance channel in the nation.
▶ 0:35:37Let that sink in. The galveston, which the galveston entrance and channel goes up to the port of houston. It is the busiest entrance channel in the nation, supporting nearly 10,000 deep draft vessels a year, 10,000. Divide that by 12 months.
▶ 0:35:53The coastal texas protection and restoration project would serve as a safeguard for 30% of the nation's refining capacity, 42% of the nation's specialty chemical feedstock. A lot of these refineries use making plastic and everything that we use every single day and 80%, as I mentioned earlier, of the nation's military grade fuel.
▶ 0:36:19In addition, the sabine-neches waterway alone moves more than 194 million tons of cargo each and every year. It's unbelievable. And those volumes, by the way, are anticipated to go up from 190 to 210 million tons. These projects serve some of the most active and strategically significant energy corridors in the entire united states.
▶ 0:36:45And as global demand for american energy continues to rise, these systems are not going to be static. We should not allow them to be static. They need to be improving. They need to be growing. They need to be making sending out more product to the whole world. Really, they are expanding and increasing further and further under the pressure because we know that this work needs to be done. Addressing these challenges requires targeted investments in the infrastructure that absolutely underpin underpins american dominance.
▶ 0:37:14Dominance in energy. Absolutely. We need to be dominant in energy. For that reason, it is imperative that congress from the following projects. Number one, the galveston harbor and channel dredging will submit that. Mr. chairman. Number two, the coastal texas protection restoration project and number three, the sabine-neches waterway channel improvement project.
▶ 0:37:35For our nation to remain competitive, we must ensure that these systems are modern, that they're resilient, and they're fully capable of meeting not just our demands, but global demands as well, global supply demands. So to the chairman ranking members, I ask that these projects receive y'all's full and fair consideration as we navigate the fiscal year 2027 appropriation cycle.
▶ 0:38:00These projects not only benefit the hardworking people I'm so proud to represent, but also ensure that our nation continues to lead the world as the global energy leader, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak about these priorities, and I look forward to answering any further questions. >> Mr. weber, I want to thank you for your testimony before the subcommittee. As always, sir, you do an outstanding job. I have no questions. I'd like to yield to the ranking member to see if she has any questions. >> Mr. chairman, I don't have questions.
▶ 0:38:30I want to thank the gentleman from texas for excellent testimony and just say that, uh, we all see that, uh, the public believes we can't get along. Both parties can't get along. I would like to suggest to the chair that his, uh, public relations staff and mine work together. I'm really proud of the congress at this moment. We have people who've testified this morning from the east coast, the gulf coast, the west coast. I represent the great lakes coast, the longest coastline in the country.
▶ 0:38:58And, uh, that we are working on real improvements for our nation and that despite all of the invasion of the media, the quiet work of the country goes on. And I'm just really impressed with the witnesses this morning and those who've come to the hearing. And I think we have a lot to share. And because all the coasts are represented, Mr. chairman, I just think that might be something we might want to think about.
▶ 0:39:25Uh, that there are that there are people who put their shoulder to the wheel in this institution. So thank you so very much and thank you for your testimony. >> thank you ma'am. >> I thank the ranking member for her kind comments about the the witnesses. And I share the sentiments about the testimony today. I'd like to recognize the distinguished chair of the house interior subcommittee for appropriations. Mr. simpson. >> thank you. And thank you for being here for your testimony.
▶ 0:39:51I understand the importance of these projects that are in your district and so forth, and they're important not only to your district but to the nation. You've also been one of the most vocal advocates for nuclear energy. And. Yes, sir, I didn't see that in your testimony, but I. >> he's a good one to follow, Mr. chairman. He is that so?
▶ 0:40:10>> uh, but I but I thank you for being an advocate for that with the obviously with oak ridge in his district and idaho national lab, it's very important that we have advocates for that, because if we're going to deliver the energy that's necessary, nuclear energy can be part of it. And lastly, I just want to say, knowing my birthday, uh, knowing that, you know, my birthday, I look forward to my birthday gift coming from, uh, texas chocolates or something like that on september 8th. Thank you very much. >> well, thank you for those kind words.
▶ 0:40:38And before I leave, I want to say happy birthday to all of you all coming up. >> thank you, Mr. weber. Um, if there's no other business, uh, the hearing is adjourned. Thank you.