▶ 0:10:56>> as my fellow members understand, there is a lot going on in committee meetings. I am calling the hearing to order. Thank you all for being here. I want to thank my former colleague from the house, congressman joe wilson, for being here to welcome his friend david wright. Good to see you. Today we will receive testimony from david wright, nominated to serve another five-year term as a member of the nuclear regulatory commission.
▶ 0:11:27Usha-maria turner to be an environmental protection agency assistant the office of administrator international and tribal affairs. Our consideration of treatment rights comes at a time. China has a rapid build out on nuclear industry and projected to overtake the united states as a global leader of nuclear energy.
▶ 0:11:55The demand for clean baseload power is skyrocketing as we position america to win the ai wars. The grave importance of energy security. The importance of these policy concerns has led to the broad bipartisan agreement that we need more and we need to accomplish the goal safely. The nuclear regulatory commission is dedicated to that.
▶ 0:12:20Congress separated the dual and conflicting responsibilities to promote and regulate the use of nuclear energy from the atomic energy commission. In doing so, congress established the department of energy's predecessor agency and created the nrc to regulate the civilian use of nuclear technology.
▶ 0:12:40The purpose of the separation is as important today as it was 50 years ago and congress has continued to reinforce the value of an efficient and competent nuclear regulator, that is why the last congress I, alongside with senator whitehouse and a strong bipartisan coalition, led the effort to get the accelerated limit of versatile advanced nuclear for clean energy act signed into law.
▶ 0:13:08As a designated head of the nrc, the chairman is instrumental in leading the ambitious limitation of the law. The chairman is responsible for selecting key senior agency leadership with the approval of the commission. Through the executive director of operations, the chairman oversees the day-to-day operations.
▶ 0:13:34Presenting the nrc's role as the leader with regulation. The nrc has been thrust further into the center of the national energy conversation. Recently, president trump signed a series of executive orders intended to expedite the rapid deployment of more nuclear power. Those executive orders are aligned with the advance act but must be carefully implemented to create durable, predictable policies for nuclear licensing.
▶ 0:14:02A rapid and destructive change to the nuclear regulatory framework would be counterproductive and potentially impact financial investment. The chairman in the commission must prioritize nrc's actions, being mindful of the need for regulatory stability as efficiently as possible while keeping nuclear safety central to the agency's mission. That is why experienced leadership at the commission is crucial to achieve these objectives.
▶ 0:14:33Mr. wright designated chairman in january by president trump. He provides the necessary background and understanding to navigate the extremely important and challenging task to simultaneously implement the advance act and the executive orders while ensuring fundamental licensing's -- licensing activities are not overlooked. I look forward to understanding how the chairman right will do this.
▶ 0:14:58We'll also hear it from usha-maria turner , president trump nomination to serve as the epa admitted -- assisted administer for the office of international and tribal affairs.
▶ 0:15:17She would lead to keep our agreements with the department of state and will oversee epa's engagement with tribal governments and implementing the environmental laws and hoping our tribal governments to administer their own environmental programs. Effectively supporting the president's foreign policy efforts and coordinating with tribal governments are vital issues that will help the ep a mission to protect human health and the environment.
▶ 0:15:45I look forward to discussing the various aspects of this role with business turner. I will not recognize the ranking member white house for his opening statement.
▶ 0:15:53Sen. Whitehouse: Thank you both for being here. The united states is on the cusp of a domestic nuclear renaissance, remarkable innovation and an appetite for nuclear power, and it is just in time. Nuclear is an important time to cut emissions in the power and industrial sectors and also key to meeting our nation's power it needs safely. To for electricity is expected to increase more than 50.
▶ 0:16:23Sen. Whitehouse: Without alternative sources like nuclear, we will be unable to sustain our economic growth. Many of us in congress have been working for years on a bipartisan basis to prepare the nuclear regulatory commission for this moment. I have been the democratic lead on the past three major bipartisan nuclear bills passed into law, the nuclear energy innovation capabilities act, the nuclear energy elevation and modernization act, and the accelerating deployment of versatile advanced nuclear for clean energy, with our chair.
▶ 0:16:57Sen. Whitehouse: These laws will position the nrc for an era of renewed, safe nuclear deployment. This should be the background -- backdrop for this nomination hearing. Unfortunately, it is not where we find ourselves. Despite so much common sense bipartisan work, the trump administration has offended progress and a flaming the partisan manner. In this case by dogging the nrc in flagrant disregard for nuclear safety, the bipartisan direction of congress and for the law.
▶ 0:17:27Sen. Whitehouse: First came for partisan attacks on independent regulatory agencies. Then came executive orders demanding redundant, unreasoning or dubious changes to american nuclear licensing. Then came the doggy staffers, without any substantive experience barreling into the nrc and pushing out highly qualified, experienced technical senior staff.
▶ 0:17:50Sen. Whitehouse: Then came the illegal and baseless firing of the commissioner, the first removal of any nrc commissioner in its 50 year history. The nrc ought to be a stable pillar of america's nuclear renaissance. In the buddy in the nuclear interest will say that trust is foundational to the continued safe operation of our nuclear fleet, let alone the progress into new technologies.
▶ 0:18:16Sen. Whitehouse: To ensure we can build and operate nuclear reactors safely empower communities with clean, reliable electricity, congress separated the nrc and the separation ensures we can lead the world on nuclear innovation and maintain effective oversight. The two malts at the nrc is not what members on either side of the aisle wanted.
▶ 0:18:40Sen. Whitehouse: It has created chaos that will introduce unnecessary procedural roadblocks and a slowdown nuclear licensing. It will push out expert staff at a time when we need to retain all current talent and attract new expertise to oversee the deployment of next-generation nuclear technologies. The lead legal and regulatory uncertainty that will impede progress -- development and other.
▶ 0:19:05Sen. Whitehouse: Cuts to tax credits, the loan programs office and other key programs will undermine nuclear deployment in america. All that said, chairman right, I support the renomination of you. You are a qualified nominee. I hope you can address the current up you will quickly and that you can actually lead the agency as chair.
▶ 0:19:25Sen. Whitehouse: Should you be confirmed, I asked that you commit to us a bipartisan committee that will hold you to account on bipartisan basis that you will do as the law provides, uphold nrc independence, adhere to the mission and effectively and efficiently and faithfully execute the laws passed by congress. As to Ms. turner's nomination for tribal affairs, the truck epa unfortunately has become a cesspool of fossil fuel driven correction.
▶ 0:19:54Sen. Whitehouse: Even weaponizing the justice system to serve the interests of the polluters. We have reached the point where any nominee president trump sends to epa should be treated with skepticism. This nominee has spent her entire career working for gas utilities and fossil fuel companies, including most recently chesapeake energy, one of a handful invited to attend fossil fuel mega donor mar-a-lago fundraiser where president trump promised big oil executive carte blanche over environmental regulations in exchange for money for his
▶ 0:20:28Sen. Whitehouse: Campaign. The corruption and conflict of interest is happening in plainview. Nothing against you Ms. turner, but because of what has happened at epa, I cannot support this nomination. And if somebody is cheering for the chair. >> thank you senator whitehouse. I will introduce our nominees. Our first nominee is the honorable david wright, currently serving as president trump's designee to be chair of the U.S.
▶ 0:20:56Sen. Whitehouse: Regulatory commission, having served as the nrc commissioner since may 2018, chairman right has guided the mission and implementing the advance act and ensuring nuclear safety remains a priority. His leadership is informed by years of public service and advising on nuclear and broader energy issues. Welcome chairman right. Our second nominee under consideration is usha-maria turner , tapped as the assistant administration for the epa's office of international and tribal affairs.
▶ 0:21:27Sen. Whitehouse: She is senior advisor to lee zeldin and by training and engineer and join the epa in march following a 25 year career working on key environmental and energy issues across oklahoma and texas. Welcome Ms. turner. Congratulations both of you on your nominations. Before we move into opening statements for the nominees, we will administer the oath to receive their sworn testimony.
▶ 0:21:52Sen. Whitehouse: I will ask you both to please stand and raise your right hand and answer the following question. Do you swear the test when you are about to give to this committee is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god? >> yes. >> yes. >> let the record show the witnesses have answered the question in the affirmative and we will now hear from our nominees. Ms. turner, we will start with you, so please proceed with your opening statement.
▶ 0:22:20Ms. Turner: Thank you, Mr. chairman. Good morning, chairman, ranking member white house and members of this committee. I'm honored to appear before you today as president trump's nominee to be the assistant administrator for international and tribal affairs at the united states environmental protection agency. I want to express my deep gratitude to president trump and administrator zeldin for the confidence and trust they have put in me through this nomination.
▶ 0:22:49Ms. Turner: It is truly a humbling and if confirmed, I promise to faithfully execute my duties at epa consistent with the administration's policies and epa's statutory authority. I'm joined today by some very important and proud people in my life sitting behind me. My husband neil, my son alex, my brother, my big brother, and his daughter, my college senior has started her summer internship and is watching online, as are my parents from the country of trinidad.
▶ 0:23:19Ms. Turner: I have spent a proud 25 at rewarding years working for companies within the electric utility, natural gas and coal production sectors. Foundational he, environmental policy and compliance programs across multiple federal and state agencies. This experience ingrained in me a deep understanding of regulatory frameworks and that economic development and environmental protection are not mutually exclusive.
▶ 0:23:44Ms. Turner: My early career years included conducting environmental compliance audits where I gain an appreciation for the law and the importance of complaints and government programs. I spent the rest of my career in expanding public policy rules that brought me into working the legislative branch and the statutes and rulemaking processes behind the frameworks I was once auditing appeared as my roles increased, my regulatory experience touched the large-scale retirement and the resulting economic impact on
▶ 0:24:19Ms. Turner: Communities, influence of revolutionizing technology on energy markets and the now inexplicable connection between energy and economic security. Environmentally -- and our mental and quality of life. I worked in collaboration with epa, states, industry, nonprofits, and others on a number of issues from assessing cross-border air quality impact from the southern neighbor to regulating global pollutants like mercury and numerous rulemaking efforts across several program offices.
▶ 0:24:47Ms. Turner: Epa's office of international and tribal affairs needs epa's international and tribal engagements working across a multitude of areas and stakeholders within epa's core mission of protecting human health and the environment. On the international site is the ever-growing reality that pollution does not respect international boundaries and environmental issues are part of global trade dynamics.
▶ 0:25:12Ms. Turner: The lead office with other federal agencies and international organizations engages in environmental negotiations consistent with the epa core mission and furthering U.S. policy and trade interests abroad. Also the lead office on tribal issues, honoring a government-government relationship, guiding the effort to strengthen public health and environmental protection among the 500 74 federally recognized tribes and alaska native
▶ 0:25:42Ms. Turner: Villages with a focus on enabling tribal nations to administer their own environmental programs and carrying out its federal trust responsibility. As an engineer by training, I am wired as a problem solver and drive for results. By my experience, I worked through balancing economic prosperity and environmental protection, respecting the legal framework governing industry and its regulators.
▶ 0:26:07Ms. Turner: Should I be confirmed, I look forward to bringing this experience to implementing the administration's america's first policy within the epa core mission domestically and abroad. Madam chairman, ranking member whitehouse, thank you for the invitation to be here today, and I look forward to the dialogue. >> thank you. General wright, we will turn it to you for a five minute opening statement.
▶ 0:26:31Mr. Wright: Good morning. I would like to welcome my congressman from south carolina, joe wilson come as well. We have been friends for 50 years. Good morning chairman, ranking member whitehouse and members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. I want to take a moment to thank your staff, especially andy tomlinson and cara allen.
▶ 0:27:00Mr. Wright: I want to thank president trump for the opportunity to serve as chairman and I am honored that he has renominated me for another five-year term. I will be deeply honored to continue my service to the country leading the nuclear regulatory commission during this pivotal movement -- moment. I'm committed to the mission and dedicated to our people.
▶ 0:27:23Mr. Wright: The united states is the gold standard nuclear safety regulator, and we must continue to leverage our expertise in today's dynamic and fast changing world to facilitate the safe use and deployment of nuclear technologies and radioactive materials. I also want to thank my colleagues on the commission for their collegial approach to the work we do. While we may not always agree, our inner actions are always professional and constructive.
▶ 0:27:50Mr. Wright: Working together as a commission, we have been able to tackle challenging issues as we advance, enable and deploy nuclear energy for the future. I like to think the nrc staff. The nrc is a great place to work, cannot, and to grow professionally and in my opinion, they are truly some of the best and brightest in the federal government.
▶ 0:28:14Mr. Wright: Almost a year ago, the deployment of versatile advanced nuclear for clean energy act was signed into law. The future of nuclear energy and radioactive materials in this country is at a crossroads free through the implementation of the advance act, the nrc is in a strong position to deliver the energy and security needs of our country.
▶ 0:28:37Mr. Wright: The advance act does not lower our safety standards but refocuses the nrc on mission-critical and safety significant items for the benefit of society. We will embrace a culture that efficiently resolves issues and that it was onto the next. The president directed the nrc in executive order to prioritize efficient licensing and reestablish the united states as the global leader in nuclear energy.
▶ 0:29:04Mr. Wright: The nrc will continue to enable the safe and your use and deployment of nuclear energy technologies and radioactive materials. If reconfirms, I look forward to continuing to implement the advance act in the president's priorities while always keeping my eyes on the principles laid out for us since the inception of this agency, safety is and always will be our northstar.
▶ 0:29:31Mr. Wright: It is imperative the nrc facilitate pathways for safe licensing of nuclear technology, not impede its progress. I would like to highlight recent decisions and accomplishments under my leadership for the commission's decision to use a source material framework to license emerging technologies for the remediation of ways balances the urgency of solving this problem with the need for predictability for applicants and licensees.
▶ 0:29:59Mr. Wright: The commission's revision of the duration of design certifications to extend them from the current 15 year period to 40 years will provide significant regulatory certainty for a nuclear industry. This rulemaking is based on the decades of experience the nrc has gained through seven successfully certified designs and when complete will allow the nrc to leverage this experience, update regulations that calls an unnecessary burden for safety.
▶ 0:30:29Mr. Wright: The commission approved a risk informed technology inclusive plan to streamline the licensing for micro reactors. This will allow for loading a few at a manufacturing site while maintaining technologies in place to prevent -- while in transit to a deployment site pretty nrc improved small modular reactor design for the nrc's review was completed ahead of schedule and under budget, demonstrating the agency's commitment to safely and efficiently enabling new
▶ 0:30:59Mr. Wright: Advanced reactor technology. These examples show the nrc can safely license advanced rack clears and nuclear technology in a manner that does not impede progress. If reconfirms, I will continue to move the agency forward.
▶ 0:31:14Mr. Wright: I would like to close by stating that congress and this administration has made their intentions to the nrc clear that safety will always be our strike zone, our northstar as we seek to embrace a culture of efficiency within the commission and the important work we perform. If reconfirms, I look forward to continuing to lead the nrc in achieving energy dominance and this great nation. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and I look forward to your questions.
▶ 0:31:43Mr. Wright: I look forward to hearing from both of you. Will now begin a five minute round of questions, and I am going to start since the chairman is not here. Ms. turner, when we met, we discussed nebraska's tribes and in particular the santee sioux tribe has water quality problems.
▶ 0:32:10Mr. Wright: They have high manganese levels in the tribe is actively working to upgrade the water infrastructure. The epa region seven has been collaborating with the tried to conduct critical testing but long-term solutions are still needed. If you are confirmed, how do you plan on working with the tribes and staff to ensure tribal partners will always have access to clean water?
▶ 0:32:35Ms. Turner: Senator, thank you for that question. I appreciate you making the time personally to meet with me whenever it was and I hope things are going well moving into the new office.
▶ 0:32:49Sen. Ricketts: We are still in the process.
▶ 0:32:52Ms. Turner: I wish you well. Yours is an important question. The santee sioux, access to drinking water not just compliant with quality standards but in the accessibility to it and at the suite -- atticus -- y -- . Should I be confirmed as assistant administrator, I will make it a priority.
▶ 0:33:23Ms. Turner: I have already looked into this a little bit. I would like to sit with the office of water, understand where we are, where epa is, where perhaps the road box -- roadblocks or delays are and work with the tribe, meet the tribe where they need to be met at, make sure our consultation process is being followed appropriately, but importantly, as mentioned in my training, I hate a problem being put in front of me that we can't see a
▶ 0:33:54Ms. Turner: Path through. You have my commitment to work with your office, the tribe, the other epa offices to see where those roadblocks are in to try to make this happen.
▶ 0:34:03Sen. Ricketts: I encourage you to go visit. It would be great to have you in nebraska. Nebraska is part of our nuclear power, clean and safe and reliable. Our nuclear station is an 830 five megawatt facility generating power for 380 5000 residences, even in the hottest part of the somers -- 38,500 residences, even in the hottest part of summer.
▶ 0:34:33Sen. Ricketts: Last year I voted for the bipartisan advance act. President trump recently issued for executive orders designed to bolster domestic energy development and supply chains and accelerate timelines for licensing. Chairman right, you have been very involved in the implementation. Working to streamline the licensing process so that licenses are not, as you have said, long.
▶ 0:35:01Sen. Ricketts: Between what congress has directed and the president has directed, the nrc has a clear goal paired how important is the streamlined process to deliver on hold government directives and what can congress do to be able to continue to help?
▶ 0:35:14Mr. Wright: Senator, thank you so much for the question. First off, the whole of government is necessary. It is all about energy security and independence and making sure we have the power of the need to do the things we need to do in this country. I think quite honestly around the world as well. The advance act, and take you on behalf of the nrc and myself.
▶ 0:35:42Mr. Wright: The senate did a wonderful job in putting that legislation together. There are a lot of things in there that help the nrc become more efficient and are helping us focus on the goals and setting aggressive goals to get some of these advance reactors or micro reactors of these technologies moving.
▶ 0:36:05Mr. Wright: We are ahead of the curve on this pretty advanced reactor site is being remodeled and shining star. We have 25 vendors that are before us right now in some form of early engagement and another five to have gone through the process. You have a new scale that has gotten design certification and go to market. You have power ahead of schedule.
▶ 0:36:34Mr. Wright: You have one that has gotten two approvals from us. There isn't application there -- there is an application before us from a couple months ago. And now we have from the agreement, we have a memorandum of cooperation with canada and the u.k.
▶ 0:36:58Mr. Wright: And poland is in observer could we are working together to put packages of the data that can be used by either country in support of their application and still allowing us the sovereign right to review and approve the license ourselves. We have a lot that is going on.
▶ 0:37:20Mr. Wright: Quite honestly, the advance act and a lot of the parts of the executive orders from the white house aligned with this as was mentored -- mentioned.
▶ 0:37:31Sen. Ricketts: Is there anything congress can do to help you?
▶ 0:37:38Mr. Wright: I know everything is still working on the environmental side of things and trying to get things compressed and move everything to the left, the safety and reviews and anything we can do to gain efficiencies. There are some things we can't do, like the mandatory elimination. That could be something. Future legislation could address that.
▶ 0:38:06Mr. Wright: As I told you in our meeting, as I did with many of the members of this committee when we met, we will stay in touch with you and if there are things we think we need, we will come to you about it.
▶ 0:38:19Sen. Whitehouse: Thanks, chairman. Let me start by recognizing congressman wilson for being here. My apologies for not recognizing you. I did not look across the table. We worked together with the support for ukraine and I apologize for not noting your presence earlier. Ms. turner, before you joined the epa, your most recent role was with chesapeake energy.
▶ 0:38:52Sen. Whitehouse: In it was one of a handful of companies at a 20 person fundraiser for then candidate trump hosted by the oil billionaire at mar-a-lago and was widely reported that Mr. trump there asked the attendees to donate a billion dollars to the presidential campaign because if elected, in return he would roll back environmental rules for the oil industry. Can you confirm today that the chesapeake ceo was present at that gathering? Ms. turner, senator -- Ms.
▶ 0:39:25Turner: Senator whitehouse, it is good to meet you, even in these circumstances. Yes, I spent too proud years at chesapeake energy and it is my understanding that he was at that event.
▶ 0:39:38Sen. Whitehouse: Were you or anyone reporting to you present at that gathering?
▶ 0:39:44Ms. Turner: No sir, I was not.
▶ 0:39:47Sen. Whitehouse: Or anyone reporting to you?
▶ 0:39:50Ms. Turner: No one reporting for me.
▶ 0:39:53Sen. Whitehouse: Did you share with president trump or any pacs?
▶ 0:40:01Ms. Turner: I was not involved in preparing any material for the trip to see the nominee and now president.
▶ 0:40:10Sen. Whitehouse: Did you have any engagement with the campaign or affiliated pacs in preparing material for them?
▶ 0:40:18Ms. Turner: No, sir, I did not.
▶ 0:40:20Sen. Whitehouse: Did you speak with other companies president at the meeting concerning the topics of that discussion?
▶ 0:40:27Ms. Turner: Senator, I am aware my ceo at the time attended that gathering. I was not part of any of the preparation of any material or I did not have any interactions with any of the campaign staff. This was a very much an outreach to the ceo level. So no, I was not engaged.
▶ 0:40:52Sen. Whitehouse: Are you aware if any agreement exchange or other arrangement that he entered into related to that gathering at mar-a-lago?
▶ 0:41:06Ms. Turner: Senator, again, I wasn't there and I wasn't part of the preparation for any of that, I am not aware that any agreements or commitments for anything similar was either discussed or agreed to.
▶ 0:41:21Sen. Whitehouse: Do you know the composition was discussed at executive board meetings at chesapeake?
▶ 0:41:31Ms. Turner: Senator, I remember seeing what was in the news afterward, but I do not recall -- I wasn't there. So to speculate on what was said or not said, I simply was not there.
▶ 0:41:48Sen. Whitehouse: Were you in a position to get the board packages or review the board packages that chesapeake prepared for its board members at board meetings?
▶ 0:42:00Ms. Turner: Senator, in my capacity as sustainability officer for chesapeake, my involvement with our board was advising them on sustainability matters, on reporting under sustainability frameworks, but not on board packages related to anything related to his visits to see the presidential nominee.
▶ 0:42:25Sen. Whitehouse: So you would not have seen a company when it has a board meeting puts together a package and that is customarily reviewed you did not review any such board meeting prep packages?
▶ 0:42:49Ms. Turner: I have certainly seen packages that get developed as we see board meetings happen as we are required to do. I've no recollection of seeing any material related to that visit.
▶ 0:43:02Sen. Whitehouse: Mar-a-lago proposition?
▶ 0:43:05Ms. Turner: Not at all.
▶ 0:43:07Sen. Whitehouse: A lobbyist told political we will have to write what they want and spoonfeed the administration. There are drafts moving around washington. Are you aware of chesapeake participating in drafting that language referred to by this oil industry lobbyist?
▶ 0:43:27Ms. Turner: Senator, have not seen and nor am I aware that chesapeake was involved in any material associated with that visit.
▶ 0:43:38Sen. Whitehouse: My time is expired. Thank you very much for your answers.
▶ 0:43:47Chair Capito: Thank you senator ricketts for filling in and helping out. First question is for Mr. wright for good to see you again. You are -- you obviously know this but responsible for appointing staff subjected to approval and I understand that several have left with top expertise and technical expertise.
▶ 0:44:14Chair Capito: As you select senior nrc leadership, how do you evaluate the respective candidates ability to lead, make decisions and inspire a culture change at the nrc?
▶ 0:44:26Mr. Wright: Thank you for the question, senator. This is not a new phenomenon at the agency. We have a large portion of our employees who are at retirement age and we have known that since before covid hit and eight agency started developing a plan to address those.
▶ 0:44:51Mr. Wright: The senate helped out greatly with the advance act by giving us additional hiring authority to direct hire, which we are using. People are going to retire. It is going to happen. It has happened to me everywhere I have been, running a business, being a mayor of a town. These happen all the time. I have to respect when somebody says they want to retire for their personal or family reasons. I have to honor that.
▶ 0:45:20Mr. Wright: I went out among the people and walked all of the offices and learned who they are, what they did and how they did what they did and how they supported me. I could observe them in every situation, whether they were supported just by the office observing. I got to know them personally over the last seven years.
▶ 0:45:45Mr. Wright: I know a lot of them we might be able to do some deep selects on people because they are probably ready and looking for their time there was a period when we were shrinking after the first renaissance came down an opportunity wasn't there. Now we are going to grow, the cause of all the work coming. We have people passionate about what they do. The ones who are going to stay are going to win the agency and run it well. I am excited about the future.
▶ 0:46:16Mr. Wright: This is a bump in the road we will have to address and we are.
▶ 0:46:19Chair Capito: I do think the authority we gave you in the advance act should be very helpful. I know the whole hiring procedures at any agency is very difficult, and we wanted to alleviate that because of the upcoming technologies we really want to see online with our energy appetite. Ms.
▶ 0:46:39Chair Capito: Turner, what would you say as assistant administrator of international tribal affairs, what are some of the international environment partnerships you would expect to prioritize?
▶ 0:46:54Ms. Turner: Good morning. I don't think I've had a chance to say that. Again, I thank you for taking the time personally to meet with me. It was a very enjoyable visit. I appreciate the question and I think this is an important space. With so much happening internationally that the office of international and tribal affairs will engage in.
▶ 0:47:29Ms. Turner: It is the U.S. government's policy that it is the department of state that sets international policy. And that comes from the white house and ep eight lends its technical expertise in the environmental space to the department of state.
▶ 0:47:48Ms. Turner: Going forward, we defer to the department of state as to which international engagements they choose to further administration policy in good having said that, there are a number of international engagements we have already attended and participated in, things like in stockholm dealing with hazardous waste and transportation of chemicals.
▶ 0:48:10Ms. Turner: Very interesting engagement around pfas which we have engaged in with the state department and a number of other countries. Some of what we keep an eye out is some of the developing technology space and things that are international programs cover. The setting of standards which the epa is currently engaged in.
▶ 0:48:39Ms. Turner: It will be interesting to see as technology comes and to any changes that may come and lending that incredible epa expertise to the department of state as we engage.
▶ 0:48:50Chair Capito: Senator padilla?
▶ 0:48:54Sen. Padilla: Thank you, and I'm chairman. I want to begin by addressing the recent firing of commissioner chris hansen. This firing was without cause and contrary to existing law and long-standing precedent regarding the removal of independent agency appointees.
▶ 0:49:21Sen. Padilla: Chris hansen was an exceptional public servant who upheld the highest levels of integrity. This political firing is not just troubling on its face, but will hamper the nuclear regulatory commission's critical work and erode the central trust and responsibility that the nrc holds. I share this because it is important context as we consider turn -- consider the nomination.
▶ 0:49:51Sen. Padilla: As a result of this committee and the natural resources committee, I want to draw my colleagues attention to the recent reports that the top administration is proposing to shift some nuclear licensing responsibilities away from the nuclear regulatory commission and to the department of energy. And essentially turning the nrc into a rubber stamp instead of a trusted safety regulator.
▶ 0:50:19Sen. Padilla: This effort has direct implications for the jurisdictional prerogatives of this committee and are oversight responsibility concerning nuclear power and safety. This is not a straightforward effort to simply streamline the federal government. Instead, I fear it could have significant implications for the safety of our nuclear power industry. And more importantly for the trust of the american people in nuclear energy.
▶ 0:50:48Sen. Padilla: There are some people who approach this conversation as fans and boosters of nuclear energy and want more. There are others who approach this conversation in the belief that nuclear energy is key to achieving our climate objectives. Either way, when it comes to anything related to nuclear energy and the public trust, we have to recognize that once you break the public trust, it is very hard to rebuild it.
▶ 0:51:21Sen. Padilla: Madam chair, I urge you to ensure this committee protects its jurisdiction and independence of the nrc and will block any effort that would cause the american people to have any reason to doubt the safety of nuclear power. Now to my first question.
▶ 0:51:39Sen. Padilla: I am proud to represent the state of california where we are not just home to the nuclear generating station which is in the process of being completely decommissioned, but also home to diablo canyon which is still generating nuclear energy. We are also home to earthquakes at -- and a number of snicket faults.
▶ 0:52:04Sen. Padilla: So seismic safety when it pertains to the nuclear energy conversation has been important to me since long before I served as the chair for the state community -- committee when I was in the legislature. With that context, I want to ask a question of Mr. wright. What steps will you take to ensure that communities located near reactors can feel safe in the event of an earthquake?
▶ 0:52:29Mr. Wright: Thank you for the question. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me back in february. I pulled you off the floor and you make time for us and it was a good conversation and I look forward to continuing to work with your team and office.
▶ 0:52:45Mr. Wright: We are already and already do very detailed assessments and the nrc requires licensees to have these on a and flooding and other major natural disaster type things that could happen. It is all part of the calculation and the safety basis. We have margin and some people refer to it as orders of magnitude above what is needed.
▶ 0:53:15Mr. Wright: We have the experience to evaluate this and we do it regularly and we can do it site specific at any time using current data or any new data.
▶ 0:53:29Sen. Padilla: I want to thank you. I have more to say but it was sweet cap the beginning on the record. I will emphasize the need for the technical capability and communicate with the public for public confidence purposes. I want to ask one question of Ms. turner. I appreciate the comments you have made as it pertains to international engagement and policy setting my question is domestic.
▶ 0:53:59Sen. Padilla: Travel consultation is critical to ensuring the voices and sovereignty of tribal governments are respected in the federal decision-making process. From oklahoma, the second largest of federally recognized tribes, california being the first. A very fundamental question, what is your understanding of sovereignty and what would be your philosophy or approach to genuine travel -- tribal consultation should be confirmed?
▶ 0:54:31Ms. Turner: Thank you for that question. I appreciate the question, again coming from oklahoma which is the land of 39 tribes and we are pride -- proud to say that. Anyone from oklahoma whether you are in a tribe or not. It is a core policy and tenant for epa in the office of international and tribal affairs. The 574 recognized tribes in the U.S.
▶ 0:55:00Ms. Turner: Are accepted, recognized or understood to be sovereign nations and as such, and epa as far back as 1984 established a policy which identifies two very important things. One is that we recognize the sovereignty of those nations. As such, we treat them as a government-government agency, not a subsidiary or a subset but indeed the sovereign nations.
▶ 0:55:26Ms. Turner: As such, we work towards enabling their ability to oversee the environmental trust of their own lands. They know the own -- their own lands better than we do. One of the epa's core responsibilities from the international and tribal affairs is to work with them to see as they are able and meet them where they are at. Tribes as we know in oklahoma are of various sizes, theories histories and various resources.
▶ 0:55:53Ms. Turner: To meet them where they need to be met at to enable their journey towards treatment as a state, I almost dislike the term treatment as a state, but it is a term we use. They are not states, they are sovereign nations but work towards their abilities to develop the capacity to oversee environmental programs on their own lands and that is something that epa takes is very important.
▶ 0:56:19Sen. Padilla: I made have follow-up questions to submit for the record. Several cordis -- >> heard you say that california has a lot of faults. >> environmental faults.
▶ 0:56:50Sen. Padilla: >> as mirrors, you have to be nimble and deliver results and have pragmatic accountability. It is my experience those are all important things in this current role you are approaching and I appreciate your service. We had a conversation to talk about utah. Utah aspires to be a centerpiece in nuclear as we move forward.
▶ 0:57:18Sen. Padilla: It is a great solution to clean baseload. As you are aware, we have had some attempts, not always successful, and I'm curious how the nrc can work with our entities in the state, paths forward and specifically at lessons learned so that we can make this a reality.
▶ 0:57:38Mr. Wright: Once a mayor always a mare, right. I know that there have been issues there. We are a safety regulator, and so we, utilities and other nuclear companies out there are companies that have nuclear make decisions on their energy assets, whether it is nuclear,
▶ 0:58:08Mr. Wright: Gas or anything else. They make that in the boardroom and we are not a part of that financial discussion. What we are committed to as a safety regulator is to collaborate with the states like utah, to have discussions early on things they are looking at and technologies they are looking at or permits or things like that. We commit to getting it done efficiently. We have been getting our house in order to do that.
▶ 0:58:39Mr. Wright: That is the lesson learned that we took from the early work. We learned how to put core teams together to break things apart and to project manage each one of those. And it is a shining star. We are ahead of the game in every area and we will make sure we can get everything done that needs to get done. We are not going to be the problem.
▶ 0:59:06Sen. Curtis: Thank you. I was proud at last congress and house to have my bill be advanced to become law as part of the advance act and that legislation was built on the simple premise that if we want to foster innovation and clean energy, we have to reward and support for the first movers and that starts with certainty and clarity and you referred to some of that.
▶ 0:59:30Sen. Curtis: For any emerging technology, especially advanced nuclear, the clear rules of the road are not just helpful but mandatory. How can the nrc ensure that applicants, whether they are startups or utilities, know what to expect as they navigate the licensing process question mark you efficiency on your end, but you can see a municipality or others that would take this process, it is a big gray cloud in how they can move forward. How can the nrc help with that?
▶ 0:59:59Mr. Wright: First off, we have to be transparent about everything and provide clarity along the way. We have to make sure we are actually communicating what needs to be done. Although we are not supposed to be consultants or to be promoters, we do promote nuclear safety. That is one thing we do.
▶ 1:00:26Mr. Wright: If we know the answer to what an applicant might need to get a decision reached by us, we have to show that information. We shouldn't hide it. We have to be transparent.
▶ 1:00:41Sen. Curtis: If you look at the advance act, you will see a lot of this is aimed at ensuring the applicants have the efficiency and that there is transparency and they have the best possible chance of making that through. Leaning on your past service on the commission, how do you think that has prepared you to move forward and deal with some of these and what our lessons learned for you?
▶ 1:01:03Mr. Wright: Senator, every part of my life and life experience has taught me, and I would apply
▶ 1:01:12It Today And I Am A: Cancer survivor, as is my daughter and having to fight that battle for both -- a colon cancer survivor, as is my daughter and having to fight that battle for both of us. You have to be nimble. I didn't even leave the time to buy gas. I got everything in my town.
▶ 1:01:43It Today And I Am A: Everything I learned about leadership came from cancer, baseball or serving as a mayor of a small town. In the end, it is about people. It is about people and leading people to do.
▶ 1:01:57Sen. Curtis: Thank you. I'm out of time. Ms. turner, don't have questions -- time for questions for you. >> Mr. wright, thank you for being with us today. I appreciate you taking the time to visit with me here and we had a wonderful conversation. You know of my great interest in nuclear energy.
▶ 1:02:30Sen. Curtis: As a senator from ohio, we have a great demand for electricity, an increasing demand, and almost an alarming rate, for good reasons but we are a manufacturing state. We need to make more things that requires more energy.
▶ 1:02:50Sen. Curtis: We are a data center state as america tries to lead in ai, are increasing and g demands with data centers are almost unfathomable, the increase in demand and of course electric vehicles and other things creating more and more demand.
▶ 1:03:11Sen. Curtis: In the last couple of days we have seen some interrupted services around the country and a lot of that is because of grid and not energy. This is a bipartisan issue because nuclear energy is a form of energy that addresses both needs, the environmental need of zero carbon but the level of energy that provides for 24/7
▶ 1:03:42Sen. Curtis: 365 power which is necessary for all of these components. America is overly reliant on foreign manufacturers of enriched uranium for our nuclear facilities. We have the only american owned uranium enrichment company in portsmouth, ohio -- at the portsmouth plant in ohio.
▶ 1:04:11Sen. Curtis: That is making sure we continue to support what is happening american enriched uranium is important and I know you play a role in that because you want to go with safety and provide it efficiently, always a challenge for a regulator.
▶ 1:04:35Sen. Curtis: Recently, I introduced legislation called the nuclear -- act with ranking member whitehouse, which would set clear standards for licensing requirements for nuclear recycling facilities, a new technology that the industry really believes they need clarity on in terms of the rules for how they would be regulated.
▶ 1:04:57Sen. Curtis: I want, if you would, to give me thoughts on that and do you agree that there is a need for clarity and could that create a safety and efficiency opportunity if we pass this legislation?
▶ 1:05:10Mr. Wright: Thank you for the question, senator. It was an honor to come and meet you in your office and your lovely wife, too. That was a treat. Without fuel, you can't run a plant. We have got to have fuel.
▶ 1:05:30Mr. Wright: We have got to have a secure bid because -- grade because if you -- grid so if you turn it on and there is no fuel, there won't be any energy. The regulatory framework will allow us to do recycling but having said that, anything or any bill that gets clarity for allows things to happen more efficiently is necessary.
▶ 1:06:01Mr. Wright: I am wide open to all of that. I look forward to following the progress of the act to see how that goes and how it can be implemented in whatever the word you want to use is.
▶ 1:06:17Sen. Husted: I will just follow up with that. In your experience, you have experience in this role and are not new to the job. Give us your perspective on what we can do in the legislative branch of government to provide more of that clarity that helps you address the issue senator padilla discussed, which is safety and security but also the
▶ 1:06:48Sen. Husted: Efficiency because the demand and the real need to go faster is there and how can we do a better job?
▶ 1:06:55Mr. Wright: First off, the legislatively -- the legislative act has been a game changer for us because it has allowed us to focus on things to get more efficient.
▶ 1:07:14Mr. Wright: Now as we look to reorganize the agency, how we are going to become a more nimble licensing reviewer in certifying these designs in a more efficient manner. We still have to maintain the safety standard case. At the moment I am sitting here right now, you have given us the tools to get started.
▶ 1:07:39Mr. Wright: Obviously, we have got to have more uranium at some point, and I know congress is working on ideas there. I know that we've got strong technical expertise within the agency and we are going to be able to do the reviews and licensing in these facilities. We will be able to use your hiring and retention tools and will get the talent we need if there is a gap.
▶ 1:08:11Mr. Wright: We will have the workforce we need to support these reviews. We are also training people now in the new hires we have been able to get on board. We are cross training people so they can be moved to other areas if the need is there and when the need is there. I will stay in touch with you about this.
▶ 1:08:33Sen. Husted: Thank you. In closing, I want to add that one of the things if we are going to do more made in america, one of the things that is essential is enriching our own fuel for these facilities and I hope we can get more of that done domestically. Thank you sharon.
▶ 1:08:54Chair Capito: Senator kelly, thank you.
▶ 1:08:59Sen. Kelly: Thank you to both of the nominees for being here today and your willingness to serve. I want to start by discussing the topic of abandoned uranium mines. As you know, there are thousands across the western united states . There are over 500 on the navajo nation and we have been working for decades to clean up these abandoned mines. We have encountered a number of challenges.
▶ 1:09:25Sen. Kelly: I want to start with chairman right, one of these -- chairman wright. Epa and the navajo nation have piloted a technology that can reduce the amount of hazardous waste at an abandoned mine by as much as 85%.
▶ 1:09:48Sen. Kelly: But this technology has not been able to be used more widely because they are awaiting a licensing decision by the nrc and in particular, the question I understand nrc has been wrestling with is whether remediation technologies can be licensed as a service or whether there needs to be a specific site process basically for each site.
▶ 1:10:12Sen. Kelly: My view is these technologies should be licenses of service paired on the navajo nation alone, there are 500 abandoned uranium mines -- service. On the navajo nation alone, there are 500 abandoned uranium mines. It could take years more to clean them up. Can you explain how you approach this issue on the commission and why you supported a service provider approach?
▶ 1:10:39Mr. Wright: Thank you senator kelly. I was hoping you would ask me a question on this. You may notice, I was the first vote cast three years ago and made the vote public so that I want to let it be known to you and the senator that you are being heard.
▶ 1:11:05Mr. Wright: I think this technology is a game changer because it is a service provider and I think the nrc did direct staff for it to be a service provider framework. Because it is one license. If it was a site, you would have to license for every place you go. That is too slow and I don't need that is the right way to go.
▶ 1:11:32Sen. Kelly: When you think the first license will be issued?
▶ 1:11:35Mr. Wright: They filed the application in march. We have a detailed -- we accepted the detailed review application for april 11 and I believe it is on track to complete the review by september of this year.
▶ 1:11:51Sen. Kelly: Great news. Ms. turner, if you are confirmed, you'll be the senior official at epa responsible for tribal issues. I want to get your thoughts on this as well. In the first trump administration, epa led the development of a 10 year plan to address uranium contamination on the navajo nation which is a framework still used by the epa and navajo nation to guide cleanup. Will you commit to ensuring epa continues to carry out the work laid out in the 10 year plan?
▶ 1:12:21Ms. Turner: Senator kelly, good morning. I want to first thank your staff for taking time to meet briefly and bring this to my attention. I think I ran into you in the elevator afterwards and I think it asked me a very interesting question which is why tribal and international are together. I have an answer for you but I will answer the uranium mines question.
▶ 1:12:46Ms. Turner: Not being confirmed in this role, well I will put at the other way, once I am confirmed and should I have the honor of being confirmed in this role, having boots on the ground in this area for this topic is something I very much look forward to. It is one of many issues within epa's halls that have been going on too long, that if your members of the patient that is directly or indirectly impacted, it is unacceptable that it has gone on this long.
▶ 1:13:16Ms. Turner: I do want you to know this is a priority for this administrator. We had support not long ago for the repeal of the clean power plan and sat down with the administrator and this is one of the issues that came up should I be confirmed in this role, this is one of the first things I do look forward to engaging in, understanding what is in the 10 year plan and understanding what potentially is delaying the 10
▶ 1:13:47Ms. Turner: Year plan, the agreements epa has made under the plan. Whenever you have multiagency engagements trying to solve a problem like this, you can see where there are potentials for delays in the tribal consultation space alone, there are 18 different tribal consultation policies within the U.S. government.
▶ 1:14:11Ms. Turner: I do very much look forward to engaging in this issue, understanding where the delays are in seeing what we can do at epa should I be confirmed.
▶ 1:14:21Sen. Kelly: It sounds like you are committed to the 10 year plan you just want to make sure it gets implanted efficiently. Senator, I would like to understand what is better in the plan and understand the responsibilities that the nrc, epa and any other agency has to sit down with the tried and understand what their needs and wants are, understanding that for them, this needs to be done yesterday.
▶ 1:14:45Sen.Sen. Kelly: Thank you, madam chair. Senator boseman?
▶ 1:14:54Senator Boseman: You have an impressive background, including delivering power to communities in arkansas, including my hometown, fort smith. To do that work it is essential to maintain strong relationships with local communities, couldn't tribes. What successes have you seen in maintaining tribal and community relations and could the work of the office of international tribal affairs?
▶ 1:15:25Ms. Turner: I do miss working with you, senator, it's great to see you.
▶ 1:15:32Sen. Boseman: That's good to know.
▶ 1:15:34Ms. Turner: Somebody misses it, right? [laughter] it's an important question, I appreciate the question. Working for an electric utility, and I have worked for several throughout my career, the relationship that you have with your community is paramount. It is not just of the communities that you operate and serve, but the communities that are your ratepayers, pay your bills, impacted by all the decisions that you make.
▶ 1:16:03Ms. Turner: When I was with one of the utilities we worked with, we had some interesting engagements with, this was in oklahoma, as you heard me say earlier, the land of 39 tribes. There are tribes of different sizes with different wants and needs.
▶ 1:16:23Ms. Turner: Two of the largest tribes in oklahoma we were able to work with and develop to a distribution level, solar farms, tribes with large economic growth engines. Billions in economic development. Working with them on something as large and important as that was one experience.
▶ 1:16:44Ms. Turner: To your point, the community engagement being first and foremost in how we negotiated agreements, but that they want to see out of this development. One of my favorites is actually something significantly smaller that I did with, again, starting with community outreach, what are the needs of our communities? What do they expect out of, at the time, the company I worked for?
▶ 1:17:14Ms. Turner: This was the hoochie tribe, not even fedor -- uchi tribe, a small private business on a parcel of land that was about 40 acres, fifth generation oklahoma family, very proud. We were able to work with them on actually something mutually beneficial.
▶ 1:17:39Ms. Turner: One of our largest wastes is vegetation management. We worked with them on them reusing but we would have otherwise put in a landfill. The relationship was born through kit -- born right before covid, sustained them through covid, and I believe it is in place today. I use those examples because I think they are examples of what I keep in mind as I think about being confirmed in this role.
▶ 1:18:11Ms. Turner: In the 5574 federally recognized tribes throughout the country, their histories are different, their sizes are different, the resources are different. It is important for epa in general and for this office to recognize that and execute epa's core mission, their federal trust responsibility, and meet the tribes where they need to be met at.
▶ 1:18:40Sen. Boseman: That was going to be my next question, these communities often see major delays in infantry -- infrastructure projects, upgrades to water systems, broad recordings, the current process between epa, tribal governments, it isn't always the fact this and most effective. -- fastest and most effective.
▶ 1:19:07Sen. Boseman: Sounds as if you work hard in your prior capacity to make that work. How do you coordinate among those agencies and make it so that it is a more transparent process with greater efficiencies across the agencies so that these projects can get done? The biggest problem that we have is delays and this and that. It increases costs dramatically.
▶ 1:19:37Ms. Turner: Thank you for the question, senator. Working so long in regulated industry, working for a company that had to cite and build infrastructure, I understand the frustration of having to work through multiple agencies on any single project where efficiency, deadlines, and meeting their wants and needs of customers was potentially compromised.
▶ 1:20:03Ms. Turner: You are not the first person we have heard from that has described a frustration in multiple agency projects and timelines and engagement. It is something on my mind as well. One of the things I first observed is the, again, I mentioned it to senator kelly, throughout U.S. government we have something like 18 different consultation policies for tribal nations.
▶ 1:20:31Ms. Turner: Should I be confirmed in the role, that is in -- on my whiteboard, engaging further in and understanding if that is part of why things are not getting done, because different agencies are consulting differently? Are there gaps? Overlaps? Inefficiencies?
▶ 1:20:51Ms. Turner: One of the reasons why I said yes when I was asked to serve this administration is because there is a real commitment not just by this administration but by this administrator to get things moving, to see where the delays are, to streamline permitting processes when we can and make things happen where perhaps they have been installed.
▶ 1:21:14Sen. Boseman: Thank you madam chair? Senator markey?
▶ 1:21:22Senator Markey: The president, trump, has ordered the destruction of offshore wind on the east coast of the united states. He's ordered the destruction of it. That's a tragedy. He has ordered the destruction of the tax breaks for wind and solar in the bill that will come before. It's a tragedy. We have a dramatic rise of ai consumption.
▶ 1:21:49Senator Markey: Trump is destroying our ability to have an all of the above strategy. As a result, it will put more pressure on the nuclear regulatory commission to press forward faster and give the natural gas industry and opening to come in where there was no opening in terms of the construction of new plants, because trump is killing the electrical generation capacity that was the plan for much of the country. Especially the east coast.
▶ 1:22:19Senator Markey: 94% of all new electrical generating capacity in the united states was wind, solar, and debate -- battery. 94% of all new installed electrical generation capacity in the united states last year was wind, solar, and battery. Trump has declared war on that. That puts pressure on the nuclear regulatory commission.
▶ 1:22:39Senator Markey: That's a danger to me, a real danger, for you to move faster than otherwise you would, based on historical legacy, be moving forward. The nuclear regulatory commission is facing strange and unprecedented times. This agency was created by congress to do one thing, regulate civilian nuclear activity with public safety as the first priority.
▶ 1:23:07Senator Markey: Independent agencies hold a unique role in our federal government. They are supposed to act free from influence by financial or political influence. Commissioners of independent agencies confirmed by the senate are statutorily protected from removal without cause. It's a precedent that the supreme court has respected for 90 years. But over the past five months this administration has fired commissioner and former nrc chair without cause.
▶ 1:23:38Senator Markey: Fired safety focused staff for no good reason at the best of doge. Forced commission rulemakings that are supposed to be independent to go through the executive branch policy review to ensure alignment with the trump agenda, which is of course to absolutely crush the clean energy revolution for the benefit of the nuclear and natural gas industries.
▶ 1:24:04Senator Markey: Just to crush this all of the above strategy and pressure the nrc to accelerate license reviews and cut corners while ignoring community concerns. Mr. chairman, if reconfirmed, how will you protect the nrc from attacks that jeopardize it's in -- independence and ability to protect public health and safety?
▶ 1:24:24Mr. Wright: Senator, thank you for the question. I enjoyed our visit back in march with you and your staff. I bought your book, too, by the way, at an old library at close down. We are accountable, we are the independent agency branch, that's where we are house, accountable to congress and the administration. Safety is our strike zone over home plate. It is our northstar.
▶ 1:24:55Mr. Wright: It will continue to be that. Nothing that has happened so far , nobody has asked us to compromise safety in any way, nothing has touched safety.
▶ 1:25:05Sen. Markey: It's coming your way, Mr. chairman it is coming your way. They are destroying entire industries with no regard, ultimately, for the safety of the american people for pollution. Keep going, I'm sorry.
▶ 1:25:21Mr. Wright: To me, what I have seen so far and have been involved in with my colleagues is about process more than anything else. Trying to align our stuff within the agency so that we can be more efficient, which was the goal of the act.
▶ 1:25:41Sen. Markey: Let me then turn to alignment, public engagement. Today I am reintroducing my office of public engagement and participation act, establishing an office dedicated to keeping communities informed and involved with what is happening in their backyard. Communities deserve a chance to weigh in on the issues that directly affect their health and safety.
▶ 1:26:06Sen. Markey: There is nothing like a nuclear power plant coming to your neighborhood that raises safety and health issues. Over the years I have learned a great deal from communities, next to the decommissioning of the pilgrim power station in massachusetts. And they have fought for commission nuclear safety and that failure to meaningfully engage with these communities has eroded trust in the commission. Mr.
▶ 1:26:32Sen. Markey: Wright, if reconfirmed how do you plan to maintain strong public costs -- trust in the ability to responsibly and independently regulate civilian nuclear activity through public engagement and hearings?
▶ 1:26:47Mr. Wright: Thank you for the question. I'm not sure I totally agree with everything in the comments, but I will tell you that it is my belief, personally, that the nrc on public engagement does as good, probably the best job of any agency in the federal government, include my colleague to the left. We have public meetings, federal registry notices, website announcements, social media posts, list serves.
▶ 1:27:19Mr. Wright: We will go to the potluck dinners and will translate into native languages and print, radio. They don't have broadband, we go to them to seek their input. I believe that we -- and there is a lot more that we do on top of that as well.
▶ 1:27:35Sen. Markey: I will say this, trump has issued executive orders threatening opened in stressed public hearings, license reviews, you are going to be under pressure, under a lot of pressure.
▶ 1:27:46Mr. Wright: I appreciate the concern.
▶ 1:27:49Ms. Turner: Thank you.
▶ 1:27:50Mr. Wright: I will tell you that I look forward to reading your legislation. I just heard about it this morning. But it's all right, senator wicker.
▶ 1:28:03Senator Wicker: Thank you, madam chair. Early site permits. I expect the grand golf plate to move forward soon on constructing a new nuclear with unit. If this occurs, they might then be required to perform duplicative safety health and environmental assessments already done as a part of the early site permit renewal. Potentially costing ratepayers tens of millions of dollars.
▶ 1:28:36Senator Wicker: This can be waived based on the quality of the work for the early site renewal. If so, if you continue to serve in this office, will you commit to working with me and the white house to find a pathway forward to extend these permits with less burden and costs to the customers?
▶ 1:28:57Mr. Wright: Absolutely, that's common sense. It is something that needs to happen and we will have to find a way to get through the process and get out the door. I will work with you.
▶ 1:29:17Sen. Wicker: Thank you. Switching to a more general topic, there's a lot of talk about smrs. There are very few of them actually out there. For those listening, micro reactors offer potential benefits, including enhanced safety features, greater flexibility in deployment, and value to both civilian and national security applications.
▶ 1:29:44Sen. Wicker: What is the nrc doing to modernize their regulatory framework? What can you tell us about this development? Why don't we have any more of them in operation? How soon will these become a way of life?
▶ 1:30:01Ms. Turner: That's a lot.
▶ 1:30:03Sen. Wicker: Well, you've got three minutes. [laughter]
▶ 1:30:07Mr. Wright: This is an area that the nrc is leaning in hard on doing a great job on. We cannot review anything that doesn't come before us in the form of an application. As I mentioned, we have five people that have been for us. New scale is out and done. Standard approval, they can go to market. The other is ahead of schedule.
▶ 1:30:35Mr. Wright: And we have got 25 or so that are before us in some form of early engagement. If you saw the chart, it's like a waterfall of people coming in 26, 27, and 28. We have got to staff up so that we can do those reviews and licensing actions that will be needed. We are on top of that. So, the advanced act, again, thank you for that. You gave us the tools so that we can go in direct hire people if we need to do so.
▶ 1:31:06Mr. Wright: You know, you have given the opportunity for early movers to come in and maybe get some of their fees waived or something like that if they are first in. We are working right now with doe and dod to be a part of that micro reactor process.
▶ 1:31:25Sen. Wicker: Well, tell us about the national security -- application.
▶ 1:31:35Mr. Wright: I know that they downselect selected to eight micro reactors and at some point they will pick a couple of them, maybe, I don't know. I don't care who they pick. That's not us. We would like to be a part of the review process so that we can work with doe in establishing a safety case. Right? The rest of it after that is about process. We can use that data that's been gathered.
▶ 1:32:04Mr. Wright: We've got to get one built, right? Getting one built will send a good signal to the market. It will help us graft -- craft a pathway on the commercial side to get these things through the process quicker, too. I'm excited by the opportunity to work with federal partners on this. It is an opportunity that hasn't come around since, probably, I don't know, oppenheimer?
▶ 1:32:31Sen. Wicker: In terms of safe residential or commercial application, how many city blocks would a typical smr power in, say, washington, D.C.? Any idea?
▶ 1:32:47Mr. Wright: There are different sizes.
▶ 1:32:50Sen. Wicker: There is less there than meets the eye.
▶ 1:32:53Mr. Wright: Yes, yes. You know, right now it, it's like within the fence line. I don't know where the critical part of it would be where people would be concerned.
▶ 1:33:09Sen. Wicker: I'm talking about how big of an area for power generation.
▶ 1:33:13Mr. Wright: It would go away, up to 300 megawatts or so. Depending on their use.
▶ 1:33:27Sen. Wicker: How big of an area?
▶ 1:33:31Mr. Wright: Subject to check? 300,000, 200,000 homes?
▶ 1:33:38Sen. Wicker: Appreciate it. Look forward to working with you. >> senator lummis just arrived. I don't know if you are extremely timely or ready.
▶ 1:33:50Senator Lummis: Thank you. I want to thank the nominees for coming before the committee today and thank the chair and ranking member for organizing the hearing. I am interested in how we will be working on improving tribal affairs, helping trump with energy dominance, and strengthening cooperation.
▶ 1:34:17Senator Lummis: Chairman, thank you for your innovative technologies around abandoned uranium mines. What specific actions will you take to ensure that advanced reactor developers already deep into the licensing process benefit from modernizing the nrc and not just future developers?
▶ 1:34:40Senator Lummis: Can you make sure that early movers, like tara power, are not disadvantaged by shifting regulatory frameworks intended to benefit future applicants?
▶ 1:34:54Mr. Wright: Senator, thank you. Again, I met with you, I think you were the second senator I met with?
▶ 1:35:01Sen. Lummis: I enjoyed the conversation, thank you.
▶ 1:35:04Mr. Wright: We covered a lot of ground that day.
▶ 1:35:06Sen. Lummis: We did.
▶ 1:35:08Mr. Wright: One, the nrc is committed to all advanced reactor developers. We want to work with them, regardless of their stage in the licensing process. We are gonna, we are gonna make sure that these applicants, especially those already deep in the process, right, they will benefit from the modernization, not be penalized as a result of it.
▶ 1:35:38Mr. Wright: We are gonna, the nrc is gonna, we appreciate and recognize those significant investments they have made. Right? We want to make sure that they get through the process sufficiently, in a timely way, and that we are not an unintended roadblock. We are going to make sure that they get through and are not penalized.
▶ 1:36:00Sen. Lummis: I would also like to follow up on a question that was asked earlier by senator kelly about the nrc's guidance on legacy cleanup of the mines. Can you briefly speak to commission plans, disk -- to soon would it -- distinguishing waste from conventional or.
▶ 1:36:24Sen. Lummis: How would you make sure that service provider licensees, like disse, are not burdened by unnecessary conditions that could hinder remediation or the recovery recyclable uranium from these legacy waste files?
▶ 1:36:42Mr. Wright: Right. Commission direction has to be followed. Right? The service provider network framework is what we recommended be done. That's the way it's going to have to be. Outside of that, the staff is going to have to, you know, they were working at it. I think they got stuck on it.
▶ 1:37:08Mr. Wright: I don't think that there's been any movement on whether or not there would be a definition of how it would look or what it would look like. I would like to get back to you on how that stands at this moment.
▶ 1:37:18Sen. Lummis: That would be much appreciated, thank you, I will look forward to that conversation. As you know, the cleanup that can be done on the navajo reservation, it's tremendous.
▶ 1:37:32Mr. Wright: It's a market-based solution that can get it done today. Even if it is 80%. 80% is cleaning it up. I've been a fan about it for three years now.
▶ 1:37:45Sen. Lummis: Thank you. I'm so pleased to hear that, let's follow up. So, after years of effort and hundreds of millions in public investment, the united states still doesn't have single license operating advanced reactors. So, what, should we expect different results in the future?
▶ 1:38:09Mr. Wright: Well, yes, we should. And I think we are moving in that direction in a big way. As I mentioned earlier a couple of times, the advanced reactor side of the house is the shining star within the nrc right now. We just got the new scale standard design approval out, they can go to market now. And we have others, for other applications before us.
▶ 1:38:37Mr. Wright: Until the others coming with applications, we can't start doing the official stuff, but we have 25 others in early engagement with us, so that when they get the questions answered on the new and novel, their application will be robust, complete, full, and we should be able to get through the licensing process quicker. I mean, our goal is like 18 months or so.
▶ 1:39:00Sen. Lummis: Duly noted, I appreciate your response. Do I have time to ask miss turner a question? Thank you, madam chairman. Miss turner, welcome. The epa currently treats the two federally separate recognized wyoming tribe as if they were one single try when it comes to grant funds, creating complications and fails to recognize the sovereignty of either.
▶ 1:39:27Sen. Lummis: Of course, the eastern should shown, northern arapaho, the two tribes I'm speaking of. They inhabit the wind river reservation. Will you commit to treating each tribe as separate entities, as intended by the laws governing the trust relationship between the federal government and a federally recognized tribe?
▶ 1:39:53Ms. Turner: Senator, good morning. I appreciate the question. Should I be confirmed, I would want to understand why these two tribal nations are potentially being treated as one. You were not here to hear me say it earlier, but epa takes federal trust responsibilities seriously. We work with our tribal nations as sovereign entities with the government relationships.
▶ 1:40:24Ms. Turner: That's paramount to how we engage and respect the sovereignty of the tribe. I would want to understand what is happening there. That's should I be confirmed in this role. The releasing of grant money for tribal programs is also very important. So, should I be confirmed, I would like to understand what's happening, work with the region and staff in overseeing this, seeing what we can do to get that grant money taken care of.
▶ 1:40:55Sen. Lummis: And that is a very fair response that I appreciate. Let's plan on visiting on that as time goes on. Now chairman, I go back. >> thank you, senator. Look says that we have come to the end. One of the little housekeeping issues that was not addressed at the beginning I will address at the end. These are questions for both of you. We will start with the chairman and go across.
▶ 1:41:25Sen. Lummis: Do you agree, if confirmed, to appear before this committee and or designated other appropriate committees of congress who prided -- to provide information subject to security protections with respect to your responsibilities?
▶ 1:41:39Mr. Wright: Yes. >> do you agree that the testimony, briefings, documents, and other forms of communication are provided to the committee and staff and other appropriate committees in a timely fashion?
▶ 1:41:53Mr. Wright: Yes. >> do you know of any matters that you may or may not have disclosed that would put you in a conflict of interest?
▶ 1:42:01Ms. Turner: No. >> thank you. Unanimous consent to submit various letters of support for today's nominees, both nominees. We have letters of support. So, with no objections? I would like to thank the nominees in the audience in all of my colleagues for your participation in today's hearing.
▶ 1:42:28Ms. Turner: Senators who wish to submit risk -- written questions for the hearing have until 5 p.m., monday june 30, to do so, and the responses are due back no later than monday, july the seventh, but I imagine we will be working on them on the july 4 and submitted for the record. With that, the hearing is adjourned. Thank you both.