▶ 0:18:54Chair Capito: Good morning and thank you, everybody. Today we will consider the nominations of douglas weaver to serve as a member of the nuclear regulatory commission, and a lee beaman to be a member of the tennessee valley authority board of directors. First, we will hear from Mr. weaver. This is the third nrc nomination hearing since june and the fifth nrc nominated to come before the epw committee in the last 18 months. Confirm Mr.
▶ 0:19:23Chair Capito: Weaver to the nrc will return the commission to its full complement of five members as congress had designed. A full slate of commissioners is best suited for the agency to carry out its business to the full extent of the law and make important and necessary decisions on the future of nuclear power generation in the united states.
▶ 0:19:44Chair Capito: These decisions include selecting experienced, key, permanent career leaders to fill the nrc's most important positions and approving an updated organizational structure to more efficiently fulfill its obligations. Selecting highly qualified leaders and modernizing its organizational structure will enable the commission and staff to fully confront the challenging and vital work that is expected and needed at the nrc.
▶ 0:20:10Chair Capito: The nrc fills a crucial position in delivering on a shared bipartisan agenda to deploy more nuclear energy and to do so quickly and safety. To deliver on this agenda, the commission must implement its statutory obligations including those in the advance act, respond to president trump's executive orders, and the cobbler while continuing to efficiently carry out its licensing duties. The role of nuclear technology in our energy future will be set by the actions taken by the nrc today.
▶ 0:20:41Chair Capito: These actions must not be compromised either procedurally or substantively by taking shortcuts, or undercutting the nrc's principles of good regulation. Because of the consequential impacts of nrc's ongoing work, the commission must ensure the agency's decisions are clear, workable, and enduring. Doug weaver's comprehensive expertise with nuclear technology provides him with the perspective to effectively meet this challenge. Mr.
▶ 0:21:09Chair Capito: Weaver began his career in the navy, serving for nine years in active duty in the nuclear navy, then 12 years in the naval reserve. During his time serving our country, she received multiple metals in recognition of his service, assisted in our nation's response to the 9/11 attacks at the pentagon. After leaving active duty come Mr. weaver spent nearly 20 years as an nrc staffer including as deputy chief of staff for chairman dale klein.
▶ 0:21:38Chair Capito: He departed the nrc to work for leading nuclear supply chain companies, directly involved in regulatory compliance as a nrc licensee. I believe doug weaver's service in the nuclear navy, experience as a nrc staff member, work in the private sector make and well-rounded and well-qualified to be confirmed as a nrc commissioner. I will say as a point of personal privilege, his in-laws are my constituents and very good friends, so there is that.
▶ 0:22:05Chair Capito: [laughter] we will also consider the nominations to fill a vacancy on the tv a board of directors. In 1930 three, congress passed the tennessee valley authority to establish the tva as a federally owned public utility to serve the people of the tennessee valley across seven southeastern states. Allowed charges tva with three primary roles, providing electricity, managing the tennessee river system, and assisting with economic development efforts.
▶ 0:22:36Chair Capito: Recently, this committee favorably reported four nominees to be members of the tva board of directors. Once confirmed, those four nominees will provide the board with the required quorum to conduct all business necessary for the tva to fully function. The current nominee, Mr. beaman, would bring considerable expertise and business operations to the board. Mr. beaman sold to successful automotive group in 2020 and now serves as chairman and ceo of beeman ventures.
▶ 0:23:04Chair Capito: If confirmed, he must support and uphold each of these three fundamental response abilities at tva, which is serve the people of the tennessee valley very well for decades. With that, I will recognize ranking member white house and then I will introduce my fellow senators for their introductions.
▶ 0:23:21Sen. Whitehouse: Thanks very much, madam chair. With respect to Mr. weaver, he has been nominated to fill the last vacancy on the nuclear regulatory commission. This seat have been occupied by former commissioner annie caputo, who resigned in august.
▶ 0:23:47Sen. Whitehouse: I cannot help but wonder if her resignation was influenced by the department of energy and doggy, as I describe it, interference at the nrc, and the ensuing turmoil. This is the third hearing for an nrc nominated this year, the second hearing to fill an nrc slot that was prematurely vacated.
▶ 0:24:14Sen. Whitehouse: I will repeat the warning that I relayed to chairman right, and now commissioner nia. The trump administration's assault on nrc's independence threatens the stability and reputation of the agency. And that threatens the viability of the U.S. nuclear industry. Our nuclear industry success depends upon the credibility of its regulator.
▶ 0:24:47Sen. Whitehouse: That credibility is clearly in jeopardy, as I have pointed out in all of these nominations. In march, 19 70 five, nrc's first chairman, bill anders, testified before the senate joint committee on atomic energy that, and I'm quoting "public confidence will follow only if our performance both serves and is perceived to serve the public interest, and is not prejudiced by either for or against the
▶ 0:25:18Sen. Whitehouse: Industry we regulate." instead, the department of energy has intruded across the nrc's congressionally mandated separation from doe and doge has inserted at nrc 10 unqualifieddoge staffers.
▶ 0:25:43Sen. Whitehouse: In the name of transformation, these doges have pushed up nuclear experts and directed the nrc to rip up and revise its regulations in a dangerously short timeframe. That suppose a transformation has only sewn turmoil. It begs the question. Who is behind the rush to a wholesale revision of regulations within nine months? Who benefits?
▶ 0:26:14Sen. Whitehouse: Nrc lost scores of senior executives and technical staffers who might have defended against mischief lurking in such a change. And the revision is being jammed through without transparency or consultation under the trump io consultation under the trump I oira new black box process and is being led by a so-called general counsel who lacks any nuclear energy experience. That is a dangerous combination.
▶ 0:26:47Sen. Whitehouse: Knee capping the nation's safety regulator at a time of unprecedented interest in cutting edge nuclear technologies is shortsighted and irresponsible, and begs the question again, what is behind this, or who is behind this? Why is the administration is evading nrc's licensing process by rushing applications through the department of energy or the department of defense or capacity to handle such reviews?
▶ 0:27:19Sen. Whitehouse: If you think the winner here is the nuclear industry, you are wrong. Industry will pay the price of regulatory uncertainty. Industry will pay the price of errors from rush to reviews. Industry will pay the price of undermined confidence in nuclear safety, and god forbid, we will all pay the price if something goes seriously wrong.
▶ 0:27:45Sen. Whitehouse: We will all pay the price of losing out on a zero emissions energy source while we face growing climate and energy crises. Mr. weaver has, on paper, the technical qualifications for the job. He served two decades at the nrc and worked in the nuclear industry.
▶ 0:28:06Sen. Whitehouse: My question for him is whether he will have the backbone, the courage at the nrc to choose safety overpressure from the department of energy, as it engages in a bureaucratic capture effort, or doge, as it does it's one thing or two about general government disruptions, or the administration of political forces directing the
▶ 0:28:38Sen. Whitehouse: Administration. I hope you will. And I hope that I will be in a position after this to vote for him as I voted for and be returning to Mr. beaman, the trump administration violated decades of bipartisanship with the tennessee valley authority, firing all three democratic board members. My republican colleagues are evidently ok with that. Mr.
▶ 0:29:02Sen. Whitehouse: Beaman's prime qualifications is that he is a trompe l'oeil list and 20 election denier. He even signed a letter urging state legislators to appoint fake electors to the electoral college to overturn the election. He has a freedom award from the koch-backed americans for prosperity, a battleship for the fossil fuel influence armada.
▶ 0:29:31Sen. Whitehouse: When he asked comes to raise tva customer rates by backing away from less expensive clean energy to keep more expensive fossil fuel plants running, it's a pretty safe bet who's back he will have.
▶ 0:29:47Sen. Whitehouse: He is the landlord to multiple republican members of congress at his capitol hill row home, and the campaign treasurer for one whose misrepresentations on financial disclosures and reports are now pending review by the house ethics committee.
▶ 0:30:03Sen. Whitehouse: The nonpartisan office of congressional ethics found evidence of wrongdoing , but despiteoce's recommendation to subpoena witnesses, the investigation has been stalled since another of beeman's tenets, mike johnson, became speaker of the house. We will see if my republican colleagues are ok with that, too.
▶ 0:30:26Sen. Whitehouse: Bipartisanship at the tva have long been a bipartisan senate thing, until the sun it rolled over for the trump administration beam incompetence at the nrc has long been a bipartisan senate thing, until the sun it rolled over for doe and doge interference and whatever corrupt masses behind the interference.
▶ 0:30:52Sen. Whitehouse: And in a normal senate, it would be a bipartisan senate thing to hold the nomination of someone involved as campaign treasurer in a house ethics investigation until the investigation was concluded. Finally, there are personal issues that are laid out in a variety of articles that I asked to be put into the record, so the senate is fully aware of the candidate's background.
▶ 0:31:23Sen. Whitehouse: I think voters just sent a pretty strong message about following the trump administration off the corruption cliff. I hope senators on both sides think twice about continually tearing down our own institution. Thank you, madam chair.
▶ 0:31:37Chair Capito: Thank you, senator whitehouse. We will turn to the introductions of the nominees. I'm pleased to have my fellow senator, senator mccormick from pennsylvania, to introduce doug weaver, nominated to be member of the nuclear regulatory commission. Welcome to the committee.
▶ 0:31:57Sen. Mccormick: Thank you, and chair, members of the committee. It's my great pleasure to introduce douglas weaver to the committee. As you consider his nomination to be a member of the nuclear regulatory commission. Mr. weaver is a proud native of shamokin, 20 miles away from where I grew up in bloomsburg, incredible life of a professional service, advancing safe nuclear energy.
▶ 0:32:19Sen. Mccormick: With him today is his wife meg, his two sons, as well as a third son who is participating by livestream. His mother, brother, and two sisters at home. Welcome all. Esther weaver's record of public service is second to none, as you said, madam chair. He served in the navy for five years.
▶ 0:32:42Sen. Mccormick: He worked at a nuclear training prototype as a training officer, division officer on board the uss louisville. He also supervised a pair of students to operate the navy nuclear propulsion plant and during his 13 years as naval reserve officer, Mr. weaver help to rebuild the navy command operations center following the september 11 attacks. For his service, he was awarded the navy commendation medal. For nearly two decades, Mr.
▶ 0:33:10Sen. Mccormick: Weaver served at the nuclear regulatory commission including serving as deputy director of the spent fuel storage and transportation division. Later he was the vice president of licensing and regulatory affairs, vice president of nuclear wreck that we affairs at westinghouse electric company, another pennsylvania icon. Most recently served as the president of atomic safety. His extensive resume and professional experience have prepared him very well to serve on the nuclear regulatory commission.
▶ 0:33:39Sen. Mccormick: The commission is charged with enabling the safe and secure use and deployment of civilian nuclear energy technologies and radioactive materials. In our home state of pennsylvania, we are blessed with four active nuclear power plant's and a fifth expected to come online in 2027. Pennsylvania nuclear power powers 7.3 million homes, employs 3300 individuals, and is responsible for almost a third of the states electricity generation.
▶ 0:34:08Sen. Mccormick: Our country is witnessing a profound change, a demand for safe, clean, and reliable power to power the great american comeback. Nuclear power, whether from traditional generation plant or small modular reactors, will be key, absolute necessity for meeting these demands, and ensuring the safety and security of these facilities will be one of Mr. weaver's top duties which she is supremely, supremely qualified for.
▶ 0:34:36Sen. Mccormick: He has the operational, regulatory, and policy experience that is very unique and important position demand. I can think of no one more qualified to serve on the nuclear regulatory commission than douglas weaver. It's my honor to introduce him to this committee today. Thank you, madam chair.
▶ 0:34:53Chair Capito: Thank you. Next, I will turn to senator blackburn, who is here to introduce lee beaman, nominated to be member of the board of directors from the tennessee valley authority. Welcome, senator blackburn.
▶ 0:35:10Sen. Blackburn: Thank you, madam chairman. It is indeed an honor for me to stand with lee beaman and to support his nomination and confirmation to the board of directors for the tennessee valley authority.
▶ 0:35:26Sen. Blackburn: Every once in a while, as we look at these boards, we have people who are so well qualified , that have such a thorough understanding of the issues for an agency, and it is an honor to have them offer themselves for service. That indeed is Mr. beaman.
▶ 0:35:50Sen. Blackburn: He brings decades of experience in business leadership, community service, and organizational governance with him to fill this role at the tva. His career actually began as a teenager when he was washing cars at the auto dealership.
▶ 0:36:14Sen. Blackburn: Over the course of more than 54 years, he built a career that led him to serve as the owner, ceo, and chairman of the board for nine automobile dealerships representing 13 franchises across two states.
▶ 0:36:36Sen. Blackburn: He is not only a prominent figure in the auto industry, his leadership has extended to the beverage industry, where he spent 35 years working across tennessee and georgia. The regions served by these companies that he has led overlap closely with areas that tva supports, giving him first-hand familiarity with the communities, the people, the
▶ 0:37:07Sen. Blackburn: Economic conditions, and the operational needs of this region. Mr. beaman's service record is far beyond the private sector. For more than four decades, he has served on the boards of many notable tennessee institutions, including vanderbilt children's hospital, belmont university, the national symphony, and the beacon center of tennessee.
▶ 0:37:39Sen. Blackburn: His commitment to his community, to his church, has been recognized with honors, such as the national american business ethics award and multiple recognitions from businesses and charitable organizations across our state. Mr.
▶ 0:38:01Sen. Blackburn: Beaman, his wife julie, and their family have demonstrated a long-standing commitment to giving back financially to causes that support tennesseans, and make their lives in our communities better. These have included contributions and funding for the beaman nicu at st. Thomas midtown hospital.
▶ 0:38:27Sen. Blackburn: This is something that meets the needs of so many young parents in our neighborhood. His philanthropic endeavors include the beaman family foundation, which supports dozens of charitable causes, and the donation of 1500 acres of land to the city of nashville for a park.
▶ 0:38:54Sen. Blackburn: With his leadership and commitment to the people of our great state, I am so confident that Mr. beaman will lead with discipline and an unwavering commitment to the tennessee valley authority board of directors, to the people that are served by the tva, and to meeting president trump's goal of making energy plentiful and affordable and available for
▶ 0:39:25Sen. Blackburn: Economic growth and development. Thank you, madam chairman.
▶ 0:39:28Chair Capito: Thank you. We expect senator hagerty but he has not arrived yet. What we will do is bring the witnesses forward. I will swear you all in and we will begin statements, come back to senator hagerty when he arrives. Thank you, senator blackburn.
▶ 0:39:47Chair Capito: Before you were all seated, I would like to -- if you would please stand and raise your right hand, answering the following question. Do you swear the testimony you are about to give to them committee is the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help you god?
▶ 0:40:16Chair Capito: Let the record show that the witnesses have answered in the affirmative. We will now hear from the nominees. We will first go to -- since senator hagerty is here in the nick of time, we will let him do his introduction. You can go ahead and stay there, Mr. weaver. Welcome, senator hagerty. I know it's a busy day on capitol hill.
▶ 0:40:40Sen. Hagerty: Thank you, chairman o, ranking member white house. I was doing an introduction for another friend and former staffer in another committee hearing. Great honor to be here today. Important hearing. I just want to let you know it's a great honor for me to introduce a friend of mine, lee beaman. My home state of tennessee depends on strong leadership to ensure the tennessee valley continues to grow, thrive, and remain competitive for future generations.
▶ 0:41:09Sen. Hagerty: Tva plays a butterball in that mission and the individuals who serve on its board must bring both experience and a deep commitment to the people of the valley. It's my honor to introduce an exceptional tennessean, lee beaman, president trump's nominee to serve on the board of directors at the tennessee valley authority. Mr.
▶ 0:41:28Sen. Hagerty: Beaman's career spans decades in successful entrepreneurship and executive management, as the head of one of tennessee's most well-known private companies he consistently demonstrated strong leadership, operational experience, and commitment to long-term strategic planning. His background navigating complex challenges and gutting large organizations make prepared to contribute meaningfully to tva's mission. Equally important is Mr. beaman's long-standing dedication to civic and community service.
▶ 0:41:57Sen. Hagerty: He has been deeply involved in advancing educational opportunities, strengthen local organizations, and supporting initiatives that improve quality of life throughout our region. His perspective reflects someone who understands not only how to build strong businesses but how to support the families they serve. The burqa tva's essential to the future of the tennessee valley, ensuring reliable power, supporting economic development, and preparing the region for new industries and new opportunities.
▶ 0:42:29Sen. Hagerty: Tva needs board members who can balance sound governance with practical real-world experience. Lee beaman brings this much-needed excel skills. His leadership background, business acumen, and his commitment to tennessee make lee an exceptionally well equipped candidate to guide tva's long-term goals. I'm confident we will bring study, thoughtful, and effective leadership to the board.
▶ 0:42:53Sen. Hagerty: He understands the responsibility of this role into paris to help tva continue its mission supporting the valley's growth, resilience, and prosperity for generations to come. I'm pleased to support president trump's nomination. I thank the committee in advance for your vote today to secure lee's swift confirmation.
▶ 0:43:09Chair Capito: Thank you. Appreciate that. We will now go to our opening statements. Mr. weaver, you are up first. Please proceed with your opening statement.
▶ 0:43:21Mr. Weaver: Thank you, chairman cap hito, ranking member white house, members of the committee, to discuss how my years of nuclear experience can help the nuclear regulatory commission meet the moment. I also want to thank president trump for nominating me and also for the kind words and introduction by senator mccormick.
▶ 0:43:43Mr. Weaver: I want to recognize my family, my wife meg, whose unwavering love and support make this possible, my three sons, seth and matthew who are here with me today, and the jd who is following from case western reserve university. My mother frances at home in pennsylvania whose faith at age 92 continues to inspire me.
▶ 0:44:05Mr. Weaver: Today, I'm reminded of the first time I came to washington, seeking approval of a new role, just after I completed my sophomore year of college, I came to interview with the late admiral mckee to serve as an officer in the navy's nuclear power program. That turned out to be day one of what would become 29 years of combined military and federal civilian service, including 20 years at the nuclear regulatory commission. Come in before the committee today brings me full circle.
▶ 0:44:35Mr. Weaver: If confirmed, present one more opportunity to serve our great nation. My career has had three distinct phases. First, my initial training and operating experience in the navy, where I learned the fundamentals of nuclear power and what it means to safely operate and maintain a reactor. Second, at the nrc, are entering to be a nuclear safety regulator, how to apply the regulatory framework in various situations, and ultimately the policy-setting process when I served as advisor to warmer nrc chairman klein.
▶ 0:45:07Mr. Weaver: Third was my work in the private sector. After I left frontal surface, I ultimately led to global affairs regulatory agency for organizations for westinghouse electric company. I sit before you with a lifetime of nuclear safety experience that provides a solid foundation to serve on the nuclear regulatory commission.
▶ 0:45:27Mr. Weaver: Since leaving the nrc 13 years ago, I've worked in the private sector as a leader and advisor, assisting companies navigating the nrc's regulatory landscape for both reactors and fuel cycle facilities. Looking at the nrc from the perspective of an applicant and licensee has given me a clear understanding of the challenges faced by the industry when seeking nrc approvals.
▶ 0:45:51Mr. Weaver: At a time when america seeks energy independence and climate solutions, nuclear technology stands at a critical juncture. While the nrc safety record is exemplary, in today's rapidly evolving energy landscape, the energy must match safety excellence with regulatory agility. While the nrc must act more expeditiously, speed cannot come at the cost of compromising the safety. Safety must remain the nrc's top priority.
▶ 0:46:20Mr. Weaver: But it must be achieved in a more efficient manner, for example, by placing a greater emphasis on risk informed decision-making. The nrc is already changing for the better, as I have seen in my interactions with nrc staff in the year prior to my nomination. If confirmed, I will work with the current members of the commission to continue to effectively implement both the advance act and an executive order 14300, in a manner that maintain public trust and meets the needs of the nation.
▶ 0:46:51Mr. Weaver: I commit to leveraging my nuclear safety experience to help build an nrc that is both uncompromisingly safety focused and strategically efficient. The american people deserve nothing less than excellence in nuclear regulation. Thank you for this opportunity to appear before you today. I look forward to your questions.
▶ 0:47:09Chair Capito: Thank you, Mr. weaver. I like to extend my warm welcome to the family, your family. Good looking family. Meg, your two sons, your son listening, your mother. I am throwing the mckinney's in as well. Mr. beaman, we welcome your opening statement.
▶ 0:47:30Mr. Beaman: Chairman capital, ranking member white house, members of the committee, thank you for having me this morning for the opportunity to discuss my nomination to the tennessee valley authority board of directors. I am honored by the opportunity to serve my state and region and appreciate the nomination by president trump and senator hagerty and blackburn for their support. I'm also thankful to my wife julie who is here with our pastor steve berger.
▶ 0:48:02Mr. Beaman: Julie suggested I serve in this capacity. She stressed to me the crucial need for greater electric power in our region and our country, and that tva can play a vital role, even leading the way for our nation. I never served in the military, something I deeply regret. However, I now have experience, knowledge, and wisdom that I can apply at tva and serve my country.
▶ 0:48:30Mr. Beaman: I have spent my career building businesses, and it all started as a teenager washing cars more than 54 years later, I was the owner, ceo, and chairman of the board for nine dealerships operating under 13 different franchises and brands in two states with sales and distribution across eight states east of the mississippi river.
▶ 0:48:55Mr. Beaman: My career also includes 35 years in the beverage industry, pepsi and 7up, encompassing 15 products and over 100 package sizes distributed across parts of tennessee and georgia. The automobile and beverage industries have taken me across much of the same region that tva serves.
▶ 0:49:15Mr. Beaman: For over four decades, I've had the privilege of serving my community on boards of some of tennessee's most respected institutions, spanning health care, education, the arts, civil rights, and economic development, from vanderbilt children's hospital to belmont university to the national symphony, beacon center of tennessee, I have worked alongside dedicated leaders to advance missions that matter.
▶ 0:49:45Mr. Beaman: Whether chairing a strategic initiative for guiding long-term vision, I bring a deep understanding of governance and passion for building organizations that serve with excellence. My commitment to ethical leadership and community service has been recognized with awards such as the national american business ethics award, the junior achievement free enterprise award.
▶ 0:50:08Mr. Beaman: And I've been humbled to receive distinctions like the charlie daniels patriot award, inclusion into multiple years in the nashville business journal's top 100 most powerful people. In addition to my time, I've given you financially too many worthy causes such as the beaman nicu at st. Thomas midtown hospital which helps protect the most vulnerable among us.
▶ 0:50:33Mr. Beaman: My community service and the honors I received reflect not just a personal journey but a lifelong dedication to advancing organizations that serve with purpose, vision, and heart. I'm grateful for the chance to bring that same energy and experience to this board. My career has been about far more than building a business.
▶ 0:50:54Mr. Beaman: It's been about making a positive impact where my family work and live, by dedicating time and resources to causes that we care about, we are making a meaningful difference in the lives of others. For example, to fulfill our commitment to conservation, we donated 1005 hundred acres of beautiful, pristine land to the city of nashville so that future generations can enjoy hiking miles of trails on this preserved to land within city limits.
▶ 0:51:23Mr. Beaman: Since childhood, I have enjoyed tennessee's beautiful natural environment from hiking in the smokies to the cumberland mountains, kayaking and fishing on many tva lakes. Just this year, my wife julie and I chose to celebrate our anniversary hiking in the smokies. While serving as a tva board member, I would take the opportunity to play a serious role in protecting the environment. I'm a proud tennessean and american.
▶ 0:51:53Mr. Beaman: If confirmed, I am committed to serving my state and country by carrying out tva's mission to improve lives while making a positive difference in the energy, environment, and economic development of our region. If confirmed, I will push for performance to ensure affordable and reliable power is delivered to the local power companies and businesses across the seven state region. And I will drive efforts to secure america's energy future. Thank you.
▶ 0:52:23Mr. Beaman: I look forward to your questions.
▶ 0:52:24Chair Capito: Thank you both. Before we go -- I will begin the questioning. I will ask the restated questions that I ask of our witnesses. We will go down the line here. Do you agree, if confirmed, to appear before the committee, designated members of the committee, other appropriate committees of the congress, to provide information subject to appropriate and necessary security protections with respect to your response abilities?
▶ 0:52:52Mr. Beaman: I do.
▶ 0:52:53Mr. Weaver: I do. .
▶ 0:52:55Chair Capito: Do you agree to insure other forms of communication are provided to the committee, staff, and others in appropriate and timely manner? >> I do.
▶ 0:53:08Chair Capito: Do you know of any matters where you may or may not disclose that may place you in a conflict of interest if you are confirmed?
▶ 0:53:15Mr. Beaman: No.
▶ 0:53:16Mr. Weaver: I do not.
▶ 0:53:19Chair Capito: Thank you. Now I will begin. I will start with you, Mr. weaver. You know the nrc's budget very well, the nrc, in testimony before this committee has a long record of this allocating their budget resources. I frequently express my frustrations with that, development, management, execution process.
▶ 0:53:43Chair Capito: This has resulted in excessive fees paid for by the nuclear industry, delays in the agency's core licensing duties. During your time for nrc chair klein, you had first-hand experience with the budget process, as I mentioned. Based on your experience, what are the most important steps nrc could take to improve how the budget is developed, managed, and executed?
▶ 0:54:11Mr. Beaman: Thank you for the question, senator. I can say the nrc has vexed me both when I worked there and as a member of industry trying to get clarity on some things. One of the first things is, when the commissioners vote on the budget, that might be the biggest policy decision they make because it is setting priorities for an entire year.
▶ 0:54:38Mr. Beaman: I found it when I was working for chairman klein, difficult to advise him because of the lack of clarity and the information was provided even to the commission. I have had a lot of chance to think about that since. Maybe it is easiest to describe just an example.
▶ 0:55:01Mr. Beaman: The nrc, as you know, collects most of its budget through fees, hourly fees, as well as annual fees. Looked at holistically, about 25% of the budget comes from the hourly fees. The staff has done a pretty good job being accountable for those, because those get billed to licensees, and they can see their bills. They may like it or not like it, but it is clear.
▶ 0:55:33Mr. Beaman: I think the opportunity in budgeting is in that 75% covered by annual fees. There's a lot less clarity about the staff's plans on what they intend to accomplish with that 75%. As you indicated in your question, that can lead to higher annual fees.
▶ 0:55:53Mr. Beaman: The other downside of that, staffs sometimes start efforts that snowball, spend a lot of resources, a lot of their time, spend a lot of industry time on something that ultimately doesn't have a safety benefit.
▶ 0:56:14Mr. Beaman: My solution would be increased transparency during budget formulation inside the nrc, and in budget execution, to have external transparency. What did we say we are going to do? Did we do it? I think if we provide the commission with that sort of clarity, the commission then can decide, licensing is my biggest priority right now. I see this lower priority item, I'm going to move resources over there.
▶ 0:56:45Mr. Beaman: That is a short version, senator.
▶ 0:56:46Chair Capito: Thank you. You obviously know the process well. I think transparency is a great key. Harder to achieve than sometimes it sounds like. Mr. beaman, tva is one of the leaders in american nuclear, producing 40% of its generation from nuclear power. Tva holds the early site permit from the nuclear regulatory commission to build a small modular nuclear reactor, smr, and his clinch river site.
▶ 0:57:17Chair Capito: This will be the first smr at a utility in the united states. What role do you see for nuclear energy including advanced nuclear reactors in tva's power generation portfolio? You need to turn your microphone on.
▶ 0:57:33Mr. Beaman: Thank you. I think nuclear power generation is the main future of power in the united states, probably around the world. I think tva can lead the way as a template for the rest of the country on how we aggressively achieve that through clean, nuclear power.
▶ 0:57:59Chair Capito: Thank you. Mr. weaver, there has been an exodus of senior leadership. The ranking member talked about this. Positions that are critically important to the nrc. The chairman selects with the approval of the commission certain designated senior agency leaders.
▶ 0:58:25Chair Capito: Would you please describe the key attributes and qualifications you would prioritize as you are considering individuals for senior leadership positions?
▶ 0:58:33Mr. Weaver: Yes, senator, thank you for the question. Number one, we need leaders that will motivate and inspire. Staff, I think, is feeling pretty low right now, due to the workload, number of exits. Number one is we need leadership to inspire and motivate. The leaders must also be committed to making independent regulatory decisions. That is a nonnegotiable. Two other must haves.
▶ 0:59:04Mr. Weaver: They must be technically competent, understand the revelatory framework. Finally, I would say they need to be committed to implementing the advance act as well as the executive order.
▶ 0:59:16Chair Capito: They have been pirated away from private industry to help them fulfill the smrs, dream of the next technologies. We will try to help work with you and the commission to try to get the best highly qualified leaders in senior positions. Senator whitehouse.
▶ 0:59:39Sen. Whitehouse: Thank you, Mr. chairman. Mr. weaver, thank you very much for the meeting we had in my office. I found it very helpful. In that meeting, I mention four separate threats to the nrc's capabilities and independence.
▶ 0:59:58Sen. Whitehouse: One is direct political interference and influenced by the white house, which would give potential big nuclear developers a way to speed around traditional safety reviews, if the nrc yielded to that influence. The second erosion of the firewall between department of energy and the nuclear regulatory commission, which was the very basis for the founding of the nrc.
▶ 1:00:27Sen. Whitehouse: I see what looks like a very distinct, old-fashioned, bureaucratic turf power grab by the department of energy to try to intrude into, to some degree, take over the nrc. The third is the brain drain that the chairman and I have mentioned, the staff exodus that has taken place.
▶ 1:00:47Sen. Whitehouse: The fourth is the intrusion of people who seem to have much more loyalty to the fossil fuel industry than to the nuclear industry, and may be in a position to handicap the development of nuclear power. Because every nuclear electron that comes online likely displaces a fossil fuel electron. We have seen that already take place in my state with an offshore wind project. Those are four very real risks that you face.
▶ 1:01:18Sen. Whitehouse: Tell me how you would respond to those risks as nrc commissioner?
▶ 1:01:24Mr. Weaver: Thank you, senator, for taking the time to meet with me within the past few weeks. I'm committed to having the nrc make independent regulatory decisions. I am not seeking to come back to the nrc to tear down the organization that has done so much for me.
▶ 1:01:44Mr. Weaver: As I mentioned in response to chairman capito's question, I will select staff who also believe that having independence is a key part of their function. Period. This is a nonnegotiable. You mentioned in your opening statement that it is shortsighted -- my word -- to take shortcuts on safety because ultimately it will cause failure in the industry.
▶ 1:02:15Mr. Weaver: I believe that nuclear power is a good thing for the united states if it is done safely, if it helps make our country stronger and cleaner. But it has to be done safely.
▶ 1:02:26Sen. Whitehouse: Will you also take a good, hard look at the ongoing regulatory revisions which are happening without real transparency, in the context of a brain drain where much of the internal capability of reviewing those decisions is lost, and at the hands of people who may have mischievous interests. I think they merit a good, close look. Will you promise me to give that a good, close look when you get there?
▶ 1:02:55Mr. Weaver: Absolutely, senator. These rulemakings will be complex. It is the first thing that is on my mind, other than hiring permanent staff in leadership positions, is looking at those rulemakings.
▶ 1:03:10Sen. Whitehouse: Thank you. Mr. beaman, the office of congressional ethics found, and I quote "substantial reason to believe that representative andy ogle's campaign received illegally large donations and then falsely reported them as personal funds from ogle. He is your tenant, you were his campaign manager?
▶ 1:03:37Mr. Beaman: I was his campaign treasurer for four months.
▶ 1:03:40Sen. Whitehouse: From april to august of 2020 two.
▶ 1:03:44Mr. Beaman: Sounds about right.
▶ 1:03:46Sen. Whitehouse: I don't have time now but I will ask you questions on the record for this. Promise to answer them truthfully?
▶ 1:03:53Mr. Beaman: Sure.
▶ 1:03:55Sen. Whitehouse: You have another reported tenant at your home, pastor steve berger.
▶ 1:03:59Mr. Beaman: Yes.
▶ 1:04:01Sen. Whitehouse: Is here with you today?
▶ 1:04:03Mr. Beaman: He is.
▶ 1:04:05Sen. Whitehouse: He has evidently stated about lgbt individuals, our gay community, that he would, and I'm quoting "take a baseball bat and beat the hell out of every single one of them."
▶ 1:04:19Mr. Beaman: I've never heard him say that.
▶ 1:04:22Sen. Whitehouse: You never heard him say that. Are you aware that he said that?
▶ 1:04:26Mr. Beaman: I was not until I read that in briefings for this meeting.
▶ 1:04:34Sen. Whitehouse: What is your view with respect --what is his role, why is he here? Why is he your tenant? Are you prepared to distance yourself from views of that sort of disgracefully violent nature?
▶ 1:04:49Mr. Beaman: He is my pastor. He married my wife and me. He has been a friend of mine for many years. I have never heard him express those types of sentiments, other than loving every member of the community, all god's children.
▶ 1:05:06Chair Capito: Madam chair --
▶ 1:05:09Sen. Whitehouse: Madam chair, I have a letter in opposition to Mr. beaman's nomination from congressman steve cohen.
▶ 1:05:18Chair Capito: Without objection. Senator merkley.
▶ 1:05:25Sen. Merkley: Thank you very much, madam chair. A couple of our senators wrote an article about tva, saying the board looks more like a collection of political operatives than industrial leaders. We need folks who have experience and gravitas to meet the challenge. My impression from the introductions come Mr. beaman, is that while you bring business experience, you don't necessarily bring energy related business experience.
▶ 1:05:56Sen. Merkley: I will review the record again. But what you bring is a whole lot of what is normally characterized as being a political operative. I will submit an article for the record from the chattanooga times.
▶ 1:06:07Chair Capito: Without objection.
▶ 1:06:09Sen. Merkley: It notes that you funded and massively supported president trump, one of -- half a million dollars for various senate candidates. I will put it that way. You own a home through a subsidiary in which the sea pick -- speaker of the house lives. You have abdicated on some of the presidents projects like putting his face on mount rushmore. If any of that is incorrect, can you submit a statement to the record stating that is not accurate?
▶ 1:06:39Mr. Beaman: Senator, I appreciate your question.
▶ 1:06:43Sen. Merkley: I just want to know if you will submit a record to state if any of that was inaccurate.
▶ 1:06:49Mr. Beaman: Much of that is inaccurate.
▶ 1:06:52Sen. Merkley: Thank you. You will clarify that for us then. Second is, energy is involved very much in the ai revolution because of the demands. You have a lot of stock in ai related firms like meta, apple, nvidia, google. Will you fully disclose to the committee your ownership of those stocks and will you divest if you are confirmed to this position?
▶ 1:07:15Mr. Beaman: Senator, yes. I have already disclosed all of my holdings and assets. I have already signed an agreement stating that I will divest myself of all of the assets that have been recommended that I do.
▶ 1:07:31Sen. Merkley: Specifically, I'm asking -- will you divest those specific stocks that I listed?
▶ 1:07:38Mr. Beaman: Yes, I will.
▶ 1:07:41Sen. Merkley: Thank you very much. There was a case come class action case related to your auto dealership regarding discriminatory auto lending practices. It will be fully disclosed to the committee all the details of that settlement that came from that lending practice?
▶ 1:07:58Mr. Beaman: I would be happy to.
▶ 1:08:01Sen. Merkley: Thank you very much. The election's loss as a treasurer is is possible for registering the committee, depositing receipts, authorizing expenditures, and signing and filing all reports and statements on time. This takes us to the question of the filing of the statement for andy ogles. Did you sign that statement?
▶ 1:08:25Mr. Beaman: I do not think I did. I don't think it was filed at the time that I was the treasurer.
▶ 1:08:35Sen. Merkley: We will explore that. It's my understanding it was filed by your treasurer. If that is not the case, that is helpful to know that. The factor that was particularly highlighted is that report was not signed by the treasurer. I thought you were treasurer at that time. We will double check that. Second of all, it involved a fake loan, which has been highlighted by a report by the ethics commission.
▶ 1:09:05Sen. Merkley: And the fake loan was an unusual position of reporting a loan in order to intimidate fellow challengers in a primary, when the loan was not actually made. When did you become aware that that tactic had been filed by him?
▶ 1:09:20Mr. Beaman: I heard about that in the news media months afterwards.
▶ 1:09:24Sen. Merkley: That did not happen while you were treasurer?
▶ 1:09:27Mr. Beaman: It did not.
▶ 1:09:30Sen. Merkley: Thank you for clarifying that. We will check those details. I wanted to turn then to -- I was disturbed, I will just put it that way -- by a series of points that were made, that are rather personal. This is from your divorce filing.
▶ 1:10:03Sen. Merkley: I really hesitate to ask you about them here. So, I think I would just pursue them separately. The allegations made during that were disturbing to me, I will just put it that way. With that, my time is up. Thank you.
▶ 1:10:22Chair Capito: Senator padilla.
▶ 1:10:27Sen. Padilla: Thank you, madam chairman. Regarding my colleagues, a question that been raised repeatedly with all the nominees to serve on the nrc that have become before the committee, gone back years, specifically speaking to the independence of the commission.
▶ 1:10:51Sen. Padilla: More recently, the potential presence and influence of department of energy detail ease , former doge employees, their presence at the nrc threatens the very independence of the commission that is so critical not just from a government standpoint but from the point of view of even the trust of the american people, public confidence in the commission and it works. I will ask Mr.
▶ 1:11:18Sen. Padilla: Weaver questions that I've asked every witness that has come through. Do you commit to ensuring that any outsized staffers from any other government entity, even if they are labeled as department of energy detail ease, do not dictate the policy to nrc staff, or have veto power over nrc staff, yes or no?
▶ 1:11:41Mr. Weaver: Yes, senator. Absolutely.
▶ 1:11:49Sen. Padilla: I appreciate the clarity of your answer. I wish every witness was that's extinct. Do support the separation of nuclear safety from nuclear promotion responsibilities between the nrc and department of energy?
▶ 1:11:59Mr. Weaver: Yes.
▶ 1:12:01Sen. Padilla: Do you agree that nrc staff has unique and critical expertise and experience necessary to license new reactors, as compared to the expertise obtained in department of energy or department of defense?
▶ 1:12:14Mr. Weaver: I cannot be quite as easy on this one. Yes to the first part. Clearly, the nrc has the expertise. I don't know the expertise or the number of people that do that work at doe or dod.
▶ 1:12:27Sen. Padilla: Appreciate the honesty. That will be subject matter that we will continue to discuss in the future. Let me also ask you questions. We covered some of this in my office when we were kind enough to come in. My concern about staffing levels, capacity of staff at the commission.
▶ 1:12:54Sen. Padilla: The work that is done there is obviously critical to ensuring nuclear reactors are safe, secure, and up to regulatory standards. From my view, representing a state that has a long history of nuclear power plants including the still functioning diablo canyon, I feel the work of the nrc is being threatened by a loss in personnel.
▶ 1:13:19Sen. Padilla: Whether it is retirements or forced retirements, doge cuts, etc. It is not just a loss of experience and expertise, but the impact of morale on the staff that remains. Mr.
▶ 1:13:35Sen. Padilla: Weaver, it confirmed, do you commit to pushing back on further reductions, even advocating for the reversal of past reductions, if they threaten the nrc's ability to maintain the safety of our nuclear facilities?
▶ 1:13:52Mr. Weaver: Senator, if staffing is an issue to maintain safety, then I will definitely speak up and seek to hire more people. Not being there, I'm not quite sure. I'm aware people have left. I don't know what the actual conditions are, but it is going to be one of my first orders of business.
▶ 1:14:17Mr. Weaver: Earlier, I testified, selecting leaders who can motivate the staff because of the morale issues that you just pointed out , senator, is a high priority of mine.
▶ 1:14:26Sen. Padilla: Thank. That is what I'm looking for, somebody willing to make the commitment and has the courage to speak up if staffing levels get to that point. That should concern not just members of the commission but members of this committee, members of senate, congress, and of course the general public. In the time left I want to ask a question that I ask all the commissioners representing california. We are no strangers to earthquakes, especially large earthquakes.
▶ 1:14:58Sen. Padilla: Seismic safety continues to be a priority for me. Mr. confirmed do you commit to ensuring the nrc evaluate seismic risk and updates its assessments of the most up-to-date and relevant seismic risk data and tools available?
▶ 1:15:15Mr. Weaver: Yes. Thank you very much.
▶ 1:15:19Chair Capito: Senator markey?
▶ 1:15:23Sen. Markey: I appreciated our conversation and your support for the nrc safety vision and independents. Unfortunately the nrc independence is under attack by doge and the trump white house which is now requiring the nrc send along its actions and decisions to the white house for alignment with president trump's agenda before they get published , with the white house getting the final say on those safety
▶ 1:15:54Sen. Markey: Regulations. Mr. weaver, if you were told to make changes you thought made the nrc decision less protective of public safety, would you refuse even if that meant you might get fired?
▶ 1:16:08Mr. Weaver: I am not completely clear what the new process is. I am aware there is a process. I am going to do what I think is safe without regard to my status as a commissioner.
▶ 1:16:29Sen. Markey: I hope our new commissioners will not be tested in that way but this is not a hypothetical. Trump already fired an independent nrc chair for not falling in line with his political agenda and the chilling effect is not going away. The nrc independence keeps us safe and is the engine behind public trust in the nuclear industry. Without that independence we risk a meltdown in more ways than one.
▶ 1:17:02Sen. Markey: Dba is our nation six largest power supplier and its board is responsible for developing utilities and long-range plans and approving its long-range budget and setting electricity rates. Let's get to one important management question. In a recent interview with the national business report, Mr.
▶ 1:17:24Sen. Markey: Beeman, you set all other things being equal I generally come down on the side that private enterprise is more effective at getting things done than the government. Mr. beaman, do you support maintaining the public power of tva.
▶ 1:17:42Mr. Beaman: Thank you for the question. Also in that article I think it said, because I know I said it in the interview and I hope they quoted it appropriately that although I generally believe that the private sector is more efficient than government, in the case of tva, I think tva is
▶ 1:18:15Mr. Beaman: More uniquely appropriately operated as a government entity.
▶ 1:18:16Sen. Markey: You commit to opposing any effort in directly or indirectly to privatize tva for outsourced its core functions to private actors?
▶ 1:18:26Mr. Beaman: Yes, sir.
▶ 1:18:28Sen. Markey: At a time when utility bills are going up because of trump's anti-energy policies it is more important than ever to have public power responsive to tva customers and not wall street shareholders and we need a commitment publicly so I'm glad that is the position you are going to take. We are facing an energy crisis in the tennessee valley and across the country.
▶ 1:18:57Sen. Markey: Which electricity generation source is the cheapest to build or operate on average nationwide?
▶ 1:19:00Mr. Beaman: That is something that I want to really delve into and explore and make sure I have all of the accurate facts about that and make sure I am really knowledgeable so that in developing our integrated resource plan that we come up with the very best combination.
▶ 1:19:23Sen. Markey: I will give you the early returns on your research. Solar is the cheapest on average , about $58 a megawatt hour. Gas is $78 to $200 per megawatt. All of that is a part of this set of decisions you will have to make.
▶ 1:19:55Sen. Markey: We also need board members who have qualifications and judgment to do the job. Mr. beaman, you said you are accompanied by pastor steve berger. Mr. berger has said some controversial things about the lgbtq communities.
▶ 1:20:18Sen. Markey: He said if it was left to myself I would take a baseball bat and beat the hell out of every single one of them. I know senator whitehouse has already asked you the question. My question is do you agree with those comments?
▶ 1:20:33Mr. Beaman: No I do not and furthermore I've never heard the pastor say such things.
▶ 1:20:42Sen. Markey: You are under consideration for serving one of the nascent -- for serving the nations largest public power utility and it is very important the values being represented by the tva are those we aspire to as a nation. I thank you, madam chair.
▶ 1:21:07Chair Capito: Senator lummis?
▶ 1:21:11Sen. Lummis: Mr. beaman, thank you for your willingness to serve. I am from wyoming so I will focus my questions on Mr. weaver but I appreciate your willingness to serve. Mr. weaver, welcome and thank you for your willingness to serve. I want to start by asking a question about the nrc draft rule.
▶ 1:21:36Sen. Lummis: It has to do with groundwater protection at uranium recovery sites. There is quite a bit of uranium in wyoming. I've been to facilities. They look a little like beehive sitting on the surface because you're driving charges into the ground that then will produce in a well scenario uranium.
▶ 1:22:06Sen. Lummis: It is finessed -- it is fascinating. The concern is the draft in situ rule at uranium recovery sites would increase monitoring and compliance costs despite decades of evidence showing that in situ operations pose extremely low risk to groundwater.
▶ 1:22:28Sen. Lummis: If confirmed how would you ensure that the nrc's irs rule or in situ rule aligns with president trump's executive order by taking what the president describes as a risk informed narrowly tailored approach rather than a broad measure that increases costs?
▶ 1:22:54Mr. Weaver: Thank you for meeting with me prior to this hearing. I appreciated that opportunity. I am not aware of the draft rule. It is something I would look at should I be confirmed. I can speak about risk conforming. I think that is the way forward writ large for the nrc.
▶ 1:23:18Mr. Weaver: It makes us more efficient but also keeps the resources focused on those things that are most risk significant. It is something -- if I do end up looking at that proposed rule I would look at it through that risk informed lens.
▶ 1:23:34Sen. Lummis: Perfect. That is an excellent answer. With regard to the nuclear fuel supply chain, as you know, bringing U.S. enrichment technology online and on shore would be really helpful.
▶ 1:23:59Sen. Lummis: There are places where we have pinch points in our energy production, one of them is less in nuclear mining than in enrichment and conversion. How would you go about processing licenses for U.S. owned nuclear fuel facilities, including enrichment facilities and conversion facilities?
▶ 1:24:24Mr. Weaver: Thank you for that question. I am aware that conversion is a limiting factor as enrichment is as well. The uranium ban, the russian uranium ban looming, we as a country need to move expeditiously.
▶ 1:24:47Mr. Weaver: With respect to licensing for fuel cycle facilities I think the nrc is doing a lot of work for the advanced act to be more efficient in licensing and although the advanced act targeted advanced reactors primarily I think the staff intends to bring those same efficiencies to the fuel cycle arena. I would support that.
▶ 1:25:11Mr. Weaver: The other thing I can say about enrichment -- I've been consulting with an enrichment company and I'm aware of some of the challenges they have faced. There is language in the atomic energy act that puts additional requirements on enrichment facilities there and are not applicable to other fuel cycle facilities and from my perspective there is not a safety case for having those
▶ 1:25:41Mr. Weaver: Extra restrictions. It would be something potential legislation fixes to look at.
▶ 1:25:47Sen. Lummis: I will look forward to working with you on that. With regard to other nrsc commissioners, how can you see yourself collaborating with the other commissioners to respect the nrc's mission as nuclear safety regulator while still enabling the use of some of these new technologies?
▶ 1:26:09Mr. Weaver: I do agree that having a full commission facilitates better answers when you get those five different perspectives and allows us to move ahead. Specifically with respect to your question on enabling. To me what enabling means is we do efficient, effective reviews that get to a safety answer in a timely manner.
▶ 1:26:40Mr. Weaver: That is not different than being a safe. I see them as the same thing.
▶ 1:26:45Sen. Lummis: Madame chairwoman, would you indulge me on one more question.
▶ 1:26:49Chair Capito: I will indulge you.
▶ 1:26:51Sen. Lummis: Do you plan to ensure that advanced reactor developers that are already tepe into the licensing process can benefit from modernizing the nrc so it does not apply just to future developers but it is companies already in this long process.
▶ 1:27:13Mr. Weaver: Thank you for that question. Process changes and improvements at the nrc should apply to all of our applicants, whether they are currently engaged or prospective applicants. Those type of thing should apply to everyone.
▶ 1:27:29Sen. Lummis: We did have a lovely conversation and obviously this is important to my state and many others and this technology is important to our country. I look forward to enthusiastically supporting your nomination, Mr. weaver. And again Mr. beaman it is very nice to meet you and if the occasion falls on me to work with you I will look forward to it.
▶ 1:27:54Chair Capito: Thank you senator. I was going to do a little stall tactic because I knew our two senators were on the way. Senator schiff, did you want to? Are you ready.
▶ 1:28:09Sen. Schiff: I am read.
▶ 1:28:11Chair Capito: I am asking a question of Mr. beaman quickly while you're getting ready to write Mr. beaman, what part of tennessee are you from?
▶ 1:28:25Mr. Beaman: Nashville.
▶ 1:28:28Chair Capito: I would consider that. And I think of tva I think of affordability for areas that are impacted by economic challenges and tva can play a big part. I want to put that on your radar screen and I will turn to senator sullivan.
▶ 1:28:49Sen. Sullivan: I want to thank witnesses and their families for their desire to be considered for these positions. Mr. weaver, let me start with you. We have had a lot of hearings on the nrc oversight and the new nuclear capabilities we have, micro nuclear advances.
▶ 1:29:21Sen. Sullivan: The older system of the regulations and the permitting timelines have taken years, sometimes decades to move out which is driving a lot of our nuclear industry, our nuclear innovation overseas, particularly places like china.
▶ 1:29:45Sen. Sullivan: What you think we need to be doing to essentially modernize the nrc's ability to permit projects that are not any more three mile island type projects but projects with mike low nuclear reactors, advanced -- micro nuclear technologies, advanced nuclear technologies, even in places like alaska, where one of our military bases as you probably know is in the final stages for having a small
▶ 1:30:16Sen. Sullivan: Spiel nuclear power generator. The base may be for remote communities that store lie on diesel. How do we need to think about that? It is a really big issue. The nrc has been too slow to address this.
▶ 1:30:31Mr. Weaver: Thank you for the question and I did meet with your staff. I really enjoyed that. Micro reactors are typically one 100th, sometimes one 1000th or even smaller than some of the big reactors.
▶ 1:30:51Sen. Sullivan: But the permitting framework seems to still use that framework for the big projects in a way that relates to the smaller projects. It does not seem to make sense.
▶ 1:31:08Sen. Sullivan: Given the smaller size and smaller risk and depending on the technology, I think a different approach might be appropriate.
▶ 1:31:17Sen. Sullivan: You have any thoughts or ideas on that because it is a really big issue we have talked about a lot. It is bipartisan. This is not a partisan issue. Just thinking in a more advanced way to address the technological changes and not give china a leg up on nuclear technologies.
▶ 1:31:38Mr. Weaver: Senator, I do not know what is in the rulemakings that are currently going on. They have not been made public right the smaller reactors, the rulebook, the rules as you alluded to are written for large light water reactors.
▶ 1:32:00Mr. Weaver: When we come in with a new technology that is not a light water reactor or is much smaller , we have to look at the regulations to make sure they are ensuring safety at the appropriate scale for the risk of the activity the company is seeking a license for.
▶ 1:32:20Sen. Sullivan: Thank you. I hope if confirmed you put a lot of effort into this because it is something we in this committee have been focused on but I think we could use more guidance from the nrc. You are the experts. Let me turn to you, Mr. beaman. The tennessee valley authority, a lot of times people are confused about what it does, its purpose.
▶ 1:32:51Sen. Sullivan: I think the idea of having federally mandated statutorily created authority such as the tennessee valley authority makes sense. We have done it a few times. We have the denali commission in alaska that is focused on our unique challenges with regard to infrastructure.
▶ 1:33:15Sen. Sullivan: Every now and then there are people who say these are boondoggles and they are outdated, the tennessee valley authority was created in the 1930's if I'm not mistaken. Can you give an update on why you think an organization like this, even though it was mandated decades ago is still relevant, not just for the region in which it serves but for the country?
▶ 1:33:41Mr. Beaman: Thank you for those questions. I really do believe that even though the tva act was passed in 1933 and tva has done an outstanding job of lifting a previously depressed area of the country into a pretty prosperous area that is flourishing.
▶ 1:34:11Mr. Beaman: However there are still areas in the rural south and tennessee valley that still need development, economic development. Tennessee valley authority helps provide the residence of the tennessee valley with rates that are 70% less than 70% of the rest of the country.
▶ 1:34:41Mr. Beaman: It is still performing its original mission. Still doing a good job and we are still working to try to extend the development to further and further into more rural areas than needed.
▶ 1:34:53Sen. Sullivan: Thank you. Thank you, madam chair.
▶ 1:34:57Chair Capito: Senator schiff?
▶ 1:35:00Sen. Schiff: Thank you, madam chair. Mr. beaman, you pointed to your experience in the beverage business as part of your qualification to serve with the tva. I want to ask you about a different experience that gives me great concern, your experience in writing this letter, this is december 2020 letter.
▶ 1:35:27Sen. Schiff: You signed that falsely and daintily stated "there is no doubt president donald j. Trump is a lawful winner of the presidential election in 2020. Joe biden is not president elect. The letter goes on to ask battleground state legislatures to appoint false electors and asked congress to reject any competing slates in favor of vice president biden from these states." less than a month after this letter was published I was at the capital when
▶ 1:35:57Sen. Schiff: Insurrectionists attacked this building to try to overturn that election. Let me ask you, do you still believe joe biden was not the lawful president after the 2020 election?
▶ 1:36:08Mr. Beaman: At this point I do not.
▶ 1:36:11Sen. Schiff: You do not believe he was or you do not believe what you stated in your letter.
▶ 1:36:16Mr. Beaman: Let me clarify. At this point I do not still believe that joe biden was not properly elected.
▶ 1:36:24Sen. Schiff: You acknowledge he was properly elected?
▶ 1:36:28Mr. Beaman: Yes I do.
▶ 1:36:30Sen. Schiff: Tell me when accounted for your change of view?
▶ 1:36:34Mr. Beaman: I gathered more information and more facts.
▶ 1:36:39Sen. Schiff: What about that information or facts did you gather that changed your view?
▶ 1:36:44Mr. Beaman: I gained enough trust in the electoral process that I realized it was a fair election.
▶ 1:36:56Sen. Schiff: In terms of what happened on january 6 in the attack on this building, are you prepared to denounce those that try to overturn the election on january 6?
▶ 1:37:07Mr. Beaman: I think anybody that was trying to overturn the election through any sort of violence like that is way off base.
▶ 1:37:16Sen. Schiff: I appreciate your saying that. It will be necessary if you are to get this position that you can be counted on to swear and fulfill your oath to uphold the constitution in one of the most basic precepts is to respect our electoral process.
▶ 1:37:37Sen. Schiff: I think you've been asked about this before but I want to underscore the importance and ask you again about tva's public character. I think it has served the region extremely well and has been a great model. Are you committed to maintaining the public model or would you entertain privatizing any portion of tva?
▶ 1:37:57Mr. Beaman: I appreciate your question and I share your concern. I am happy to tell you that I believe tva is uniquely appropriate as a public utility. It can serve best its mission as a public utility.
▶ 1:38:17Sen. Schiff: You would oppose efforts at any privatization of tva or its components?
▶ 1:38:24Mr. Beaman: Yes.
▶ 1:38:26Sen. Schiff: Thank you. Mr. weaver, I appreciated the chance to meet with you in the office and I appreciate your experience. Share your thoughts on what role you think nuclear power will play in supplying some of these new data centers, what particular challenges lie ahead of us and how you see your role on the commission?
▶ 1:38:49Mr. Weaver: Thank you for meeting with me, yesterday. I appreciated that time three the data centers -- the nrc's role in all of this, I would like to see us have a large nuclear fleet but that is not my job. My job is to make sure what fleet we do have is safe.
▶ 1:39:12Mr. Weaver: In terms of smr's for data centaurs or any other reactors for data centers, my role on the commission would be to ensure the commission is ready, willing and able to timely review and render a safety decision in a timely manner on whatever applications we received. We are not to select one technology over the other.
▶ 1:39:47Sen. Schiff: I think nuclear power will be an important piece of our energy supply. If there are modular reactors we should move forward with them. Can you give us the confidence that should review a new design and decide the safety is in question your decide -- you would vote against it even if it might cost you your position?
▶ 1:40:10Mr. Weaver: Absolutely.
▶ 1:40:12Sen. Schiff: Thank you, madam chair.
▶ 1:40:15Chair Capito: Thank you, senator. I think we are at the end of the road. I will ask unanimous consent for today's nominees. With no further question I would like to thank the nominees, not just for coming today but for your willingness to serve in all of my colleagues for their participation.
▶ 1:40:41Chair Capito: Senators who wish to submit written questions and I believe that it was alluded to by some of our senators who wanted to submit written questions, they have until 5:00 p.m. Tomorrow december 4 to do so. The nominee responses to those questions are due back to the committee no later than 10:00 a.m. Monday, december 8. I realize that is a type timeframe but we are putting that in and it will be submitted for the record. With that this hearing is adjourned.