WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) questioned Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. Senator Tuberville highlighted the burdensome regulations that are delaying the nuclear plant building process.
Read excerpts of Senator Tuberville’s remarks below, or on YouTube or Rumble.
ON THE BURDENSOME REGULATIONS DELAYING NEW NUCLEAR PLANTS:
TUBERVILLE: “Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thanks both [of you] for being here. In Alabama, we are the fifth largest producer of nuclear [energy] with two nuclear plants and five nuclear reactors. I know a lot of people in our neck of the woods are very concerned about our power grid in the future. Just a quick question about building new nuclear plants, the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.
You know, if we’re looking to build a nuclear plant – just the [environmental] review is lasting four to seven years. We should probably take about one to two years. If we’re gonna combat China, if we’re gonna build a new power grid, Secretary, do you see the average timeline to complete these environmental studies as normal? And how can we go around this?”
GRANHOLM: “I’m not sure about normal, but I do agree with you. […] At least what I assume you’re getting at, which is that we need to speed up times for permitting both nuclear as well as transmission, as well as other energy generation, including clean energy.”
TUBERVILLE: “How did we get bogged down in this? I mean, it just doesn’t make any sense to me because we’re getting overrun, you know, by other countries.”
GRANHOLM: “I know our office would be eager to work with you or anyone on the Committee, and I know a number of people have been working on permitting reform – to accelerate because we believe that that is important for the reliability of our grid.”
[…]
TUBERVILLE: “Thank you, Mr. Chairman.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.
###
