H1094 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE February 13, 2018 their full potential and provide for The title of the bill was amended so (4) $260,000,000 for fiscal year 2021; world-leading Basic Energy Sciences as to read: ‘‘A bill to direct the Sec- (5) $340,000,000 for fiscal year 2022; programs here in the U.S. retary of Energy to carry out certain (6) $350,000,000 for fiscal year 2023; (7) $350,000,000 for fiscal year 2024; and Representative HULTGREN’s bill also upgrades to research equipment and (8) $350,000,000 for fiscal year 2025. authorizes the Long-Baseline Neutrino construct research user facilities, and Facility at , a national accel- SEC. 3. SPENDING LIMITATION. for other purposes.’’. No additional funds are authorized to be erator lab. The LBNF will consist of A motion to reconsider was laid on appropriated to carry out this Act and the the world’s highest intensity neutrino the table. amendments made by this Act, and this Act beam and a suite of cryogenic near de- f and such amendments shall be carried out tectors to run the Deep Underground using amounts otherwise available for such NUCLEAR ENERGY RESEARCH Neutrino Experiment. This experiment purpose. INFRASTRUCTURE ACT OF 2018 will measure the neutrino beam gen- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- erated at LBNF on innovative, far de- Mr. WEBER of . Mr. Speaker, I ant to the rule, the gentleman from tectors located 800 miles away at the move to suspend the rules and pass the Texas (Mr. WEBER) and the gentle- Sanford Underground Research Facil- bill (H.R. 4378) to direct the Secretary woman from Texas (Ms. EDDIE BERNICE ity in Lead, South Dakota. of Energy to carry out the construc- JOHNSON) each will control 20 minutes. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative tion of a versatile reactor-based fast The Chair recognizes the gentleman HULTGREN for his initiative in devel- neutron source, and for other purposes, from Texas. oping this legislation. His longstanding as amended. GENERAL LEAVE support of basic research and invest- The Clerk read the title of the bill. Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ments in these best-in-the-world The text of the bill is as follows: ask unanimous consent that all Mem- science facilities is well known. H.R. H.R. 4378 bers may have 5 legislative days within 4377 is a commonsense bill that main- Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep- which to revise and extend their re- tains American leadership in discovery resentatives of the of America in marks and to include extraneous mate- science. Congress assembled, rial on H.R. 4378, the bill now under Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. consideration. support this bipartisan legislation. This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Nuclear En- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there ergy Research Infrastructure Act of 2018’’. Mr. HULTGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield objection to the request of the gen- 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas SEC. 2. VERSATILE NEUTRON SOURCE. tleman from Texas? (Mr. WEBER), the chairman of the En- (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Energy There was no objection. shall provide for a versatile reactor-based ergy Subcommittee. Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I fast neutron source, which shall operate as a national user facility. The Secretary shall yield myself such time as I may con- thank Congressman HULTGREN for consult with the private sector, universities, sume. yielding me time. National Laboratories, and relevant Federal Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support agencies to ensure that the versatile neutron 4378, the Nuclear Energy Research In- of H.R. 4377, the Accelerating American source is capable of meeting Federal re- frastructure Act of 2018. Leadership in Science Act of 2018. search needs for neutron irradiation services. Over the past 3 years, the Science, This legislation authorizes very im- (b) FACILITY CAPABILITIES.— Space, and Technology Committee has (1) CAPABILITIES.—The Secretary shall en- portant upgrades to DOE photon and held hearings, met with stakeholders, neutron sources at two national labs. sure that the facility described in subsection (a) will provide, at a minimum, the following and worked extensively with our col- In addition, it funds the construction capabilities: leagues in the Senate to draft the Nu- of the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility, (A) Fast neutron spectrum irradiation ca- clear Energy Innovation Capabilities the first international high-energy pability. Act, the precursor to today’s bill. physics facility located in the United (B) Capacity for upgrades to accommodate This comprehensive, bipartisan au- States of America. new or expanded research needs. thorization bill directed the Depart- Over 1,000 scientists from 30 coun- (2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In carrying out para- ment of Energy—DOE—to invest in tries are already collaborating on this graph (1), the Secretary shall consider the supercomputing capabilities, created a project. Let me repeat that: over 1,000 following: (A) Capabilities that support experimental framework for DOE to partner with the scientists from 30 countries are already high-temperature testing. private sector to host prototype devel- collaborating on this very important (B) Providing a source of fast neutrons at opment for advanced reactors, and laid project. a neutron flux higher than that at which ex- out a clear timeline and parameters for Mr. Speaker, I again thank my col- isting research facilities operate, sufficient the DOE to build that research reactor. league, Congressman HULTGREN, for in- to enable research for an optimal base of pro- Mr. Speaker, this bill passed the troducing this important legislation spective users. House three times last Congress, and and for his continued support of the na- (C) Maximizing irradiation flexibility and passed the House again in January as a irradiation volume to accommodate as many tional labs. part of H.R. 589, known as the DOE Re- Ms. of concurrent users as possible. (D) Capabilities for irradiation with neu- search and . Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the trons of a lower energy spectrum. The research reactor, or Versatile balance of my time. (E) Multiple loops for fuels and materials Neutron Source, authorized in that Mr. HULTGREN. Mr. Speaker, I testing of different coolants. bill, Mr. Speaker, is crucial for the de- again want to reiterate my support for (F) Capabilities that support irradiating velopment of advanced reactor designs, this important legislation to keep the and processing targets for isotope produc- materials, and nuclear fuels. This type United States at the forefront of dis- tion. of research requires access to fast neu- covery and fundamental research. (G) Additional pre-irradiation and post-ir- radiation examination capabilities. trons, which are currently only avail- Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues able for civilian research in Russia. for their support. I encourage passage (H) Lifetime operating costs and lifecycle costs. b 1700 of H.R. 4377, and I yield back the bal- (c) START OF OPERATIONS.—The Secretary ance of my time. shall, to the maximum extent practicable, While modeling and simulation can The SPEAKER pro tempore. The ensure that the start of full operations of the accelerate R&D, nuclear energy re- question is on the motion offered by facility under this section occurs before De- search must be validated through a the gentleman from (Mr. cember 31, 2025. physical source, Mr. Speaker, like a re- HULTGREN) that the House suspend the (d) FUNDING.—There are authorized to be actor. The bill which we will consider rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4377, as appropriated to the Secretary for the Office today, H.R. 4378, the Nuclear Energy amended. of Nuclear Energy to carry out to comple- Research Infrastructure Act, author- tion the construction of the facility under The question was taken; and (two- this section— izes specific funding from within the thirds being in the affirmative) the (1) $35,000,000 for fiscal year 2018; DOE Office of Nuclear Energy for the rules were suspended and the bill, as (2) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2019; construction of that versatile neutron amended, was passed. (3) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2020; source.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:20 Feb 14, 2018 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K13FE7.038 H13FEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE February 13, 2018 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H1095 Building this open-access user facil- Department of Energy Research and and developing world. This user facility ity in the DOE national lab system will Innovation Act. will ensure that U.S. companies de- facilitate nuclear energy research in The bill before us today would pro- velop critical advanced reactor tech- the United States. The access to fast vide the Department of Energy with nology here in the United States. neutrons that this reactor provides can the direction and funding it needs to Today, the only source of fast neu- support private sector development of create a national user facility with trons available for civilian research is the next generation materials and fuels critical capabilities to enable the de- in Russia, making it impossible for needed for advanced nuclear reactor velopment of a wide range of advanced American entrepreneurs to conduct the technology. nuclear energy concepts here in the testing and validation needed to deploy The versatile neutron source will United States. commercial advanced reactors. also enable the Nuclear Regulatory I am hopeful that, if we provide our America must also maintain our edge Commission to verify data on new scientists and industry leaders with in nuclear science in order to influence fuels, materials, and designs more effi- the right tools, they can fulfill the global nonproliferation standards. The ciently, which will expedite regulatory promise of clean nuclear energy that is user facility authorized in this legisla- approval for those advanced nuclear re- significantly safer, less expensive, tion will ensure the next generation of actors. Without this user facility, Mr. more efficient, and produces less waste nuclear technology is safely developed Speaker, this research simply will not than the current fleet of reactors. here at home. This allows America to take place, and we cannot afford to Mr. Speaker, I also strongly support export nuclear technology which helps lose the ability to develop an innova- the inclusion of explicit funding levels prevent civilian nuclear energy tech- tive nuclear technology right here at as part of this authorization. Providing nology from being misused for weapons home. the Department and congressional ap- development overseas. This bill will also help maintain propriators with a funding profile for I want to thank this bill’s cospon- America’s capability to influence secu- research activities and projects is a sors, Chairman WEBER and Ranking rity and proliferation standards around crucial responsibility in our role as the Member JOHNSON, for their long- the world by maintaining cutting-edge authorizing committee. support of nuclear energy in- nuclear science. In particular, it helps ensure that the novation and commitment to ensure Mr. Speaker, as more developing na- construction of cutting-edge research that we have the best nuclear research tions look to nuclear energy to grow facilities like this one have the re- facilities. their economies, our role in protecting sources they need to be completed on Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to nuclear technology grows. By building time and on budget, thus, making sure support this legislation. It is a bipar- this user facility, we will fortify the that the U.S. taxpayers who are foot- tisan piece of legislation. U.S. commitment to safely advancing ing these bills are getting the most Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of nuclear energy. H.R. 4378 is a common- value of their hard-earned dollars. Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of sense bill. It will maintain American Mr. Speaker, I encourage my col- the bill, and I yield back the balance of leadership in nuclear power. leagues to support this bipartisan bill, my time. Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I I want to thank Ranking Member and I look forward to continuing to yield myself such time as I may con- JOHNSON and Chairman SMITH for co- work with my colleagues on both sides sume. sponsoring this important legislation of the aisle as we strive to strengthen Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4378 is vital to en- and for their leadership in advocating America’s research enterprise across suring America’s leadership in nuclear for nuclear energy research and devel- the board. innovation. By harnessing the unique Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of opment. I am very grateful for the op- expertise of our Nation’s national labs, my time. portunity to work with my fellow Tex- the private sector can take the lead in Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it ans to guide research that will keep developing groundbreaking advanced is my distinct honor to yield 3 minutes America not only safe, but globally nuclear technology. competitive. to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. I especially want to thank my col- Mr. Speaker, I encourage my col- SMITH), the chairman of the full leagues on the Science, Space, and leagues to support this bill, and I re- Science, Space, and Technology Com- Technology Committee who have co- serve the balance of my time. mittee. sponsored H.R. 4378, including Chair- Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, man , Representative DAN Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such first of all, let me thank the gentleman LIPINSKI, Representative STEVE time as I may consume. from Texas, the chairman of the En- KNIGHT, and Representative RANDY Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. ergy Subcommittee, Representative HULTGREN. I also want to thank the 4378, the Nuclear Energy Research In- RANDY WEBER, for yielding me time on dozens of researchers and stakeholders frastructure Act, and I am pleased to his bill, which is H.R. 4378, the Nuclear who have provided feedback as we de- cosponsor this bill. Mr. Speaker, this Energy Research Infrastructure Act. veloped this legislation. legislation marks another accomplish- H.R. 4378, cosponsored by full com- Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this ment in our committee’s strong bipar- mittee Ranking Member EDDIE BER- commonsense, bipartisan legislation, tisan effort to support the development NICE JOHNSON, Energy Subcommittee and I yield back the balance of my of advanced nuclear energy tech- Vice Chairman STEVE KNIGHT, Rep- time. nologies. resentative , and Rep- The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. TIP- Today, nuclear power plays a vital resentative RANDY HULTGREN, author- TON). The question is on the motion of- role in providing our country with izes funds within the DOE Nuclear En- fered by the gentleman from Texas clean, reliable energy; but there are ergy budget to construct their (Mr. WEBER) that the House suspend currently technical, economic, and pol- versatile neutron source, a DOE fast the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4378, as icy challenges that prevent this re- neutron user facility that will facili- amended. source from playing a larger role in en- tate the development of the next gen- The question was taken; and (two- abling our clean energy future. This eration of nuclear reactors by the pri- thirds being in the affirmative) the bill, the Nuclear Energy Research In- vate sector. rules were suspended and the bill, as frastructure Act, would help address This legislation builds on and imple- amended, was passed. these challenges. ments Chairman WEBER’s Nuclear En- A motion to reconsider was laid on It expands on a provision included in ergy Innovation Capabilities Act, the table. another bill that I cosponsored with which passed the House three times f Mr. WEBER and the chairman, H.R. 431, with bipartisan support in the last the Nuclear Energy Innovation Capa- Congress. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY RE- bilities Act, which passed the House Advanced nuclear reactor technology SEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE ACT early last year on a voice vote as part provides the best opportunity to make OF 2018 of yet another bill that I cosponsored reliable, emission-free electricity Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I with these two gentlemen, H.R. 589, the available throughout the industrial move to suspend the rules and pass the

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