Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator John Curtis (R-UT) today emphasized Utah’s leadership in making nuclear a practical and viable clean energy solution during an Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on the nominations of Usha-Maria Turner to be Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency for the Office of International and Tribal Affairs and David A. Wright to be a Member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). During the exchange, Curtis cited past challenges and the need for collaboration with the NRC, and stressed the importance of regulatory certainty and clarity for innovators and utilities.
The full transcript of the exchange is below and the video file can be downloaded here.
Senator Curtis: Thank you. And to the senior Senator from California, I think I heard you say California had a lot of faults.
Senator Padilla: Earthquake faults, to be precise.
Curtis: Just clarifying. Actually, Senator, really appreciate the work we’ve had together on Fix Our Forests [Act] and appreciate the good work that you’re doing.
Miss Turner and Mayor Wright, may I use that term? I continue to believe that mayor is one of the best public positions that we can hold. As mayors, you have to be nimble. You have to deliver results. You have pragmatic accountability and, it’s my experience that those are all important things in this current role that you’re approaching as well. And I appreciate your service there. We’ve had a conversation to talk about Utah and as you know, Utah aspires to be a centerpiece in nuclear as we move forward. It’s just a great solution to clean baseload. And as you’re aware, we’ve had some attempts, not always successful. And I’m curious how the NRC can work with our entities in the state on paths forward and specifically lessons learned, so that we can make this a reality in Utah.
David A. Wright: So first off, once a mayor, always a mayor. All right, Mayor? So, you know, I know that there have been some issues there with UAMPS and everything, but, you know, we’re a safety regulator, right? And so we, utilities and other nuclear companies out there, companies that have nuclear, they make decisions on their energy assets, whether it’s nuclear, gas or anything else. They make that in a boardroom. And we’re not a part of that financial discussion.
But what we are committed to as a safety regulator is to get to collaborate with the states, like Utah, to have discussions early on, things that they are looking at, maybe technologies they’re looking at, or other permits that they’re, like it’s early site permits or things like that. And we commit to getting it done efficiently. We have been getting our house in order to do that. And that’s the lesson learned that we took from the early work with new scale.
We learned how to, you know, put core teams together, tiger teams together, to break things apart, so to speak, and to project manage each one of them in the advanced reactor side of our house is a shining star right now. We’re ahead of the game in every area there, and we’re going to make sure that we can get everything done that needs to get done. We’re not going to be the problem.
Curtis: Thank you. I was really proud, last Congress in the House to have my bill, the Advanced Nuclear Reactor Prize Act, 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 first movers. And that starts with certainty and clarity. And I think you referred to some of that.
And I think for any emerging technology, especially advanced nuclear, the clear rules of the road are not just helpful, but really mandatory. So my question is, how can the NRC ensure that applicants, whether they’re startups or utilities, know what to expect as they navigate the licensing process?
You mentioned efficiency on your end, but you can well imagine that municipalities or others that might take this process, it’s kind of what I would call a big gray cloud, and how they penetrate move forward. How can the NRC help with that?
Wright: Well, first off, we have to be transparent about everything, and we’ve got to provide clarity along the way. We need to be sure that we’re truly communicating what needs to be done and we’re not playing hide the rock with the people who come before us.
We, although we are “not supposed to be consultants or to be promoters,” you know we do promote nuclear safety. That’s one thing we do. And if we know the answer to what an applicant might need to get a decision reached by us, we’ve got to share that information with them. We shouldn’t hide it. Right. So we’ve got to be transparent.
Curtis: I think if you look at the Advance Act and executive orders, you’ll see a lot of this is aimed at ensuring that the applicants have the efficiency, that there’s transparency, they have the best possible chance of making that through. If leaning on your past service on the commission, how do you think that’s prepared you to move forward and deal with some of these? And what are kind of lessons learned for you?
Wright: So, Senator, every part of my life, my life experience has taught me, and I apply it today. I mean, I’m a colon cancer survivor. As is my daughter. And having to fight that battle with both of us, for both of us, and as a dad and supporter of a daughter, you learn a lot about metal and about what it, you know, what you’re made of.
As a mayor, you’ve already spoken to this, you have to be nimble. That’s the closest to the people you’re going to get. I didn’t even leave the town to buy gas. I bought everything inside the town. You know, you got to support your people.
Curtis: You can’t jaywalk in your own town either, when you’re mayor.
Wright: Exactly. I mean, so everything I learned about leadership came from either cancer, baseball, or serving as mayor of a small town. And in the end, it’s about people. It’s just about people and leading people.
Curtis: Thank you. I am out of time. Miss Turner, I’m out of time and I’m sorry I don’t have questions for you as well. But, thank you for being here today and look forward to getting to know you better as well.