Senator Murray: Investing in Lowering Energy Costs, Protecting Our Grid, and Cutting-Edge Scientific Discovery is a No-Brainer
Hearing
"If we're going to continue to lead on the world stage, we have to lock arms, work together, and make sure our funding keeps pace at this critical moment. And if we want to stay ahead, we can't just focus on defense spending--we have to invest in the many other programs that keep our country strong, safe, and competitive. Today's hearing is a prime example--because the work happening across the Department of Energy has tremendous implications for our national security and our global competitiveness.
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DOE keeps our energy grid secure. It reduces our dependence on foreign energy. It drives down energy prices, and a lot more. And the Department is leading the way on scientific discovery, supporting cutting-edge research.
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House Republicans, as you know, have voted to cut overall funding back to fiscal year 2022 levels or worse. Can you give us some concrete examples of how cutting DOE back to those levels will hurt working-class Americans?
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So I think it's fair to say that cuts of that magnitude would force your Department to really make some tradeoffs between key priorities like keeping pace with our competitors' investments in research and innovation, protecting our nuclear arsenal, and a lot more?
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I was encouraged to see a historic request for the Hanford site in Washington State, especially as compared to the fiscal year 2023 request which was completely insufficient. As I noted in my opening statement, I am pleased that DOE, Washington State Department of Ecology, and EPA have reached conceptual agreement after more than sixty mediation sessions.
In yesterday's announcement, DOE also noted that the President's proposed FY24 request is consistent with the conceptual agreement as it relates to tank waste--this is good news. The federal government has a legal and moral obligation to clean up the Hanford site and protect Hanford workers--and I am certain you understand how strongly I feel about meeting that obligation.
While I am pleased your budget builds on the progress we have made at the Office of River Protection, specifically on the High Level Waste Facility's construction, I am concerned you are taking on unnecessary risks at Hanford's Richland Office. We should not be robbing Peter to pay Paul. What conditions merited the $85.3 million decrease to Richland from fiscal year 2023, and what risks would we be taking on at this reduced level?"
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