g92 HISTORY OF Till COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 



Three days later, on July 17, still another vote occurred on the 

 CRBR. When the DOE authorization bill was up for final passage, 

 Fish, one of the two Republican opponents of the CRBR, offered a 

 motion to recommit the bill with the Flowers compromise included 

 in his motion. In arguing for his motion, Fish remarked there had 

 been over 100 absentees when the July 14 vote was taken. He added: 



(If) we arc to have a bill, then this compromise is an essential part of it. I happen 

 to have several things that I want very dearly in this measure and I would hate to 

 see it vetoed. 



Following a somewhat repetitious debate, the Fish motion lost by a 

 157-238 vote. 



THE STORIES ABOUT A "DEAL" 



The ill-fated issue received some additionally bad publicity later 

 in the summer. There were news reports of a "deal" between Senator 

 James A. McClure (Republican of Idaho) and the President, concerning 

 the allegation that Senator McClure might support the President's 

 position on an energy bill and possible discontinuance of CRBR in 

 return for a larger breeder reactor in Idaho. Several versions of these 

 rumors surfaced, making it difficult to sort out the truth. But the news 

 stories themselves did not make it any easier to come to a resolution of 

 the issue. The costs of the CRBR mounted as the Federal Government 

 continued to pay for newly manufactured components which were stored 

 away waiting for an uncertain future. Meanwhile, not a spade of earth 

 had been turned nor were any steps taken to clear the construction site 

 along the Clinch River. 



The Senate did not even take up the DOE authorization bill in 

 1978. Thus, the authorization died at the close of the 95th Congress, 

 but sufficient funds were appropriated to continue the purchase of com- 

 ponents. In its budget submitted in 1979, the Carter administration 

 omitted funding to continue CRBR, again asking for $55 million for a 

 conceptual design study of a bigger, advanced breeder plant. The total 

 budget request for liquid metal fast breeder development was $504 

 million. In an April 24, 1979 letter to Speaker O'Neill, President 

 Carter stated: 



Since the beginning of my Administration, I have opposed construction of the 

 Clinch River Breeder Reactor. In recent days, I have again reviewed this matter and I 

 remain convinced that completion of this project would not be in the national 

 interest.* * * I want to emphasize that my opposition to CRBR does not imply 

 opposition to breeder reactors in general or to nuclear power. 



The President correctly labelled the CRBR controversy "prolonged 

 and divisive." He asked for enactment by June 1 of legislation which 

 would obtain the maximum benefit from past CRBR investments, move 



