894 



HISTORY OF THE COMMITTEE ON ^< IENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 



Now arose opposition to the amendment from an unexpected 

 source, freshman Democrat Howard Wolpe of Michigan. Wolpe men- 

 tioned the events at Three Mile Island which "focused attention on 

 the public health hazards of nuclear technology." He raised the ques- 

 tion whether so much reliance should be placed on nuclear power 

 rather than producing fuels for transportation and space heating. 



Roe made a lengthy, rambling argument against the amendment, 

 gloomily predicting that "the breeder reactor program for the Nation 

 will be stopped and then we will go into a long drawn-out term of 

 looking, reviewing, what should we do nexi, Marty, what should we 

 do now, Marty." Wandering up and down the scale, with bursts of 

 eloquence out of which it was difficult to squeeze much substance, Roe 

 gave his best summary in saying: 



We are all over the lot and I suppose I am just as guilty as everybody else around 

 here as to definitive policy. 



There ensued this short, sharp exchange: 



Mr. Ambro. I really must say at the outset that I feel like the dog act following 

 the stripper. 



Mr. Roe. That is the nicest compliment that has ever been made to me. 



Mr. Ambro. I have some more for you, Mr. Roe. * * * I think our salvation is 

 nuclear. However, I do think that the Clinch River breeder reactor is the worst ripoff 

 that the American taxpayer can undergo. * * * I think this attempt by the gentleman 

 from California and the Chairman to utilize the technology that we have ongoing, 

 and develop a bigger and better breeder reactor is a good effort, not to kill the fission 

 program, but to move us in a direction which eliminates a good deal of the problems 

 that are on the minds of the American people. 



THE 1979 COMPROMISE FAILS 



The Fuqua amendment went down by 24-16, and the Brown 

 amendment lost by 25-15- The committee in its report included strong 

 words of support for the CRBR : 



It is critically important that this country retain a commitment to build a 

 breeder reactor technology demonstration plant. In the absence of any firm decision 

 to build a large plant upon the completion of the newly authorized conceptual design 

 study, the committee has acted to preserve the integrity of the Clinch River Breeder 

 Reactor Project. * * * Wecannot expect other developed nations to take us seriously 

 in matters of nuclear technology or safeguards if we do not make a visible national 

 commitment to build a plant and obtain operating experience. 



In separate views, Representative Marilyn Lloyd Bouquard chal- 

 lenged DOE's assessment of uranium reserve supplies, and DOE's plan- 

 ning for future production capacity of uranium. She related these points 

 to the need for the CRBR, indicating that DOE was assuming the 

 long-term uranium supply was greater. 



