Chernobyl Nuclear Accident Congressional Hearings Transcript

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meltdown accidents, then let's get on with It. It Is essential that we
take those steps necessary to restore public confidence In plant safety.
As for new plants, our engineers and scientists are well on the way toward
developing advanced power reactors—using water, helium, and sodium as
coolants. We know how to build simpler, safer reactors, and the concepts
on the drawing boards will provide the American public with reliable,
economic, and safe power to meet our future needs. This hope for the
future requires two actions. If the promise of enhanced safety in future
reactors Is to be realized, we must have a licensing process which will
bring advanced reactors
into use.
Senator McClure has introduced the Administration's legislative proposal
that would modify the licensing process. We urge the Committee to take
action on S. 2073. This legislation would require that the success of the
core meltdown prevention strategy be fully considered and decided (with
respect to a standardized design at a preapproved site) before construction
is allowed to begin. We ought to be able to understand the safety
strengths and eliminate the weakness of any future design before it is
approved for widespread use as a standardized design.
A licensing process which puts a premium on resolving safety questions
before construction begins should have a valuable side benefit. Concepts
which have relatively greater Inherent or passive safety should fare well
under a restructured licensing process. All concepts would have to show
that any major safety concern were resolved before construction of a
powerplant based on that concept could begin. A plant like Chernobyl would
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