{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.bluntrochester.senate.gov/news/press-releases/news-senator-blunt-rochester-questions-experts-on-increasing-public-trust-in-nuclear-energy/", "NEWS: Senator Blunt Rochester Questions Experts on Increasing Public Trust in Nuclear Energy", "2026-09-23", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "DE", "Lisa Blunt Rochester", "B001303", "www.bluntrochester.senate.gov", "bluntrochester", "https://www.bluntrochester.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "\u201cThis is an issue of public safety and public trust.\u201d\n\nClick here to watch Senator Blunt Rochester\u2019s Remarks\n\nU.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today participated in a hearing on America\u2019s nuclear waste policy. Blunt Rochester\u2019s questions focused on the development of small modular reactors and on-site storage of nuclear waste, as well as increasing public trust and safety.\n\nWitnesses:\n\nLake Barrett \u2013 Chair, American Nuclear Society Nuclear Waste Policy Task Force\n\nKatrina McMurrian \u2013 Executive Director, Nuclear Waste Strategy Coalition (NWSC)\n\nKathryn Huff, Ph.D. \u2013 Professor and Department Chair, Department of Nuclear Engineering and Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison\n\nSenator Blunt Rochester\u2019s exchange can be found here, and a key excerpt is below:\n\nSenator Blunt Rochester: \u201cDelaware often ranks last among U.S. states in energy production and produces only a fraction of the energy that we consume. In response, our General Assembly created a 25-member bipartisan task force to look at whether small modular reactors could be developed in the state.\n\n\u201cOne of the main concerns is the lack of a long-term solution for high-level nuclear waste. Despite the fact that there\u2019s been a law on the books for decades that requires the federal government to take ownership over this kind of waste. States like mine then have to weigh whether to invest in nuclear energy against doing it without a long-term solution. It\u2019s a real risk for our communities. This is an issue of public safety and public trust.\n\n\u201cSo, Dr. Huff, what can the federal government do to build trust in communities interested in pursuing nuclear energy?\u201d\n\nDr. Huff: \u201cI think a key component is an independent organization like the one that\u2019s been described. But another is to provide resources for independent technical oversight from those communities. A part of the consent-based system that we put together in the previous administration, and those that have succeeded in other nations like Finland and Canada, includes providing resources directly to communities to help to evaluate those claims and safety assessments, and work together with the government as they plan and design those facilities.\u201d\n\nSenator Blunt Rochester: \u201cAre there benefits to continuing to pursue new reactors while determining a long-term waste disposal solution?\u201d\n\nDr. Huff: \u201cYes, there absolutely are. As a carbon-free source of energy, we absolutely need more nuclear. Of course, it is reasonable for communities to want to see progress on the front of waste management before they do so.\u201d", 1, "2026-09-25T10:04:52Z", "2026-09-25T10:05:46Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.bluntrochester.senate.gov/news/press-releases/news-senator-blunt-rochester-questions-experts-on-increasing-public-trust-in-nuclear-energy/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 3.8701300509274006, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}