{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://www.barrasso.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=040ffdbf-1192-4021-85c3-cb9c910cf394", "Barrasso Questions DOE, DOI Nominees   on Uranium, Anti-Coal Stream Rule IG Report", "2015-10-20", "2015", "2015-10", "Republican", "House", "WY", "John Barrasso", "B001261", "www.barrasso.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) questioned Department of Interior (DOI) nominee Mary L. Kendall and Department of Energy (DOE) nominee John Frances Kotek about excess uranium management and an inspector generals (IG) report on the DOIs anti-coal stream rule. Ms. Kendall is nominated to be inspector general at DOI. Mr. Kotek is nominated to be an assistant secretary at DOE (nuclear energy).\r\nQuestion to Ms. Kendall on Stream Buffer Zone Rulemaking IG Report\r\nMs. Kendall, Id like to ask you about a report that your officethe Office of Inspector Generalissued on the Office of Surface Minings ongoing stream buffer zone rulemaking.\r\nFor years, members of Congress have expressed grave concerns about this rulemaking.\r\nPrior to the issuance of your report, the House held a number of hearings which examined the rulemaking, including the jobs that would be lost as a result of the rule.\r\nA redacted copy of the report indicates that your office completed the report on February 28, 2013.\r\nBut your office did not release the report to the public or to Congress until December 20, 201310 months after your department completed the report. So you completed it, and then we waited 10 months until you released it. So December 20.\r\nI would note that December 20th was the Friday right before Christmas.\r\nIt was also three days after this committee held a confirmation hearing on Janice Schneidernow she was nominated to oversee the very office under investigationthe Office of Surface Mining.\r\nSo you waited 10 months, and then you released it the Friday before Christmas, three days after the committee held the confirmation hearingso we couldnt ask questions about it.\r\nSo the question is, shouldnt it have occurred to you that the Senate and the public had an interest in seeing your report prior to Ms. Schneiders confirmation hearing?\r\nTo people who look at this, it certainly seems like youre playing games with Congress. So I would love to hear back from you on that.\r\nYou know, I understand you did provide a copy of the report to the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management.\r\nSo Im also going to ask that you look intobecause prior to December 20th, if you shared the reportor any information related to the reportwith anyone else outside the Office of the Inspector General? If so, with whom? So Ill ask that you follow up in writing.\r\nClick here for video of Sen. Barrasso questioning Ms. Kendall on stream buffer zone rulemaking IG report\r\nQuestion to Mr. Kotek on Excess Uranium Management\r\nMr. Kotek, before joining the Department of Energy earlier this year, you worked as a strategic consultant for the Fluor Corporation.\r\nSince 2011, the Department has given Fluor about a billion dollars worth of publicly owned uranium from its stockpile of excess uranium.\r\nIn exchange, Fluor has provided decommissioning services at the departments gaseous diffusion plant in Ohio.\r\nThe Government Accountability Office has said that these transactions violate federal law.\r\nSo I question whether the department receives full valuation for the uranium that it gives to this company.\r\nSo if confirmedyou will be responsible for overseeing the publics stockpile of excess uranium. \r\nYou will play a significant role in determining the circumstances and conditions under which the department disposes of excess uranium.\r\nSo given your past employment by the Fluor Corporation, do you plan to recuse yourself from decisions that would benefit this corporation? And if not, why not?\r\nClick here for video of Sen. Barrasso questioning Mr. Kotek on excess uranium management\r\nQuestion to Mr. Kotek on Ensuring Public Gets Full Value for Excess Uranium\r\nI question whether the department actually is receiving full value for the uranium that it gives to the [Fluor] corporation. \r\nThe corporation did not consume the uranium that it receives from the department. Instead, it sells the uranium, as you know, to another party.\r\nEarlier this year, I called on the department to condition all future transfers of uranium on the requirement that the company publicly disclose the terms under which it sells the uranium.\r\nSo if confirmed, would you be willing to do that?\r\nI question whether the department actually is receiving full value for the uranium that it gives to the corporation. \r\nThe corporation did not consume the uranium that it receives from the Department. Instead, it sells the uranium, as you know, to another party.\r\nEarlier this year, I called on the department to condition all future transfers of uranium on the requirement that the company publicly disclose the terms under which it sells the uranium.\r\nSo if confirmed, would you be willing to do that?\r\nDo you think this it is an unreasonable request given your past employment by the Fluor Corporation?\r\nClick here for video of Sen. Barrasso questioning Mr. Kotek on getting full value for uranium\r\n###\r\nhttps://www.barrasso.senate.gov\r\nTwitter | Facebook | You Tube", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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": ["http://www.barrasso.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=040ffdbf-1192-4021-85c3-cb9c910cf394"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8553666993975639, "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"}