. >> chairman kaerper and ranking member and distinguished members of the committee. thank you for inviting me to testify. i have the pleasure of serving as the director of nuclear energy. >> oreal. >> i'm glad we got that straightened out. now i can move on to the bigger problems. >> still have the pleasure of serve as the director of nuclear programs. throughout my career on working on the waste isolation pilot plant and the yucca mountain project. i have experienced firsthand the meaning of consent based approaches to repository projects and the caldron of public controversy. it is from this perspective that i offer my comments today recognizing any such comments are my own and don't represent the positions or opinions of the department of energy. we are fortunate that the united states contains maniee logic forlations that are technically suitable for nuclear waste. and ef more locations technically suitable for interim storage. but challenges remain despite facilities that are essentially and politically acceptable to local communities, host states and the federa