mr. chairman , i thank the gentleman for yielding me this time , and i rise in strong support of the energy and water appropriations bill . 
first , let me thank and commend chairman hobson and ranking member visclosky for their hard work in crafting a bill that addresses so many complex national energy and water infrastructure needs . 
they make a good team . 
our bill includes essential funding for energy programs that seek to make our country more efficient and less dependent on traditional fossil fuels and foreign oil . 
as a nation , we are facing an energy crisis which does not allow us to put off significant policy changes as to how we can invest our energy infrastructure dollars any longer . 
this year , we have made a significant investment in nuclear energy technology . 
this energy provides a clean , renewable energy source already capable of providing an alternative source of electricity to fossil fuels . 
nuclear energy already provides 20 percent of our nation 's electricity and , in my home state of new jersey , nearly 50 percent of the electrical capacity . 
i am also pleased that our subcommittee continues to fund fusion science . 
our committee has been a leader in advancing fusion so that some day we will be able to realize the promise of the cleanest of energy sources . 
thirty years ago the first power produced in a laboratory from fusion was barely enough to light a small light bulb . 
today , our doe labs are capable of creating enough power from fusion to light a small town . 
mr. chairman , i credit the gentleman from ohio ( mr. hobson ) xz4001800 and the ranking member for grappling with some tough policy decisions in this bill . 
for example , yucca mountain , which is facing delays , this bill includes money , $ 660 million for yucca mountain , in anticipation of a licensing agreement being signed . 
this bill also prioritizes the army corps ' work on a number of essential navigation and flood control projects to ensure that such construction projects authorized by congress are actually completed . 
but most importantly to me and to the new york-new jersey region , in the army corps ' portfolio , this bill reflects our committee 's continued recognition of the value of our federal investment in the new york-new jersey harbor deepening project . 
this project has been recognized as one of five national priorities by the president . 
it is not only an issue of national security ; it is an issue of economic security . 
the economic return on keeping open our nation 's third largest port to larger container ships is huge . 
i note that the army corps itself has listed this deepening project as one of its highest return investments . 
i can not overstate the economic importance of the port which is the third largest in the united states . 
every day thousands of goods come through the port of new york and new jersey , and through its terminals many other goods are exported to the rest of the world . 
those goods and the assets that protect them allow our nation to proceed and keep its economy going . 
therefore , i rise in support of the bill and urge other members to do so as well . 
