Alexander to chair Energy, Water Subcommittee, which oversees Oak Ridge funding

U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander has been elected chair of a Senate subcommittee that oversees funding for federal sites in Oak Ridge, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Nuclear Security Complex.

Alexander, who is a Tennessee Republican, was elected chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development by Senate Republicans on Tuesday, his office said in a press release.

“If we’re going to power our 21st-century economy, we need to pursue policies that don’t pick winners and losers in the marketplace, and that instead enable innovation in our free enterprise system,” Alexander said. “That means unleashing nuclear power and other sources of the cheap, clean, reliable energy we need. It also means using our taxpayer dollars wisely: by supporting government-sponsored research that leads to innovation and jobs, and by controlling the costs of big construction projects in Tennessee and across the country.”

The subcommittee oversees funding for national priorities, such as energy research and nuclear weapons modernization, which is funded through the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Alexander’s office said. It also oversees funding for Tennessee priorities, including the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Y-12 National Nuclear Security Complex, and Chickamauga Lock, which are included in the Energy and Water Appropriations bill each year.

Alexander also serves on the full Appropriations Committee and the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

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