ECA Forum: Hosting New Nuclear Development - only 5 days away!
ECA Staff | 7/29/2022
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Next week kicks off the ECA Forum: Hosting New Nuclear Development – a first-of-a-kind meeting bringing together current and potential host
communities supporting nuclear as part of an all-of-the-above energy strategy with advanced nuclear technology and project developers, the U.S. Department of Energy, utilities, academia and nuclear experts including:
• Dr. Katy Huff, Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy
• Commissioner David Wright, Nuclear Regulatory Commission
• Todd Shrader, Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations
• John Kotek, Nuclear Energy Institute
• Christine King, Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear
• Dr. Ashley Finan, National Reactor Innovation Center
The Forum will also feature case studies where there is already progress on the ground: around the Idaho National Laboratory; Richland, Washington; Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Kemmerer, Wyoming; and Portsmouth, Ohio. ECA looks forward to hearing from the teams – developers, local government representatives, power
purchasers and economic development entities – on how they are working together and what other potential hosts should know to build support from the ground up that matches the greatest bipartisan support in Congress for new nuclear energy development in the U.S. in decades.
THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS!
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SAVE OUR DATES
September 21-23, 2022
NEW VENUE: CRYSTAL GATEWAY MARRIOTT IN ARLINGTON, VA!
We are pleased to host the 2022 National Cleanup Workshop at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA. Join us to discuss a new era of cleanup success. Hear from senior DOE officials, local government officials, and industry leaders about DOE's cleanup priorities, the future of the workforce, and more.
Additional information on registration and hotel room blocks is available here. We look forward to seeing you in September!
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EM, NNSA have over $14 billion in carryover balances, report finds
ECA Staff | 7/29/2022
The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) each have billions in carryover balances - totalling over $14 billion - from Congressionally appropriated funds, according to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
EM and NNSA oversee the cleanup of DOE's legacy sites and the operation of the nuclear security enterprise, respectively. Most funds that Congress appropriates to EM and NNSA remain available for obligation until they are expended (costed). Balances not obligated or costed can generally be carried over to future fiscal years, but these carryover balances can accumulate beyond the minimum needed to support
programs, tying up resources that could be put to other uses.
GAO's recent report found that EM had about $3.2 billion in total carryover balances, and NNSA had about $10.9 billion. EM’s carryover is equivalent to about 42 percent of the funds appropriated to EM for fiscal year 2021. The carryover balance for NNSA’s Weapons Activities and Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
appropriation accounts is equivalent to about 62 percent of the funds appropriated to these accounts for fiscal year 2021.
While the majority of these balances were made available until expended, only 1.4 percent of the total $14.1 billion was appropriated more than 5 years ago, indicating that EM and NNSA have generally ensured that older funds were spent before newer funds.
The report also covers DOE and NNSA practices for identifying uncosted balances that warrant greater scrutiny. DOE and NNSA have used benchmarks, or thresholds, since 1996 to monitor uncosted balances for operating activities. DOE documents state that year-end balances exceeding these thresholds warrant greater scrutiny. At the end of fiscal year 2021, EM and NNSA had about $3.5 billion in such uncosted
balances. EM and NNSA also had $3.1 billion in uncosted balances for line-item construction projects. However, according to DOE, line-item construction projects are not subject to the thresholds and should be examined on a case-by-case basis.
A number of drivers contribute to uncosted balances in excess of thresholds, according to the report. Some drivers, such as continuing resolutions or larger-than-requested appropriations, may fully explain an excess balance. However, others, such as unanticipated changes in work scope or program execution challenges or delays, may not fully explain an excess balance. EM and NNSA periodically review these balances
and have sometimes taken actions to manage them, such as seeking to reprogram excess funds to the programs, projects, and activities with greater need; reducing future fiscal years' budget requests; and modifying contract scope.
GAO is making seven recommendations, including that DOE and NNSA better document their thresholds—including definitions, bases, and purpose—to ensure that they are applied consistently throughout the department, and that DOE develop guidance on how to evaluate uncosted balances and consider them when developing future funding requests. DOE and NNSA concurred with GAO’s recommendations.
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Read about DOE's High Level Waste Interpretation
Have questions about DOE’s recent high-level waste (HLW) interpretation? Download ECA’s Key Points and FAQs on the issue to better understand what ECA believes are the potential benefits of implementation.
Interested in learning more? Read the ECA report “Making Informed Decisions on DOE's Proposed High Level Waste Definition” at www.energyca.org/publications
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Stay Current on Activities in the DOE World
Read the latest edition of the ECA Bulletin, a regular newsletter providing a detailed brief of ECA activities, legislative news, and major events from across the DOE complex. Have suggestions for future editions? Email bulletin@energyca.org.
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Learn More about Cleanup Sites with ECA's DOE Site Profiles
ECA's new site profiles detail DOE's 13 active Environmental Management cleanup sites and national laboratories, highlighting their history, missions, and priorities. The profiles are a key source for media, stakeholders, and the public to learn more about DOE site activities, contractors, advisory boards, and their surrounding local governments.
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