ECA Update 6/27: FY25 ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT APPROPRIATIONS BILL RELEASED; and more

Published: Thu, 06/27/24

Updated: Thu, 06/27/24

FY25 ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT APPROPRIATIONS BILL RELEASED

Today, the House Appropriations Committee released the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY2025) bill for the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Subcommittee. The bill’s topline is $59.190 billion, $139 million or 0.2% less than the President’s Budget Request.

Of that number, $49.935 billion would be allocated to the Department of Energy, $2.043 billion or 2.88% less than the President’s Request.

Highlights of the DOE allocation include:

$25.467 for the National Nuclear Security Administration
- $20.3 billion for Weapons Activities
- $2.1 billion for Naval Reactors
- $2.4 billion for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (DNN)
$8.39 billion for the Office of Science
- The bill summary highlights funding for the purposes of advanced fusion research & development and the support of the National Laboratories
$1.79 billion for Nuclear Energy
- The bill summary highlights increased funding to the Advanced Nuclear Fuel Availability program, with the aim of advancing production of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU)
- The summary also highlights continues support of the Advanced Reactors Demonstration Program
$8.32 billion for environmental management and cleanup activities
- $7.13 billion for Defense Environmental Cleanup
- $324 million for Non-Defense Environmental Cleanup
$12 million for Nuclear Waste Disposal

To read the full bill, click here. For the bill summary, click here.

The subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, chaired by Congressman Chuck Fleischmann, is scheduled to consider the bill in subcommittee tomorrow, June 28th at 8:30 a.m. View the live stream of the markup on the Committee’s website.

Congressman Fleischmann said of the bill:

"Our nation faces many challenges. Three of the most critical challenges we face are maintaining a safe and reliable nuclear deterrent, advancing American energy security, and supporting robust water resources improvements nationwide ... I’m proud that the Fiscal Year 2025 Energy and Water Development appropriations bill continues to build off the work of our FY24 bill to strengthen America’s strategic nuclear stockpile, revitalize our ability to enrich uranium domestically, invest in our long-term energy security, and maintain our country’s ports and inland waterways."

After the bill is passed by the Subcommittee, it will go to the full committee for markup. Once it is passed there, it will go to the House floor to be debated.

ECA will continue to monitor and provide updates on developments in the appropriations and budget process. For more information on the federal budget, visit our website.

September 16-18, 2024| Crystal Gateway Marriott | Arlington, VA

Join us for the 10th Annual National Cleanup Workshop!

Hear from senior DOE leaders, local government officials, and industry leaders about DOE's cleanup priorities, the future of the workforce, and more.

FULL AGENDA

Featured Speakers:

The Honorable Jennifer M. Granholm, Secretary of U.S. Department of Energy
Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03), Chairman, House Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee
Candice Robertson, Senior Advisor, DOE-EM
Jeff Avery, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, DOE-EM
Greg Sosson, Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Field Operations, DOE-EM
Kristen Ellis, Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regulatory and Policy Affairs, DOE-EM
Dae Chung, Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Corporate Services, DOE-EM
James McConnell, Associate Principal Deputy Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration
Brent Gerry, Mayor, City of West Richland, WA; Chair, ECA and
Rebecca Casper, Mayor, City of Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Vice-Chair, ECA.

Hosted by ECA with the cooperation of the Energy Facility Contractors Group and DOE-EM, the workshop brings together more than 800 senior DOE executives, officials from DOE sites, industry leaders, local elected officials, contractors and community stakeholders to discuss EM’s progress to address the environmental legacy of the Manhattan Project and Cold War-era U.S. nuclear weapons program.

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NEW MEDIA:

Gone Fission Nuclear Report:The 2024 Interns Have Arrived

June 17, 2024 | S4 E12

This is the time of year when hundreds of interns descend on DOE sites around the country. They are eager and enthusiastic, ready to soak up new information gleaned from being out of the classroom and on the job. They are a critical part of the essential pipeline that will ensure the Department of Energy's Environmental Management program will have enough qualified workers to fulfill its cleanup mission in the decades ahead. In this week's episode of the Gone Fission Nuclear Report podcast, host Michael Butler talks with Susan Sparks and Shannon Potter, DOE and contractor intern program managers at Portsmouth/Paducah and Oak Ridge, as well as Maurice Thompson, head of DOE's Career Pathways Program at DOE Headquarters. We will also meet Samina Mondal, an outstanding participant in the program who has quickly become a well-spoken advocate for the Environmental Management program.

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June 14, 2024

Artificial intelligence may come for our jobs one day, but before that happens, the data centers it relies on are going to need a lot of electricity.

So how do we power them and millions of U.S. homes and businesses without generating more climate-warming gases?

Microsoft founder, billionaire philanthropist and investor Bill Gates is betting that nuclear power is key to meeting that need — and he’s digging into his own pockets to try and make it happen.