In this update: Draft Energy and Water Spending Bill Released

Today, the House Appropriations Committee released its draft Energy and Water spending bill. The bill is set to be marked-up during a subcommittee hearing tomorrow.  This legislation provides funding for national defense nuclear weapons activities, the Army Corps of Engineers, and various other programs administered by the Department of Energy (DOE).  Site-specific cleanup spending will be outlined in a report released later by the committee and shared with ECA subscribers as soon as it is available. 
 
The draft legislation totals $35.4 billion, $1.2 billion above enacted spending for fiscal year 2015 and $633 million below the Administration’s budget request.  It provides $12.3 billion for DOE’s nuclear weapons security programs, $5.9 billion for environmental management activities – including $5.1 billion for Defense Environmental Cleanup, $150 million for the Nuclear Waste Disposal program, and $50 million for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to continue the adjudication of DOE’s Yucca Mountain License application.
 
This proposal is just the beginning of the long, arduous appropriations process.  A number of amendments will be considered during tomorrow’s subcommittee markup and likely on the floor of the whole House of Representatives.  The Senate will also consider its own legislation soon which will then have to be reconciled before final passage and being sent to the President.
 
Energy and Water Subcommittee Chairman Mike Simpson released the following statement on the bill: “This is a responsible bill that prioritizes national security needs and improving our nation's infrastructure within tight budget caps.  It makes critical investments in the maintenance and safety of our nuclear weapons stockpile, while also funding important infrastructure projects and research that will increase U.S. economic competitiveness and growth."
 

---

The House Appropriations Committee has provided the following summary:
 
The bill delivers strong support for our national security, providing substantial increases for nuclear weapons programs above fiscal year 2015. The bill also protects funding for critical national and regional waterways – which handle commerce valued at more than $1.7 trillion annually – through the Army Corps of Engineers, and programs that encourage energy independence and economic competitiveness. To meet these needs, the legislation contains targeted reductions to lower-priority or unnecessary programs.
 
Nuclear Security – The bill provides a total of $12.3 billion for DOE’s nuclear weapons security programs, including Weapons Activities, Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation, and Naval Reactors. This is a $922 million increase above the fiscal year 2015 level. This critical national defense funding will allow the U.S. to uphold its nuclear deterrence posture and prepare for current and future nuclear threats by maintaining the safety and readiness of our nuclear stockpile. This includes:
 
 • $8.7 billion for Weapons Activities – $526 million above the fiscal year 2015 enacted level;
• $1.3 billion for Naval Nuclear Reactors – $86 million above the fiscal year 2015 enacted level; and
• $1.9 billion for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation – $291 million above the fiscal year 2015 enacted level.
 
Environmental Cleanup – Included in the legislation is $5.9 billion for environmental management activities, $39 million above the fiscal year 2015 enacted level. This includes $5.1 billion for Defense Environmental Cleanup to safely clean sites contaminated by previous nuclear weapons production, as well as additional funding for various other non-defense related nuclear sites.
 
Energy Programs – Funding for energy programs within DOE is $10.3 billion – an increase of $64 million above the fiscal year 2015 enacted level and $1.3 billion below the President's request. Within this total, the bill prioritizes and increases funding for energy programs that encourage U.S. economic competitiveness and that help advance the nation’s goal of an “all-of-the-above” solution to energy independence.
 
Research and development to advance coal, natural gas, oil, and other fossil energy technologies, which will help the country make greater use of our rich natural energy resources and help keep down energy costs, are funded at $605 million – an increase of $34 million above the fiscal year 2015 enacted level. In addition, funding for nuclear energy research, development, and demonstration activities is increased by $23 million, for a total funding level of $936 million. Renewable energy programs, which are funded at $1.7 billion in the bill, are cut by $279 million from last year’s enacted level.
 
Science Research – The bill includes $5.1 billion for science research – an increase of $29 million above the fiscal year 2015 enacted level. This funding will help strengthen the nation’s science and technology innovation by supporting basic energy research, development of high-performance computing systems, and research into the next generation of clean energy sources.  This basic research will lay the groundwork for more efficient and practical domestic energy solutions to help reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil, and help promote future growth in American businesses and industries.
 
Yucca Mountain – The bill continues congressional efforts to support the Yucca Mountain nuclear repository, providing $150 million for the Nuclear Waste Disposal program and $50 million for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to continue the adjudication of DOE’s Yucca Mountain License application. The legislation also denies an Administration proposal for non-Yucca nuclear waste activities.
 
For the complete text of the subcommittee draft of the FY 2016 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, please see here.