Congressional negotiators reach deal on government funding through September CNN Politics May 1, 2017 Bipartisan congressional negotiators reached a critical agreement late Sunday on a massive spending bill that if approved by the House and Senate would fund the government through the end of September, senior aides from both parties told
CNN.
The plan would add billions for the Pentagon and border security but would not provide any money for President Donald Trump's promised border wall with Mexico.Votes in both chambers are expected by the end of the
week.
The deal was reached after weeks of tense but steady negotiations between Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill and the White House, who battled over spending priorities but who were equally determined to avoid a politically fraught government
shutdown. >>Continue readingMost DOE programs see modest increase in new funding deal ECA Staff May 1, 2017 Lawmakers reached an agreement for government funding late last night which will provide slight funding increases to a range of Energy Department programs through September. The bill would provide an additional $36 million and $30 million to DOE’s fossil and nuclear energy programs, respectively. Spending on the ARPA-E program would reach $306 million, an increase of $15 million. Basic
research funding at DOE’s science office will increase by $42 million, a boost of less than 1 percent.
In addition, the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is expected to see a $17.2 million increase in
funding. While the legislation aims to cut $6.7 million to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, it calls for $5 million for the agency’s work on advanced reactors. The bill does not mention the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project. The House and Senate are expected to pass the bill before the end of the week to avert a government
shutdown.
Nuclear warhead modernization needs funding increase, GAO finds Defense News April 28,
2017 WASHINGTON — The National Nuclear Security Administration is underestimating how much funding it needs to update and maintain America’s nuclear warheads, a government watchdog has
concluded.
A new Government Accountability Office report on the NNSA, a quasi-independent branch of the Department of Energy that manages the nuclear stockpile, warns that the agency has five major modernization programs that will be underfunded in the coming years — which in turn could lead to program
delays.
“This misalignment indicates that estimated budgets may not be sufficient to fully execute program plans and that NNSA may need to increase budget estimates for those programs in the future,” GAO investigators
concluded. >>Continue
reading$74M in WIPP, LANL settlement projects
underway Albuquerque Journal April 30, 2017 CARLSBAD – With nuclear waste again on the road to
Carlsbad’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, work is underway to improve WIPP transportation routes around the state.
A series of projects, part of a settlement between the U.S. Department of Energy and the New Mexico Environment Department reached in January 2016, are still in the works.
Eight “Supplemental Environmental Projects” involving Carlsbad’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant and the Los Alamos National Laboratory, estimated to cost around $74 million, were required after New Mexico sued the DOE following a February 2014 radiation leak at WIPP caused by an improperly packaged drum from Los
Alamos. >>Continue readingCONTRACTING & ACQUISITION Department of Energy extends liquid waste contract at Savannah River
Site The Augusta Chronicle April 28, 2017 Savannah River Remediation will remain in charge of the liquid waste mission and contract at Savannah River Site for another six months, according to an announcement from the Department of
Energy.
The announcement comes at a time when the Energy Department was expected to announce a new contract winner. DOE selected
SRR to handle liquid waste missions at SRS in 2008. The original contract ran from April 2009 to March 2015, with an optional two-year extension. The Energy Department elected to take that option, pushing the contract end to June 30. >>Continue
readingNew research reactor fuel completes irradiation
tests World Nuclear News April 27, 2017 A plate-type uranium-molybdenum (U-Mo) fuel for research reactors has completed performance tests in the USA. The fuel could be used to replace highly-enriched uranium fuel (HEU), which can pose a proliferation risk.
In 2012, Belgium, France, South Korea and the USA agreed to cooperate in the development of high-density low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel production technology
using centrifugal atomisation technology developed by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI). The aim is to reduce the use of HEU as fuel in civil research reactors.
The USA provided 110
kilograms of LEU in June 2013 for KAERI to manufacture 100kg of atomised U-Mo powder. In January 2014, the powder was shipped to France for fabrication into fuel elements by Areva's research reactor fuel manufacturer CERCA. >>Continue readingDOE considering new fast reactor at INL The Post
Register April 21,
2017 FORT HALL — A three-year research and development process is underway regarding a potential new test reactor at Idaho National Laboratory’s desert
site.
The study to find the cost and capabilities of a Versatile Reactor-based Fast Neutron Source began in March, Rita
Baranwal said during a Leadership in Nuclear Energy Commission 2.0 meeting Friday. Baranwal is the director of Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear program.
The U.S. Department of Energy created GAIN to facilitate research and development for expensive and lengthy nuclear-related projects. Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter created the LINE Commission to oversee nuclear-related progress in
Idaho.
Baranwal said a fast reactor would provide next-generation fuel-testing capabilities not offered by INL’s Advanced Test
Reactor or Transient Reactor Experiment and Test Facility, which is expected to resume operation this year. >>Continue reading |
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| May 2017 | | 10 | NRC Meeting on Draft Regulatory Basis for SMR Emergency Preparedness Rulemaking |
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| May 2017 | | 10-11 | Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board Chair
Meeting |
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| June 2017 | | 7 | House Nuclear Cleanup
Caucus Event |
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| August 2017 | | 8-9 | Intermountain Energy Summitt |
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| August
2017 | | 16-17 | INVITATION ONLY ECA Peer Exchange: Implementation of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Richland, WA |
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| September 2017 | | 5-7 | Radwaste Summitt 2017 Summerlin, NV |
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| September 2017 | | 12-14 | 2017 National Cleanup
Workshop Alexandria,
VA |
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| September 2017 | | 13 | House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus
Event Washington,
DC
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Find the most recent ECA Bulletin here |
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