WASHINGTON, DC - The NDAA mark expresses concern over NNSA's ability to meet tritium needs and
requires NNSA to report to the committee on the issue in November and identifies a briefing on the "vapor events" at Hanford.
Led by Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) and Ranking Member Jim Cooper (D-TN), the
Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee for Strategic Forces today released its proposals for the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
The Subcommittee will meet at 3:00 PM on
Thursday, April 26th, in Rayburn 2118. The markup will be live streamed on the committee’s website.
The Subcommittee’s mark is available here.
Nuclear
- The Subcommittee expresses concern over NNSA's inability to address the shortage of tritium and cites the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) which states, "U.S. production of tritium ... is now insufficient to meet the forthcoming U.S. nuclear force sustainment demands, or to hedge against unforeseen developments. Programs are planned, but not yet fully funded, to ease these critical production shortfalls." And as the NPR states with regards to lithium: "The U.S. is also unable to produce or process a number
of other critical materials, including lithium... For instance, the United States largely relies on dismantling retired warheads to recover lithium to sustain and produce deployable warheads. This may be inadequate to support the nuclear force replacement program and any supplements to
it."
- Recommends that the Full Committee authorize funding for a safe, secure and reliable nuclear arsenal, recommending that the Full Committee add funding above the budget request level for the National
Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) nuclear weapons activities and defense nuclear nonproliferation program, including efforts to modernize the nuclear weapons stockpile and address NNSA’s aging facilities and infrastructure;
- Provides for the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering to sit on the Nuclear Weapons Council, which coordinates nuclear weapons programs and policy between the Department of Defense and the National Nuclear Security Administration.
.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND
OTHER DEFENSE
ACTIVITIES Defense Environmental Cleanup Briefings on vapor events at Hanford
Site
The committee is concerned about the continuing reports of toxic vapors emanating from nuclear waste tanks at the Hanford Site being inhaled by workers. Over the past several years, many workers have reported suspicious odors and
subsequent health effects. The committee notes that additional protective measures and guidance have been implemented at the site, but that reported events continue.
The committee therefore directs the Secretary of Energy, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management, to provide semiannual briefings to the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives, starting on August 31, 2018, and continuing during fiscal year 2019, on waste tank vapor incidents at the Hanford Site. Such briefings
should include details on recent vapor inhalation events, any technical data regarding the vapors, any health problems caused by the vapors, mitigation measures in place to protect workers from the vapors, engineered or administrative controls being considered to prevent such events, and any other information the Secretary
determines to be relevant.
| 
