The Senate Appropriations Committee will
mark up its $43.8 billion fiscal
year (FY) 2019 Energy and Water appropriations bill this morning at 10:30 AM ET. The bill, which funds the US Department of Energy, Army Corps of Engineers, and other independent agencies, comes in at $566 million above FY2018 enacted levels, and $7.2 billion more than the President's FY2019 budget request. During the mark up, the committee will also consider 302(b) allocations.
DOE funding highlights from the bill
include:
National Nuclear Security Administration: NNSA received $14.8 billion, which is $111 million above the FY2018 enacted levels, $311 million below the President’s Budget request, and $500 million below the FY2019 House bill. In total, the Senate provides $10.9 billion for Weapons Activities, $1.6 billion for Naval Reactors, and $1.9 billion for Defense Nuclear
Nonproliferation.
Environmental Cleanup: The Senate gave $7.2 billion for EM activities, $56 million above the FY2018 enacted level, $581 million above the President’s budget request, and $340 million above the House FY2019 bill. Defense environmental cleanup received the lion’s share of the EM budget, with $6 billion.
Nuclear Waste Storage & Disposition: The bill includes a pilot program for consolidated nuclear waste storage and funding to allow DOE to store nuclear waste at private facilities that are licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Unlike the House bill, the Senate omitted funding for Yucca Mountain.
Nuclear Energy: DOE’s NE Office received
$1.2 billion, consistent with FY2018 enacted levels, $449 million above the President’s budget request, and $150 million less than the House FY2019 bill. The Senate bill includes $302 million for Reactor Concepts Research, Development, and Demonstration and $22 million for the industry-led Advanced Reactor Concepts program.
Energy & Water Subcommittee Chairman Lamar Alexander is reportedly looking to
how the Senate might take action on the bill in the coming weeks. "My guess would be two or three bills would come over from the House, Sen. [Mitch] McConnell could put those bills together, put them on the floor at once and allow amendments to them all," Sen. Alexander told
reporters.
