BUDGET & APPROPRIATIONS
House to take up 5-bill spending package, may include amendment to fund Yucca
ECA Staff | 6/11/2019
This week, the House Rules Committee has been meeting to consider which of the hundreds of amendments filed before last week's deadline (June 7) for the the massive, five-bill minibus will get a vote when the fiscal year (FY) 2020 spending package heads to the floor tomorrow.
One such amendment, sponsored by Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL), proposes adding $25 million to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's budget for Yucca Mountain licensing activities. Some top GOP appropriators question if Democratic leadership will even allow a floor vote for the amendment, which supporters believe would pass with bipartisan support.
In total,the minibus contains the Energy-Water, Defense, Labor-Health and Human Services-Education, Legislative Branch, and State-Foreign Operations funding titles. It is expected to be the first of several minibuses designed by House leadership to pass through the chamber before the July 4th recess.
"I don't remember five before. But what the hell, if you can get them passed," said Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID), the ranking member for the Energy-Water Appropriations subcommittee, according to E&E News. "It ought to go pretty smoothly."
If the bills pass the House, it will likely be on a party-line vote. They are expected to not be well-received by the Republican-controlled Senate. Meanwhile, the Senate has yet to take up any of its FY2020 spending bills. Many on Capitol Hill expect appropriations efforts to end this fall with a continuing resolution.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
Editorial: State needs to listen to Tri-Citians on new nuclear waste plan at Hanford
Tri-City Herald | 6/7/2019
When Tri-Cities leaders weigh in on Hanford issues, state officials should listen.
After all, we are the community most directly affected by what goes on at the federal nuclear reservation.
But it seems the Tri-City perspective is not getting recognized on the Department of Energy plan to label nuclear waste according to its content rather than its origin.
And Tri-Cities comments should count the most.
We believe that if nuclear waste is truly low-level, it should be treated as such.
However, Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson believe DOE’s attempt to reclassify nuclear waste is a way for DOE to cut corners on its cleanup mission.
Their distrust of DOE runs deep. And Inslee and Ferguson are bent on thwarting the effort and have pledged to consider “all options” to stop the process.
In a joint statement, Inslee and Ferguson called the relabeling plan a “reckless and dangerous action,” despite explanations by scientists and Tri-Citians close to the issue who say continuing to treat low-level nuclear waste as if it is highly radioactive makes no sense.
Tri-City leaders should not be so easily dismissed.
The U.S. is the only country in the world that determines nuclear waste classifications based on where that waste was generated – from reprocessing irradiated reactor fuel – rather than its current properties.
The standard was set decades ago by the Atomic Energy Commission, but now scientists say various processes and a radioactive decay life or two have altered the composition of some of the “high-level” waste so it isn’t as hot anymore.
Changing the classification is significant because high-level waste must be disposed of carefully, deep in an underground geologic repository that has yet to open.
But low-level waste can be encased in concrete-like grout and sent to a commercial repository in Texas. It is a much quicker process, and the more waste we can treat and ship out of our region, the better.
However, Inslee and Ferguson said that changing the definition of high-level waste opens the door for the “federal government to walk away from it obligation to clean up millions of gallons of toxic, radioactive waste at Hanford.”
We believe outside oversight of DOE is critical as it implements this new approach, and DOE should be open to that.
But we don’t think the reclassification effort would lead to the federal government abandoning its responsibility to clean up the waste left from decades of nuclear weapons production.
If we did, we’d be with Inslee and Ferguson on this issue.
Instead we are siding with the scientists, engineers, members of the Tri-City Development Council and Hanford Communities who say getting rid of waste that is truly low level reduces costs by tens of billions of dollars.
And that, in turn, will help direct more money to the most serious cleanup efforts.
A rare tour of the tunnel that is ground zero for a nuclear waste controversy
CBS News | 6/10/2019
LEGISLATIVE
House and Senate to discuss nuclear waste bills in committee
ECA Staff | 6/11/2019
On Thursday of this week, the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change is set to discuss The Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2019 (H.R. 2699), among other bills aimed at managing spent nuclear
fuel.
Introduced by Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA) and co-sponsored by Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) and others, this bill is similar to past bills submitted with the same title. Primarily, the bill would:
- Assists in the resolution of the pending permanent repository license, which will allow the formal licensing process to determine if the Yucca Mountain site can be licensed and constructed;
- Reforms a broken financing mechanism to protect ratepayers and assure the Department of Energy (DOE) has adequate funding to construct and operate a multi-generational infrastructure project;
- Directs DOE to move forward with a temporary storage program to consolidate spent nuclear fuel from sites with a decommissioned reactor while work on the Yucca Mountain repository progresses, and prioritizes the transfer of spent fuel from seismically active areas to interim sites;
- Provides the State of Nevada and local stakeholders the opportunity to engage with the Federal government as the host State for the repository; and
- Protects our nation’s national security priorities by providing the most expeditious pathway to remove “defense-waste” from DOE sites
Following suit, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources full committee will consider the Nuclear Waste Administration Act (NWAA) (S. 1234) on June 27.
This bill is sponsored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and co-sponsored by Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). Similar legislation was submitted in the 113th and 114th sessions. Among the provisions in the NWAA are:
Nuclear Waste Administration
- Establishes an independent agency to manage the country’s nuclear waste program in place of the Department of Energy (DOE). This agency would be headed by an administrator selected by the president and subject to Senate confirmation.
Consent-Based Process for Consolidated Storage Facilities and a Repository
- Directs the Nuclear Waste Administration to build a pilot storage facility to hold spent fuel from decommissioned nuclear power plants and emergency shipments from operating plants.
- Directs the agency to build consolidated storage facilities for non-priority spent fuel for utilities or defense wastes for DOE on a temporary basis.
- Establishes siting processes for storage facilities and repositories.
Linkage Between Storage Facilities and Repository
- Authorizes the administrator to begin siting a pilot storage facility for priority waste immediately, and does not set waste volume restrictions on storage.
- Provides that for 10 years following enactment, the administrator may continue to site new storage facilities for non-priority waste as long as funds have been obligated to carry out a parallel repository program.
- After 10 years, the administrator may site new storage facilities only if at least one site has been selected for evaluation as a potential location for a permanent repository.
Nuclear Waste Fund
- Establishes a new working capital fund in the U.S. Treasury, into which the fees collected from utilities would be deposited.
- These funds will be available to the administration without further appropriation. Fees already collected will remain in the Nuclear Waste Fund, where they will continue to be subject to appropriation.
Defense Wastes
- Authorizes the Secretary of Energy to revisit the decision to commingle defense waste with commercial spent fuel.
- If the Secretary determines that separate waste facilities are necessary or appropriate for efficiently managing defense wastes, the administrator may site, construct, and operate one or more facilities for that purpose in accordance with the siting-concurrence process in the Act.
The House hearing will take place on Thursday, June 13, 2019 at 10:00 AM ET in Room 2322 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing will be webcast live on the committee's website here.
The Senate hearing will take place on Thursday, June 27, 2019 at 10:00 AM ET in Room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The hearing will be webcast live on the committee's website here.
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Stay Current on Activities in the DOE World
Read the latest edition of the ECA Bulletin, a regular newsletter providing a detailed brief of ECA activities, legislative news, and major events from across the DOE complex. Have suggestions for future editions? Email bulletin@energyca.org.
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Read ECA's Latest Publication
Making Informed Decisions on DOE's Proposed High-Level Waste Definition:
A Guide for Communities and Recommendations for DOE
This paper was developed as a guide for communities to understand a new interpretation of the statutory definition of high-level nuclear waste proposed by DOE in October 2018. This new interpretation could speed up cleanup at several sites, develop a path forward for waste stranded in interim storage and tanks, and potentially save tens of billions of dollars. The paper provides local communities and other DOE
stakeholders with information needed to enable informed decisions and constructive input to the Department as it determines next steps and implementation.
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Learn More about Cleanup Sites with ECA's DOE Site Profiles
ECA's new site profiles detail DOE's 13 active Environmental Management cleanup sites and national laboratories, highlighting their history, missions, and priorities. The profiles are a key source for media, stakeholders, and the public to learn more about DOE site activities, contractors, advisory boards, and their surrounding local
governments.
NATIONAL CLEANUP WORKSHOP
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Attend the 2019 National Cleanup Workshop
"Advancing Goal-Oriented Nuclear Waste Cleanup, Today and Tomorrow"
September 10-12, 2019
Hilton Alexandria Mark Center
Alexandria, VA
Join more than 700 attendees, including senior DOE officials, Congressional leaders, DOE contractors, and state, tribal and local government leaders for the largest EM-focused gathering in the D.C. area.
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