BUDGET & APPROPRIATIONS / DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
Ahead of recess, spending and authorization bills advance in Congress
ECA Staff | 7/26/2019
Before leaving Washington for August recess, Congress made progress on the annual defense authorization bill, which sets funding levels and policies for the Department of Energy’s (DOE) national security programs. The Senate passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act legislation (NDAA) on June 27, and the House passed its version on July 12. Lawmakers from each chamber will
reconcile differences between the bills when Congress returns in September.
Top-line Numbers
The House NDAA authorizes $22.6 billion in discretionary spending for DOE national security programs in FY 2020, which is $547 million below the administration’s budget request. The Senate NDAA authorizes $23.2 billion for
DOE, which meets the President’s requested level.
In June, the House also passed two packages of spending bills, one of which contained energy appropriations for FY 2020. The House energy appropriations bill provides $37 billion for DOE, which is about $5.5 billion above the budget request and $1.4 billion above the FY 2019 enacted level. The Senate has not yet introduced any of
its spending bills.
The House appropriations bill provides National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) with one of its highest budgets in history again, for a total of $15.8 billion—around $665 million above the FY 2019 enacted level but $590 million below the budget request.
In FY 2020, the House decreased spending for defense environmental cleanup by $30 million, for a total of $5.9 billion.
The Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) would receive $1.3 billion in funding, which is an $8 million increase above FY 2019 and $493 million above the budget request. For the Office of Science, the House bill provides a $285 million increase for a total budget of $6.8 billion.
Consistent with the spending bills from the last two years, the House provides no funding for Yucca Mountain licensing activities. While the administration has requested to eliminate the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) throughout the last two years, the House bill provides $425 million for the agency.
High Level Waste
As the NDAA was debated on the House floor, Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) introduced an amendment that would prohibit DOE from using funds to apply its interpretation of high-level waste (HLW) to the waste in the State of Washington. DOE recently published an interpretation of HLW that would define waste by its
radiological characteristics rather than its origins.
Pit Production
The House expressed skepticism in the NDAA about the need for production of 80 plutonium pits per year and questioned DOE/NNSA’s program management of plutonium activities. The Senate was generally more favorable toward DOE’s pit production plan by meeting the President’s budget request for plutonium sustainment. However, similar to the House, the Senate also expressed concern about NNSA’s ability to achieve the 80 pits per year goal.
Both chambers requested reports and briefings to learn more about the viability of the plutonium strategy.
Reports to Congress
Several reports were requested by the House and Senate Armed Services Committees. They include reports on radioactive waste at West Valley; environmental liabilities of the Office of Legacy Management; the status of tank closures at the Savannah River Site and Idaho National Laboratory; and ongoing evaluation of the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant.
Advanced Nuclear
In the House spending bill, $100 million is allocated to Advanced Small Modular Reactor Research and Development. The House Appropriations Committee noted that it is still waiting for a report requested in 2018 regarding goals to demonstrate a variety of private-sector advanced reactor designs by the late 2020s.
Nuclear Safety / DOE Oversight
The House and Senate both included provisions impacting the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) in the NDAA. Both bills would create a director of operations for DNFSB and “codify the Board’s prompt and unfettered access to defense nuclear facilities.” The Senate NDAA would also set term limits for board members. Finally, regarding DOE Order 140.1, the Senate called for a report on the order’s impact on DNFSB’s ability to meet its responsibilities, while the House called for DOE to
enter into a Memorandum of Understanding to govern their interactions.
What's Next?
As the authorization and appropriations bills have advanced, the threat of across-the-board cuts to defense and non-defense spending has loomed if spending caps are not increased. On July 25, the House passed a bipartisan budget deal that would raise the budget caps for the next two fiscal years.
The Senate is expected to take up the budget deal and begin advancing appropriations bills when the chamber returns from August recess. At the 2019 National Cleanup Workshop, Congressional leadership and staff will provide insight into how current and future spending bills will impact the environmental management
program.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
An Overview of New Leadership across DOE
ECA Staff | 7/26/2019
New leadership across multiple offices at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have finally settled in place, with several important Senate confirmations making their way through earlier this summer. Here’s a breakdown of who is atop several of the Department’s most critical offices:
Office of Environmental Management
William “Ike” White has been heading the office since June of this year, serving as the Senior Advisor for Environmental Management to the Under Secretary for Science. He previously worked as Chief of Staff and Associate Principal Deputy Administrator for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
Todd Shrader, who serves as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (the EM-2 position), has also been with the office since June. He previously served as the EM Carlsbad Field Office Manager.
Jeff C. Griffin serves as the Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (APDAS) for Field Operations. Elizabeth Connell is the APDAS for Regulatory and Policy Affairs, and Norbert S. Doyle is the acting APDAS for Corporate Services.
National Nuclear Security Administration
A new addition to NNSA senior leadership is Dr. William A. Bookless as NNSA Principal Deputy Administrator, whose nomination was approved by the Senate with a voice vote in May of this year.
Office of Science
The Senate confirmed Dr. Christopher P. Fall as Director of the Office of Science in May. He was sworn in mid-July alongside other Senate-confirmed program leaders. Dr. Fall previously served as Senior Advisor to the Undersecretary for Energy and as Acting Director of DOE’s ARPA-E.
Office of Nuclear Energy
Dr. Rita Baranwal was sworn in in mid-July as Assistant Secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy. Dr. Baranwal was approved by the Senate on a roll call vote of 86-5. She previously served as the Director of the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative at Idaho National Laboratory.
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NATIONAL CLEANUP WORKSHOP
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"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.
Confirmed speakers include:
- Paul Dabbar, DOE Under Secretary for Science
- Todd Shrader, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Environmental Management
- Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN), Co-Chair, House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus
- Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Co-Chair, House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus; Assistant House Speaker
- Melissa Burnison, DOE Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs
- Ron Woody, ECA Chair; County Executive, Roane County, Tenn.
- Sandra Fairchild, EFCOG Vice Chair; Director, Project Services and Support, Savannah River Remediation
- Fred Hughes, Program Manager, Fluor Idaho
- Zack Smith, President and Project Manager, Mid-America Conversion Services
- Ken Rueter, President, UCOR
- Karen Wiemelt, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Jacobs
- James Taylor, General Manager-Environmental, Bechtel
- Greg Meyer, Senior Vice President, Fluor
- Mark Whitney, Executive Vice President and General Manager, AECOM
- Ty Blackford, President, CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company
- Bob Wilkinson, President, Mission Support Alliance
- John Eschenberg, President, Washington River Protection Solutions
- Stuart MacVean, President, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions
- Vahid Majidi, Director, Savannah River National Laboratory
- Jack Craig, Vice President, Atkins
Scheduled sessions at this year's workshop include:
- Insights from the House Nuclear Cleanup Caucus Leadership
- 30 Years of EM Cleanup: A Foundation of Success
- EM Contracting: Moving Forward on Contract Management Enhancements
- Legislative Challenges and Opportunities for the EM Program
- Clarifying the Definition of HLW: Challenges and Opportunities
- Continuing Progress on Direct Feed LAW at Hanford
- The Future of the Savannah River Site
- Congressional Staff Perspectives
- Roundtable with DOE Field Office Managers
- Investing in Infrastructure to Enable Cleanup and Future Missions
Read about DOE's High Level Waste Interpretation
Have questions about DOE’s recent high-level waste (HLW) interpretation? Download ECA’s Key Points and FAQs on the issue to better understand what ECA believes are the potential benefits of implementation.
Interested in learning more? Read the ECA report “Making Informed Decisions on DOE's Proposed High Level Waste Definition” at www.energyca.org/publications
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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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.
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