APPROPRIATIONS
Uncertainty for budget and appropriations in FY 2021
ECA Staff | 4/20/2020
The Fiscal Year 2021 budget process remains uncertain, as the House and Senate are not set to return to Washington until early May. Originally, the House planned to mark up the spending bills this week while both chambers continuing to work on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) throughout May and June. Last year, the House Appropriations Committee passed the energy appropriations bill by May 21, and the House Armed Services Committee passed the NDAA by June 19.
If Congress begins the appropriations process in the coming weeks or months, it is still possible that the ultimate result will be a continuing resolution, carrying over the FY 2020 funding levels into next year. On top of the delays caused by COVID-19, a presidential election year usually means Congress will pass a continuing resolution (which happened in 2016 and 2012), punting the
budget process into the new calendar year.
While appropriations have been put on hold, Congress has passed three coronavirus relief bills, totaling over $2 trillion with a “phase 4” bill expected to be taken up in the near future.
More news about Congress’s schedule and the budget can be found here:
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CONTRACTS
DOE extends contracts across the complex
ECA Staff | 4/20/2020
Last year, ECA highlighted major EM contracts that were set to expire in 2020. DOE has announced several extensions and awards in recent months:
- Environmental Program Services in Nevada
- Extended through 7/31/20. Originally ending 1/31/20
- Security Services at Savannah River Site
- Extended through 10/7/20. Originally ending 2/7/20.
- Hanford Site Infrastructure Services
- Extended through 11/25/20. Originally ending 5/25/20.
- Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Management and Operating Contract
- Extended through 9/30/22. Originally ending 9/30/20.
- West Valley Demonstration Project Interim End State
- Extended through 6/29/23. Originally ending 4/17/20.
The remaining 11 contracts have not yet been extended and have an end date in 2020 (current as of April 9, 2020):
- NRC Licensed Facilities Management Contract in Idaho
- Ending 3/31/20 (no change).
- Decontamination & Decommissioning Project for the East Tennessee Technology Park
- Ending 7/31/20 (no change).
- Hanford 222-S Laboratory Analysis and Testing Services
- Ending 9/20/20 (no change).
- Tank Operations Contract at Hanford
- Ending 9/30/20 (no change).
- Paducah Infrastructure Services
- Ending 9/30/20 (no change).
- Hanford Site Central Plateau Remediation
- Ending 9/30/20 (no change).
- Design, Construction and Commissioning of the Salt Waste Processing Facility at Savannah River Site
- Ending 9/30/20 (no change).
- Savannah River Liquid Waste Program
- Ending 9/30/20 (no change).
- Management and Operation (M&O) of the Savannah River Site
- Ending 9/30/20 (no change).
- Transuranic Waste Processing at Oak Ridge
- Ending 10/26/20 (no change).
- Carlsbad Technical Assistance Contract
- Ending 12/3/20 (no change).
EM also recently began the procurement process for the DUF6 conversion contract for the Portsmouth Paducah Project Office, issuing a request for information (RFI)/sources sought notice in late March. The current contract held by Mid-America Conversion Services, LLC expires in January 2022. A procurement site for this contract is available here.
While the management contract for Savannah River National Laboratory is set to end in October this year, DOE issued a draft request for proposals (RFP) for a new 10-year, $3.8 billion contract. DOE has the option to extend the
current contract for up to two more years while a final RFP and potential award are pending.
In addition to recent action on EM contracts, DOE/NNSA announced a major extension for UT-Battelle to continue management of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for another five-year period. It is the fourth extension for UT-Battelle at ORNL since it began
its management in 2000.
GAO REPORTS
GAO releases reports on NRC recommendations, NNSA's modernization efforts, and Uranium Processing Facility
ECA Staff & GAO | March/April 2020
Priority Open Recommendations: Nuclear Regulatory Commission
GAO sent a letter to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to provide an update on the recommendations previously given to the NRC. Ultimately GAO has found that a significant number of recommendations remain open and that implementation of these recommendations would greatly assist in operations. According to GAO, since their August 2019 letter NRC has not implemented any priority recommendations. In addition
to four priority recommendations previously made and identified, GAO is adding three new recommendations regarding combating nuclear terrorism and cybersecurity risk management programs.
Now currently a total of seven, the priority recommendations from GAO fall into four major areas:
- Addressing the Security of Radiological Sources
- Improving the Reliability of Cost Estimates
- Improving Strategic Human Capital Management
- Ensuring the Cybersecurity of the Nation
NNSA's Modernization Efforts Would Benefit from a Portfolio Management Approach
The Department of Defense and Department of Energy estimate that nuclear modernization will cost hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade. This report, NNSA's Modernization Efforts Would Benefit from a Portfolio Management Approach, discusses NNSA’s ongoing and planned programs and projects, and additional steps that could be taken
to continue improvements.
GAO found that “to support and enable ongoing and planned weapon programs, NNSA also plans to spend billions of dollars over the next 2 decades on capital asset projects and other infrastructure risk reduction and recapitalization efforts to modernize the production infrastructure NNSA uses to produce components and materials needed for its weapon programs.” This highlights one of GAO’s main concerns: financial projections and analyses.
GAO recommended “...presenting options to align its portfolio of programs to potential future budgets could help Congress and NNSA better understand NNSA’s priorities and trade-offs that may need to be undertaken in the future.”
Uranium Processing Facility Is on Schedule and Budget, and NNSA Identified Additional Uranium Program Costs
NNSA has made progress in the implementation of the 2017 GAO recommendation to enhance the management of uranium program activities, including but not limited to the development of a scope of work, cost estimates, and schedules. Specifically, NNSA has progressed in three critical ways: 1) developing process technologies that are expected to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of certain uranium processing
capabilities; 2) investing in infrastructure to extend the operational lives of older uranium facilities; and 3) reducing the amount of uranium stored and used in these older uranium facilities.
Ultimately, NNSA has reported that the new Uranium Processing Facility (UPF) is on schedule and within budget. At the close of 2019, three of the seven UPF subprojects were complete, with four ongoing.
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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