Senate committee unveils NDAA, authorizes nearly $28 billion for DOE programs
ECA Staff | 9/22/2021
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The legislation would authorize nearly $28 billion for the Department of Energy (DOE) National Security Programs and Authorizations in FY2022. The bill recommends:
- $20.7 billion for the activities of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) ($192 million less than House Armed Services Committee (HASC) version)
- $6.57 billion for DOE defense environmental cleanup activities through the DOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) ($275 million less than HASC version)
- $920 million for DOE other defense activities (Same as the HASC version)
- $149.8 million for DOE nuclear energy activities (Same as the HASC version)
The committee report provides insight into the committee’s guidance for certain programs. Language from the report is highlighted below. ECA will be discussing these issues further and the impacts to the DOE complex at the upcoming Cleanup Workshop on December 7-9.
Comprehensive strategy for treating, storing, and disposing of defense nuclear waste resulting from stockpile maintenance and modernization activities (NNSA)
The committee recommends a provision that would direct the NNSA to develop a comprehensive strategy that includes: (1) The type and quantity of defense nuclear waste it will generate as a result of stockpile maintenance and modernization activities; (2) How it plans to coordinate with EM to treat, store, and dispose of the waste; and (3) Potential disposal facilities that could accept these waste streams. The estimate should incorporate near, medium, and long
term projections with a budgetary estimate over the next 5 fiscal years. The provision would further require an update to the strategy be submitted with the budget request for fiscal year 2027. The committee directs the Comptroller General of the United States to assess NNSA’s strategy and report to the congressional defense committees 180 days after the strategy is completed. The committee further directs the Comptroller General to perform a similar assessment for the second strategy submitted
with the fiscal year 2027 budget submission. The committee notes that as the United States continues to maintain and modernize its nuclear weapons stockpile, waste will continue to be generated and must be treated, stored, and disposed of. In particular, activities to fabricate new plutonium pits, the cores of nuclear weapons, are expected to generate a considerable volume of transuranic waste. It is not clear whether there are sufficient facilities to address the waste generated by these
activities or whether such facilities are included in current plans and budgets.
Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management’s End State Contracting
According to EM, End State Contracting will provide EM with the flexibility to task contractors using a risk-based approach to define discrete scopes of work that will move sites toward completion and reduce DOE’s environmental liability. Previous Government Accountability Office (GAO) reviews have revealed problems with EM’s management of contracts and major projects, which have been on GAO’s High Risk List since 1990. Therefore, the committee directs the Comptroller General of the United
States to assess EM’s implementation of End State Contracting and the extent to which EM has the capacity needed for this model to be successful. The Comptroller General shall brief the congressional defense committees on the status of its review by May 1, 2022, with a report to accompany the briefing or follow at a time agreed upon with the committees.
Greater-Than-Class C (GTCC) waste disposal
Based on current Nuclear Regulatory Commission rules and the possibility of future rulemaking authorizing near-surface disposal as an option, the committee directs the Comptroller General of the United States to assess: (1) The extent to which EM and the NNSA have evaluated the costs and benefits of disposing of GTCC and GTCC-like waste at a commercial repository; (2) How GTCC and GTCC-like waste would be transported to a commercial repository; and (3) How the disposal of GTCC and GTCC-like
waste at a commercial facility would affect the Federal Government's responsibilities for the site after its closure. The committee directs the Comptroller General to brief the congressional defense committees on the status of its review by May 1, 2022, with a report to accompany the briefing or follow at a date agreed upon by the Comptroller General and the congressional defense committees.
Moving forward
The Senate committee version must now be approved by the full Senate, but it is unclear how soon the chamber will consider the bill given current pressures to prevent government shutdown and a default on the nation’s debt. The full House began debate on its version of the NDAA on Wednesday, including more than 400 amendments (though the majority of them will not be formally debated). The bill is expected to pass in the chamber this week.
ECA will provide a comprehensive summary of the NDAA next week on our website.
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New Cleanup Workshop Dates Set for December
7-9
December 7-9, 2021
Hilton Alexandria Mark Center
Alexandria, Virginia
If you have already registered for the Workshop, you will not need to re-register. If you need to register, please click here. If you have questions, please contact Autumn Bogus at abogus@la-inc.com or (865)
300-1061.
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Secretary Granholm sees 'unusual partnerships' for nuclear
Bloomberg Green | 9/21/2021
From reactors at coal plants to hydrogen production and potential cross-border collaboration, Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm is seeking new roles for U.S. nuclear power.
The Biden administration’s top energy official said the nuclear industry should broaden its business case beyond power markets in order to ensure its place in a carbon-free economy. President Joe Biden has pledged financial support to keep aging atomic plants online, and the Secretary has said "building back better" for nuclear might mean more than just generating electricity as it competes with emerging renewable energy and storage technologies.
"We need to pursue a silver buckshot rather than a silver bullet approach," Granholm said. "All of these technologies have come into play at various levels. Everybody is seeking clean dispatchable power and nuclear provides that, even though it is more expensive."
Granholm went on to say that some "unusual partnerships" between nations and industries might be needed for U.S. nuclear operators to tap the $23 trillion global clean energy market over the next decade.
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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
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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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