The Senate Appropriations energy and water development subcommittee on Tuesday passed to the full committee a fiscal 2019 spending plan that would significantly boost funding for nuclear cleanup overseen by the Energy Department’s Office of Environmental Management.
Subcommittee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) indicated the proposal includes $7.2 billion for environmental remediation of Manhattan Project and Cold War nuclear sites, $581 million above the president’s budget request of roughly $6.6 billion. Last week, the House Appropriations Committee approved an energy and water funding bill with $6.9 billion for Environmental Management.
The actual Senate energy budget plan won’t be released until Thursday, according to congressional staff. A press release from the subcommittee noted the DOE cleanup budget funding for contaminated sites in New Mexico, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington state.
The full committee will mark up the energy and water measure at 10:30 a.m. Thursday in Room 106 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
