The House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee is proposing a requirement for the fiscal 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that construction of the Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility continue unless the secretary of energy reports to Congress on activities meant to address major points of contention on the project.
According to the subcommittee’s mark released Tuesday, the secretary of energy would only be allowed to waive the requirement to continue MOX construction by submitting to the congressional defense committees an updated performance baseline for the project; notification of the initiation of consultations with the “government of a foreign country” – presumably Russia – on an alternative plutonium disposition option; a commitment “to remove plutonium from South Carolina and ensure a sustainable future for the Savannah River Site”; and either a notification that the MOX contractor has not submitted a proposal for a fixed-price contract to complete construction, or a certification that an alternative option exists for a plutonium disposition program, the life-cycle cost of which “would be less than approximately half” of the estimated MOX life-cycle cost.
These conditions reflect lawmakers’ calls for proper justification for the administration’s proposal to terminate the MOX project, in favor of an alternative dilute and dispose method for surplus weapon-usable plutonium, including 34 metric tons covered by a nonproliferation with Russia. Congressional disagreements with the administration’s decision have primarily centered around the need for updated cost estimates for the project, as well as negotiations with Russia to reach an agreement on a plutonium disposition method. While some – among them South Carolina lawmakers – oppose a change to the method under any circumstance, others believe negotiations with Russia should result either in the modification of the agreement currently governing MOX or the creation of a new one.
The Strategic Forces Subcommittee – which handles the NNSA’s funding authorization – will hold its markup of the NDAA this Thursday, followed by the full Armed Services Committee the following Wednesday. The Senate is expected to begin considering its version of the bill next month. The House Appropriations energy and water bill provides $340 million to continue MOX construction, while the Senate version provides $270 million and reprogramming authority for the potential reallocation of those funds. President Barack Obama’s budget requested $285 million for a different plutonium dilution and disposal method.
