White House Issues Veto Threat
Mike Nartker
WC Monitor
5/1/2015
In the face of a veto threat from the White House, House lawmakers late this week approved the Fiscal Year 2016 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, which funds the Department of Energy’s cleanup efforts. Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) was unsuccessful in an attempt to amend the bill during floor debate to boost funds for defense environmental cleanup activities through a reduction in funding for the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility, under construction at the Savannah River Site. The overall bill was approved by a vote of 240-177.
For DOE’s Office of Environmental Management, the House bill would provide a total of approximately $5.9 billion, about $92 million more than the Department’s FY16 budget request. The bill would provide funding levels above what DOE had sought for a number of cleanup sites, including the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, the Richland Operations Office at Hanford, Idaho, Oak Ridge, Paducah and Portsmouth. However, the bill would provide approximately $1.268 billion for the Office of River Protection, approximately $146 million below DOE’s budget request; and approximately $1.19 billion for work at the Savannah River Site, down approximately $17 million from DOE’s request.
In a statement of Administration policy, the White House issued a broad veto threat against the House energy spending bill. “The bill drastically underfunds critical investments that develop American energy sources to build a clean and secure energy future; develop and commercialize the emerging technologies that create high-quality jobs and enhance the Nation’s economic competitiveness; and improve resilience against current and ongoing climate impacts that threaten our economy, public health, and natural resources. As a result, it would put at risk U.S. competitiveness in new markets for clean energy industries such as advanced vehicles, advanced manufacturing, energy efficiency for homes and businesses, and domestic renewable energy such as wind, solar, and biomass. It would also harm efforts to implement the President’s nuclear strategy and advance counter-proliferation objectives,” the White House said.
