HOUSE FY15 DEFENSE AUTH BILL WOULD AUTHORIZE D&D FUND CONTRIBUTION

The House version of the Fiscal Year 2015 defense authorization bill would authorize funding for a new federal contribution to the Uranium Enrichment D&D fund, though the bill does not have language that would reauthorize the fund itself. Full details of the bill were released yesterday in advance of a planned markup before the full House Armed Services Committee May 7. The bill would authorize $363 million in funding for a federal contribution to the fund, $100 million less than what the Obama Administration had requested. The fund is used to help cover cleanup costs at the Oak Ridge, Paducah and Portsmouth sites.

DOE has sought for years to reauthorize both federal and industry contributions to the fund, but has been met with opposition from Congress and the nuclear industry. In its FY 2015 budget request, DOE said the Obama Administration would submit legislation to reauthorize the fund with an annual cap on deposits from both the federal government and industry to be set at $663 million, with $200 million to come from “a special assessment on domestic utilities.” The House bill would also authorize approximately $19 million in technology development funds for DOE’s Office of Environmental Management, up $6 million from the Department’ request. For all defense environmental cleanup sites, the bill would authorize funding levels matching DOE’s requests.