A group of lawmakers were unsuccessful yesterday in efforts to shift funds in the House version of the FY 2013 Energy and Water Appropriations bill from the National Nuclear Security Administration to the Department of Energy’s cleanup program. Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah) had proposed an amendment that would have increased funding for non-defense environmental cleanup work by approximately $10 million, with the funds to come from nuclear weapons activities. Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) also sought to boost funds for non-defense environmental cleanup work, having proposed an amendment that would have moved $36 million to such activities from the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Departmental Administration and Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Office of the Administrator accounts. Rep. Steve Pearce (R-N.M.) had proposed an amendment that would have increased funding for defense environmental cleanup work by $40 million, with the money to have come from the Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Office of the Administrator account; while Rep. Ben Lujan (D-N,M.) had sought to move approximately $22 million to defense environmental cleanup work from the Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Office of the Administrator account. All four amendments, though, failed on voice votes.
Republicans also turned back by voice vote several amendments that would’ve cut funds from the NNSA’s weapons account, though recorded votes in most cases were requested and did not occur before press time. That included an amendment from Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) to trim $298 million for nuclear weapons technology and two separate amendments from Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas) that would’ve shifted $10 million and $52 million from the NNSA’s weapons program to the Army Corps of Engineers. An amendment offered by Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) to move $16 million from the NNSA’s headquarters account to its nonproliferation account also failed by voice vote.
The House did pass an amendment by Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) by voice vote that would reduce NNSA nonproliferation construction and expansion funding by $100 million, though Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.) requested a recorded vote. The vote had not occurred as of press time. The House also took up an amendment to the FY13 Energy and Water bill offered by Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) that would cut another $17 million from the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility. “Congressman Fortenberry’s amendment would reduce the funding for the mixed oxide fuel program by approximately 17 million dollars and redirect it to the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Global Threat Reduction Initiative. Such a redirection of funds would provide for greater security and be a wiser investment of taxpayer resources,” Fortenberry spokeswoman Kerri Price said in a written response. The reduction would be added to the already $153 million cut from the Administration’s budget request in the House bill for the NNSA’s Fissile Materials Disposition program. While the amendment passed by voice vote, appropriators postponed adoption of the amendment after a recorded vote was requested.
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