Nuclear Industry Opposes Senate Plan to Reauthorize D&D Fund Payments

The U.S. nuclear industry is pushing back against a provision in the Senate version of the Fiscal Year 2015 Energy and Water Appropriations bill that would reauthorize new contributions to the federal Uranium Enrichment D&D Fund, which is used to cover cleanup costs at the Paducah, Portsmouth and Oak Ridge sites. The Senate bill would implement a proposal the Department of Energy made in its FY 2015 budget request to reauthorize both federal and industry payments to the fund tottalling no more than $663 million annually, of which no more than $200 million would come from industry contributions.

However, the Nuclear Energy Institute decried the proposal as “unreasonable and unjustified” in a letter sent yesterday to the heads of the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee. “Not only is there no justification for further taxing nuclear utility ratepayers, there is no need for additional revenues at this time. The uranium decontamination and decommissioning trust fund has a balance of $4 billion; funds are available,” wrote NEI Senior Vice President for Governmental Affairs Alex Flint. He added, “In past years, when the Administration has proposed to reinstate this tax, the Congress has wisely rejected it because it is unjustifiable, retroactive, and industry has already paid twice.”