SLDA CLEANUP RECEIVES LARGEST SPENDING BUMP IN FUSRAP BUDGET

The Shallow Land Disposal Area, located in Parks Township, Pa., received the largest bump in requested funding in the Army Corps of Engineers’ Civil Works budget, according to detailed budget documents released this week. The Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program’s (FUSRAP) cleanup site has come under heavy scrutiny lately from Sen. Robert Casey (D-Pa.) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Inspector General for mishandled record keeping and oversight of the site that “grossly underestimates” how much radioactive material remains there. The Corps requested $ 20 million for the cleanup in 2015, compared to the $6,085,000 allocated in FY 2014. “FY 2015 funds will be used to award the remediation contract, prepare remedial work plans, and begin site infrastructure improvements,” the budget documents said.  The Corps estimates the cleanup will cost an additional $324,162,000 to finish, raising the total estimated cost to $422,960,786.