Uncertainty and stress may be on the horizon for the Savannah River Site workforce if Congress does not provide adequate and timely funding for operations at the Department of Energy facility in South Carolina, SRS stakeholders said earlier this week.
Congress on Sept. 29 passed a stopgap funding measure, known as a continuing resolution (CR), to keep the federal government operating through Dec. 9.
The Department has requested $1.44 billion in funding for SRS in fiscal 2017 – an uptick from the $1.34 billion it received in the last fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. The CR funds the site at the fiscal 2016 enacted levels until Dec. 9, which is expected to give Congress enough time pass a more permanent level of funding.
But the timing and amount of funding remains up in the air, said Rick McLeod, executive director of the SRS Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO) – a nonprofit group that works with SRS and other local stakeholders to benefit the facility and local economy. McLeod said news reports suggest Congress will next pass an omnibus budget that contains funding for SRS missions. However, he has also seen reports that indicate another CR could be passed and freeze progress for site work. “For instance, a CR might remove a restriction on prohibiting an agency to start a new program or activity if the funds have not been appropriated in the previous fiscal year,” he said.
McLeod said funding all of the site’s current missions is crucial to maintain a steady and stress-free workforce. “SRS missions and its workforce are better served when Congress passes a budget,” he said.
He added that the uncertainty of when long-term funds will be appropriated hurts the site because leaders are unable to plan for the current fiscal year and beyond. “The (Environmental Management) budget would be stagnant for much needed infrastructure funding and liquid waste and H-Canyon operations may suffer if the CR continues,” according to McLeod.
