Trump DOE requests $27.5 million in FY21, including for Yucca Mountain-related costs
February 27, 2020
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From page 7 of U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette's written testimony to the U.S. House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee, re: Fiscal Year 2021 budget requests:

For the Interim Storage and Nuclear Waste Fund Oversight program, the budget requests $27.5M to fund the development and implementation of a robust interim storage program, DOE’s fiduciary responsibility for maintaining a safe and secure Yucca Mountain facility, and oversight of the Nuclear Waste Fund. Coupled with DOE’s funding for storage, transportation, and disposal R&D, the budget request supports the development of a durable, predictable yet flexible plan that addresses efficiently storing waste temporarily in the near term, followed by permanent disposal. In doing so the Administration will establish an interagency working group to develop this plan in consultation with States. The Department is committed to fulfilling the Federal Government’s legal and moral obligations to properly manage and dispose of the nation’s spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste.

(Emphasis added)

Of the $27.5 million budget request, $7.5 million would be devoted to "maintaining safety and security and other fiduciary responsibilities for the Yucca Mountain site and continuing oversight of the Nuclear Waste Fund."

See the Subcommittee's website posting about the hearing, including Subcommittee Chairwoman March Kaptur's (D-OH) opening statement, Energy Secretary Brouillette's written testimony, as well as his biography. A recording of the hearing is viewable live, at the link provided above. Thanks to Robert Halstead, executive director, State of NV Agency for Nuclear Projects, for this "table of contents" for the recording:


Due to a delay for voting, the hearing begins at 1:01:00 of the archived video. Sec. Brouillette addresses the zero request for Yucca Mountain licensing and DOE proposal for alternative approaches to storage and disposal at 1:14:00. Rep. Simpson (ranking [Republican] member, [Idaho]) questions Sec. Brouillette about Yucca Mountain, the current law, and alternatives at 1:18:24. Chairman Kaptur [Democrat, Ohio] questions Sec. Brouillette about "innovative approaches" to waste management, especially interim storage, at 2:00:30. At 2:14:23, Rep. Newhouse (Republican, whose [Washington State] district includes the DOE Hanford site) strongly opposes the Administration approach, calls it "playing politics" with Yucca Mountain and indicates he "will fight this with everything I've got." Near the end of the hearing, at 2:37:37, Rep. Simpson suggests Sec. Brouillette avoid filling-in the tunnel at Yucca Mountain so that it might be available as a place to store all the studies that have been done. The hearing concludes at 2:40:00.

Article originally appeared on Beyond Nuclear (https://archive.beyondnuclear.org/).
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