Senate subcommittee approves $38.4 billion funding for Energy Department research
A measure that provides $38.4 billion in funding to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and associated agencies was recently advanced by the Senate
Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development.
Specifically, the bill provides $11.1 billion for the DOE’s energy programs, $5.55 billion for the DOE’s Office of Science, and $917 million for nuclear energy research and development, with the remaining total going toward department operations and overhead. The proposed funding for nuclear research is currently $214 million above President Trump’s original request.
U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), chairman of the subcommittee, said the legislation included a pilot program for consolidated waste storage and that NRC-licensed private storage facilities would be working side-by-side with used fuel repositories.
“The new sites we are seeking to establish would not take the place of [the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository] … but we would complement it,” Alexander said.
While many of the bill’s provisions were met with support from industry stakeholders, one provision, the elimination of the Title XVII guaranteed loan program for the development of new nuclear facilities, received less-than-favorable responses from associations such as the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Third Way, and the Clean Air Task Force, all of whom sent a joint letter to the subcommittee in support of the program.
“A federal loan guarantee program is one of several elements essential to ensure that nuclear energy is able to continue to play its vital role in the United States,” the letter said. “The Section 1703 loan guarantee program is currently supporting construction of the next generation of nuclear reactors in the U.S. and the thousands of direct and indirect jobs associated with these projects.”
“Rescinding the remaining authority could substantially impact the long-term viability of the U.S. nuclear energy sector,” the letter continued.
The bill will now be sent to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration.
