[ RadSafe ] Passage of nuclear funding

[Muckerheide, James]

Friends,

 

So far, so good, except for the "preemptive" nature of the reprocessing
'plan,' which could (if allowed) put the nuclear enterprise in the proverbial
wringer yet again!? :-(   How does this get structured into a constructive
initiative?

 

Regards, Jim Muckerheide

 

Appropriations committee boosts reactor research but cuts Yucca funding

22 November 2005 

The senate and house appropriations conference bill for 2006 has been passed
with a number of provisions for the nuclear industry.

The Energy and Water Appropriations $30.5 billion bill makes appropriations
for the Department of Energy, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Corps of
Engineers.

For the DoE, the Conference report provides $24.3 billion, of which $557.6
million is earmarked for nuclear energy. The total budget is $76.5 million
above the President's request although it comes in at $129 million below the
2005 level. 

Of the $226 million included for nuclear energy research and development $66
million is allocated for Nuclear Power 2010, a cost-sharing plan to aid
industry in navigating the new licensing process at the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) by subsidising 50% of the cost for three separate combined
construction and operating licence (COL) applications. A further $55 million
is allocated for the Generation IV reactor, the Next Generation Nuclear Plant
is allocated $40 million and the Advanced Fuel Concepts Initiative $80
million.

The Conference report provides a total of $500 million for Nuclear Waste
Disposal at Yucca Mountain, a significant cut from the $577 million in each
of the last two years and $201 million below the request. This includes $100
million for Nuclear Waste Disposal and $350 million for Defence Nuclear Waste
Disposal. In addition to the $450 million provided for work on the Yucca
Mountain repository, the conference agreement provides $50 million for the
Secretary of Energy to plan for and initiate a competitive site selection
process to develop one or more integrated spent fuel recycling facilities.
Additional resources are also provided to the Office of Nuclear Energy,
Science and Technology to develop an advanced spent fuel recycling technology
for the United States.

Language is also included directing the Department to begin a spent nuclear
fuel recycling plan and to set up a competition to determine if there are
communities or states that want to volunteer to be the site for a recycling
reprocessing facility.

The bill also provides a total budget of $734.3 million for the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, an increase of $41 million over the President's
request and $41 million above the current year level, which will be used to
support the licensing of next generation reactors.

The bill terminates the Nuclear Energy Plant Optimisation programme at $2
million but includes $290 million for domestic fusion research by The Office
of Science.

 

 	 
 

Modern Power Systems (c)2005
Published by Wilmington Media Ltd.