House Water & Energy Development Appropriations

[Susan Gawarecki <loc@ICX.NET>]

For many reasons, the House Water & Energy Development Appropriations

Bill (H.R. 2311) & Report make fascinating reading.  This caught my eye:



<<    The Department of Energy is currently self-regulating with respect

to nuclear safety and worker safety at most of its facilities under the

authority of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954. The Committee directs the

Department to prepare an implementation plan to transition to external

regulation at the Department's non-defense science laboratories. The

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) would assume responsibility for

nuclear safety at the Department's non-defense science laboratories and

the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) would assume

responsibility for worker safety at these same sites. The Department is

directed in fiscal year 2002 to prepare a plan for implementation of

external regulation, with a proposed effective date for the actual

implementation of external regulation of October 1, 2002. This plan is

due by March 31, 2002.



    For planning purposes, external regulation will apply to the five

multiprogram national laboratories under the Office of Science: Argonne

National Laboratory; Brookhaven National Laboratory; Lawrence Berkeley

National Laboratory; Oak Ridge National Laboratory; and Pacific

Northwest National Laboratory. External regulation shall also apply to

the five single-purpose laboratories under the Office of Science: Ames

Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory; Princeton Plasma

Physics Laboratory; Stanford Linear Accelerator Center; and Thomas

Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The requirement to plan for the

transition to external regulation is not applicable to the nuclear

weapons laboratories, plants, or test facilities, nor to the

Department's environmental remediation sites or other laboratories and

research facilities. >>



The full (rather lengthy) documents can be found at 

http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/legislation/02appro.html



Of other consequence, is that as it stands much of the DOE complex's

environmental restoration funding has been gutted.  In my area of

concern, Oak Ridge Reservation is losing $71 million that would be

designated to carry out remediation activities; 75% of the planned

project work (some 30 projects) would be defunded and suspended.  Oh,

another possible casualty -- my grant (via the Tennessee Oversight

Agreement) and my job.  Resume available on request -- check back in

September.



My Representative (who serves on the House Appropriations Committee)

assures me that EM's funding will be restored by the Senate and that the

Conference Committee will respect that.  Don't worry, be happy.  Wanna

buy a bridge?



Regards,

Susan

-- 

.....................................................

Susan L. Gawarecki, Ph.D., Executive Director

Oak Ridge Reservation Local Oversight Committee

                       -----                       

A schedule of meetings on DOE issues is posted on our Web site

http://www.local-oversight.org/meetings.html - E-mail loc@icx.net

.....................................................

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