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Updates from The SRSCRO
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July 2014
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| Follow us on Twitter! | Rick McLeod @atomicasset  | Mindy Mets @nuclearstem |
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Outlook for FY15 Appropriations
 The budget process on Capitol Hill appears to have hit a summer slump. Congress needs to pass 12 annual spending bills, which set agency funding levels, before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, 2014. So far, the House has only passed six of those bills and the Senate hasn't passed any. The last time Congress succeeded in passing all 12 bills on time was in 1996. In almost 40 years, lawmakers accomplished the task just four times.
 The House late in the evening on July 10, 2014, (see article below) passed its sixth fiscal 2015 appropriations bill. Passage of the $34 billion measure, 253-170, marks the halfway point in the House's consideration of fiscal 2015 appropriations. With fewer than 14 legislative days left before the August recess, a Continuing Resolution (CR) funding the government at least into the lame duck session is quickly becoming more than just a possibility. A CR would rely on the previous year's funding levels until lawmakers hammer out a final bill. This places a burden on federal agencies, making it impossible for them to carry out some basic functions such as hiring because of budget uncertainty.
Previous difficulties in the passage of appropriations bills have centered on how much money each chamber wanted to spend. The appropriations process was supposed to be easier this year compared to last, because lawmakers had signed off on a bipartisan deal that set top- line spending levels at $1.014 trillion for FY 2015.
While the deadline is still more than two months away, fewer than 30 working days are left for Congress to hammer out a deal on spending levels before the deadline. Between now and October 1 the House is scheduled to be in session for 26 days and the Senate for 36 days.
The likely outcome, according to experts, is some kind of stopgap funding measure covering agency funding at least through November's midterms. Then, depending on the outcome of the election, the potential for a catch-all omnibus appropriations bill is a real possibility.
All of this could mean a tumultuous future for SRS FY15 program funding, some programs will come out unscathed, some potentially better off and others may suffer. Only pending Congressional action, or lack thereof, will determine what we can expect - stay tuned.
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U.S. House Supports MOX and Yucca Mountain
The House of Representatives completed the Energy and Water Development bill (H.R. 4923) debate on July 10, 2014, and passed the amended bill 253-170. The MOX funding level of $345 million and "no cold standby" language from the committee bill remained untouched. Although this is not the last step in the Fiscal Year 2015 funding process, the MOX Project is now in a strong position moving into Fiscal Year 2015 negotiations.
Other funding approved by the House includes $150 million for the DOE and $55 million for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to "support continued adjudication" of the license application for the Yucca Mountain high-level waste repository in Nevada. The Administration had proposed to "zero out" funding for the program.
 Right before the House vote, the White House issued a veto threat (A Statement of Administration Policy or SAP) against the Energy-Water bill. As highlighted in the link - if the President were presented with H.R. 4923, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.
A SAP, is a formal document produced by the Office of Management and Budget that expresses the Administration's official views on a bill. "Senior advisors" is a technical term used to mean "all the relevant Cabinet officials and senior White House aides." A recommendation from the President's senior advisors is implied to be a consensus recommendation and is therefore stronger than a recommendation from any particular Cabinet secretary or White House aide.
Although the President's senior advisors are recommending a presidential veto, it is not the same as the President himself issuing a veto threat - a distinction that sometimes gets lost. If we are looking ultimately at an omnibus bill situation as the above article states, this SAP veto threat can't be taken too seriously. Historically, presidents don't veto omnibus bills in large part because they usually contain something for everybody.
However, of interest and a clear intent are the Administration's plans for MOX and Yucca Mountain in FY15 which the SAP spells out.
- Disposition of Weapons-Usable Plutonium - The Administration strongly objects to language that would require the Secretary of Energy to continue construction of the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility. The Administration plans to move the facility into cold stand-by in FY 2015 as it continues to explore the potential for more cost effective alternatives while maintaining the U.S. Government's commitment to disposing of unneeded plutonium.
- Yucca Mountain - The Administration objects to the DOE funding provided in the bill for Yucca Mountain and is disappointed with the Committee's rejection of the practical solutions proposed in the Administration's nuclear waste strategy. As reflected in the FY 2015 Budget request, this strategy incorporates important and workable elements for a successful waste program, such as consent-based siting, interim storage of waste, and program funding reforms that are essential to the success of a Nuclear Waste Program. Similarly, the Administration objects to funding provided in the bill for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to continue adjudication of the Yucca Mountain license application.
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Nuclear Workforce Progress
 Students like Tabitha Golden from Jackson, South Carolina, are excited about new career opportunities in the nuclear industry. Tabitha recently graduated from the Nuclear Quality Systems program at Aiken Technical College and is working in Construction Engineering at The MOX Project on Savannah River Site. The Nuclear Quality Systems program is one of seven new training programs created and implemented over the past three years under a Department of Energy grant titled "Advancing Nuclear Skills Regionally". The grant, now in its fourth year and totaling $3.8 million, is administered by the SRSCRO Nuclear Workforce Initiative (NWI�).
On Thursday, July 24, community leaders and nuclear employers are hearing more about the success of the different programs developed in the SRSCRO region at Aiken Technical College, Augusta Technical College, Georgia Regents University, University of South Carolina Aiken and University of South Carolina Salkehatchie.
Nearly 300 local students are already participating in the new degree programs designed for the nuclear industry. Sixty students have already graduated and are entering the workforce. Click here to learn more.
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SRSCRO Spotlight
SRSCRO
Strategic Alliances
and
Partnerships
Energy Communities Alliance
Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) is the organization of local governments that are adjacent to or impacted by Department of Energy (DOE) activities. ECA board members include elected officials and administrators from local governments impacted by DOE.
ECA's mission is to bring together local government officials in DOE-impacted communities to share information, establish policy positions, and advocate community interests in order to effectively address an increasingly complex set of environmental, regulatory, and economic development needs.
ECA provides accurate, up-to-date information on developments in the federal government and other energy communities to local government officials and other ECA members. The information is provided in the monthly ECA Bulletin, with coverage of DOE and community activities throughout the country, ECA programs including peer exchanges, research reports, and meetings and the nationally recognized ECA e-mail server, with daily updates on issues affecting energy communities. ECA members benefit from insightful analysis of issues and trends in the DOE complex, helping them to understand the issues they face and develop workable solutions. ECA develops comprehensive reports on issues such as economic development and diversification through the reuse of DOE property, and local government capabilities for long-term stewardship activities. Further, ECA hosts several peer exchanges between members on issues impacting local government.
For more information, please check the ECA web site at www.energyca.org |
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Closing Thoughts
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"As an adolescent I aspired to lasting fame, I craved factual certainty, and I thirsted for a meaningful vision of human life - so I became a scientist. This is like becoming an archbishop so you can meet girls." - M. Cartmill
"In great affairs men show themselves as they wish to be seen; in small things they show themselves as they are." - Nicholas Chamfort
"Most people have seen worse things in private than they pretend to be shocked at in public." - Edgar Watson Howe
"Statistics: The only science that enables different experts using the same figures to draw different conclusions." - Evan Esar
"Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names." - John F. Kennedy
"You know everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects." - Will Rogers
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| Contact Information |
SRSCRO, PO Box 696, Aiken, SC 20802 
Staff:
Kim Saxon - Assistant Coordinator - 803-508-7656
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