DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION MOVING FORWARD

$35 billion for NNSA/DOE programs; New Energy Parks Legislation Support in the Senate

When Congress returns on December 2, we are expecting the conference committee report for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) reconciling the differences between the House and Senate Bills. The House and Senate are expected to begin voting during the second week of December. While there are high hopes for its ability to pass, debate on including a provision limiting states' abilities to regulate artificial intelligence is proving contentious between lawmakers. 

The Senate-passed version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) adds $32 billion in authorizations more than the White House's original budget request, and includes a total of $35 Billion in authorizations for NNSA, EM and other DOE related defense activities. A detailed breakdown of the Senate authorizations are listed below (in thousands), and available to view here.

Atomic Energy Defense Activities: $35,015,250

National Nuclear Security Administration: $26,872,240

Defense Environmental Cleanup: $6,961,000

Defense Uranium Enrichment D&D: $0

Other Defense Activities: $1,182,000

Weapons Production Modernization

Los Alamos Plutonium Modernization: $1,505,386

Savannah River Plutonium Modernization: $1,205,486

Defense Environmental Cleanup: $6,961,000

Richland: $837,521

Office of River Protection: $2,100,427

Idaho National Laboratory: $460,021

Los Alamos National Laboratory: $278,288

Oak Ridge Reservation: $543,697

Savannah River Site: $1,616,638

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant: $415,424

One notable inclusion in the Senate-passed NDAA is the Department of Energy parks program which ECA members have supported for the past decade. 

This program would give the Secretary of Energy authority to establish a program to permit the establishment of energy parks on “former defense nuclear facilities”. These energy parks would provide locations for the development and deployment of energy technologies, advanced manufacturing technologies, and pilot programs. Included in the provisions of this section, the Secretary must consult with local governments with jurisdiction over, are adjacent to these areas, and any community reuse organizations. 

Further, included in the Senate version is a plan for deactivating and decommissioning nonoperational defense nuclear facilities. The Secretary of Energy shall develop a plan for deactivating and decommissioning these nonoperational facilities starting in 2025, and will transfer the responsibilities of decommissioning and decontaminating to the Assistant Secretary of Environmental Management by 2029. 

Additionally, a provision is included that allows for the manager of each field office of the Department of Energy with the authority to transfer environmental cleanup funds from a project or program under their jurisdiction of that office to another program no more than once per year and at an amount of no more than $5,000,000.

ECA will provide a full summary of the highlights of the reconciled NDAA once the full bill text is released at the beginning of December.

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