$180 million OK’d for projects in Nevada

Suzanne Struglinski

Thursday, Nov. 6, 2003 | 9:24 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers on Wednesday approved just under $25 million for the next year to help decrease the amount of time it will take to prepare the Nuclear Test Site for weapons tests.

In the Energy and Water spending bill conference report, negotiators included $24.9 million for Enhanced Test Readines, matching the president's request, but restricted the National Nuclear Security Administration to improve test readiness capability to a 24-month gear up rather the the proposed 18 months. Right now preparation could take up to three years.

The Modern Pit Facility program received $10.8 million, down from the $12 million approved earlier. The president wanted $23 million for the program. The Nevada Test Site, located about 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, though not the front-runner, is one of five sites under consideration for the facility, which would build new plutonium triggers for nuclear weapons.

Overall, Nevada will get about $180 million from the energy spending bill approved by congressional negotiators Wednesday.

This includes various monies for research programs at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, such as $1 million to assess earthquake hazards at Yucca and $3 million for a renewable hydrogen fueling station system, among other projects, according to Sen. Harry Reid's, D-Nev., office.

Meanwhile, the Energy Department is still evaluating how the $11 million shortfall in its budget request for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste storage project will play out in the long run.

DOE spokesman Joe Davis said the department did not know yet how the lower funding would affect the project's progress.

Davis said the department"will assess the budget and its impacts on the program" but that as this point the department "plans to stay on track" with the program.

Although the $580 million approved Wednesday was an increase from the $460 million last year and the $425 million approved by the Senate in its spending bill, it is lower than the $765 fought for by the nuclear industry and the House.

"I have cut the budget every year, for nearly 10 years, and while I continue to do that, Nevada's legal team will continue to fight an aggressive and effective case that will demonstrate in a court of law the scientific and safety shortfalls of the Yucca Mountain project," said Reid, who sat on the conference committee.

Reid was also able to get $5 million for the state and local governments who will be affected by the Yucca Mountain site.

The Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, an independent board tasked with advising Congress on nuclear waste issues, received $3.2 million.

John Kane, the Nuclear Energy Institute's senior vice president of govermental affairs, said the industry was "pleased" the report almost met the administration request saying the $580 "will go a long way toward helping the Department of Energy meet its goal of submitting a license application in December 2004 ..."

However, he said the industry is "disappointed" the $765 million was not approved.

"This amount would have funded important parts of the program that have been underfunded in past years and allowed DOE to catch up to schedule," Kane said. "The government's nuclear waste management program is an environmental priority and it is imperative that Congress provide the funding neccessary for the Department of Energy to meet critical milestones."

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., called the approved figure a "moderate victory."

"Until they zero out the budget, you can't declare a full victory," she said, but added that Reid did a great job with his negotiations.

Illinois Reps. John Shimkus, a Republican, and Bobby Rush, a Democrat, have a pending bill that would remove at least $725 million from the regular appropriations process for the Yucca program each year and not subject it to spending caps placed on the appropriations bill.

"They are ill-informed and desperate because they have nuclear power plants in their district and rather than work with me, they want to take it out of their district and give it to me," Berkley said. "We don't want it. For us to be the garbage pail of the rest of country's nuclear waste is ridiculous."