CHANCES SLIM FOR USEC R&D PROGRAM TRANSFER AUTHORITY

While chances have slimmed for Congressional support for a Department of Energy R&D program for USEC’s centrifuge plant fir this fiscal year, Hill staff say DOE could keep the program alive by taking on additional uranium tails liability from the company. Supporters of the project had hoped that the payroll tax extension legislation passed Friday would give DOE transfer authority to fund the program for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2012, but the bill did not contain a USEC provision. The program is currently funded through March via a stopgap measure in which DOE took on liability from USEC for uranium tails. “There will not be many more opportunities for transfer authority this fiscal year,” Taunja Berquam, minority staff for the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, said Friday at the Fourth Annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit. She added, “There are some folks talking about additional transfer of tails to get through this year. Whether or not that happens will be up to the Secretary, we have no influence on that.” She added that subcommittee Ranking Member Pete Visclocky (D-Ind.) “is not a huge fan of that, because he believes you will ultimately cost the government more than the value of the tails that you are obtaining title to.”