DOE nuclear cleanup would receive $8.32 billion in House subcommittee’s bill

House appropriators on Thursday rolled out a Department of Energy budget bill that proposes $8.32 billion for the agency’s Office of Environmental Management, down about $160 million from this year.

Still, the topline figure for DOE’s nuclear cleanup branch is $100 million more than what President Joe Biden’s administration sought.

The act, announced via press release by House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.),  would provide $7.13 billion for Defense Environmental Cleanup, the largest tranche of funds in the Environmental Management budget. That would be less than the nearly $7.3 billion appropriated for fiscal 2024 but more than the $7.1 billion requested by the White House.

The measure seeks $324 million for Non-Defense Environmental Cleanup, again coming in less than the $342-million appropriation in 2024 but more than the $315 million sought by the White House. The Uranium Enrichment Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund would be $864 million, more than $7 million above the fiscal 2024 level and the administration request. 

The House Appropriations Energy & Water Subcommittee will mark up the bill Friday at 8:30 a.m. in a session webcast via the committee website.

Energy & Water Subcommittee Chair Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) lauded the proposal for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1. 

“I’m proud that the Fiscal Year 2025 Energy and Water Development appropriations bill continues to build off the work of our FY24 bill to strengthen America’s strategic nuclear stockpile, revitalize our ability to enrich uranium domestically, invest in our long-term energy security, and maintain our country’s ports and inland waterways.”

The bill would also provide about $25.5-billion for the National Nuclear Security Administration, which is $1.3 billion above the fiscal enacted level, the subcommittee said.

A five-page summary of the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for fiscal 2025 is available online. Text of the bill is also available.