FEINSTEIN SAYS PRICE TAG FOR B61 REFURBISHMENT NOW AT LEAST $7.9 BILLION

The estimated cost of a National Nuclear Security Administration program to refurbish four versions of the B61 nuclear bomb has nearly doubled to $7.9 billion over the last year and could cost as much as $10 billion, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said yesterday at a Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee hearing. Feinstein, the chair of the panel, said she was briefed Monday by the NNSA about the cost of the life extension program, which less than a year ago was expected to cost between $4 and $5 billion. The agency has reviewed the cost of the life extension program since the Nuclear Weapons Council settled on a refurbishment plan, which was believed to represent a “middle ground” approach that was more affordable than some other options. At the same time the Department of Defense’s Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation group performed its own assessment of the cost, coming up with an estimate more than $2 billion higher than the agency. A subcommittee staffer said the NNSA and CAPE “had some disagreements on assumptions” that led to the vastly different estimates. “We have to find a way to stop this from happening and that’s what we are now trying to do,” said Feinstein after the hearing, during which she reiterated her longstanding concerns about the rising costs of NNSA projects.