OMNIBUS SUPPORTS AMERICAN CENTRIFUGE, BUT FUTURE FUNDS DEPEND ON STUDY

While the spending bill released this week includes $62 million for a program supporting USEC’s American Centrifuge project, it also is making another $56.65 million in funding contingent on a Department of Energy cost-benefit analysis of potential domestic enrichment technologies for national security needs. The Department is supporting American Centrifuge through a cost-share research, development and deployment program, citing the need for a domestic source of enriched uranium for national security needs including tritium production. “The Department has yet to provide a clear explanation of its strategy to ensure the continued supply of tritium and enriched uranium to meet defense needs,” states report language accompanying the bill. “Therefore, the agreement includes a general provision that requires the Department to submit a full accounting of its plans not later than June 30, 2014.”

 

The DOE program had been set to wrap up at the end of 2013, but DOE and USEC are seeking an extension—USEC is filing for bankruptcy and cannot continue to support the project on its own. It’s unclear how long the $62 million will keep the program afloat. USEC said it is still analyzing that while DOE referred request for comment to the White House. The additional $56.65 million in funding could potentially go to another project. It depends on a “cost-benefit analysis of available and prospective domestic enrichment technologies for national security needs, the scope, schedule, and cost of his preferred option,” the legislation states.