Kenneth Fletcher
WC Monitor
5/22/2015
Cleanup funding for the Department of Energy’s Richland Operations Office at Hanford as well as Oak Ridge would see the biggest increases from DOE’s FY 2016 budget request in the Senate version of the FY 2016 Energy and Water Appropriations bill that cleared the full committee this week. Overall, DOE’s Office of Environmental Management would receive $6 billion under the bill, compared to DOE’s request of about $5.82 billion. The bill would provide $922.5 million in funding for DOE’s Richland Operations Office, a boost of $78.7 million from DOE’s request, which had proposed a significant cut in funding for the office. “Unfortunately, if the Department’s fiscal year 2016 budget request were enacted, several future fiscal year Tri-Party Agreement milestones could be at risk, threatening high risk cleanup projects near the city of Richland, Washington, and the economically and environmentally important Columbia River,” according to report language accompanying the Senate bill.
Funding for Hanford’s Office of River Protection meets the budget request of $1.414 billion in the Senate bill. However, the bill comes in $19 million below DOE’s request for the Low Activity Waste Pretreatment System, while boosting tank waste stabilization and disposition funding by $19 million. The bill’s report notes that work has been undertaken to develop technologies to remove salts from low-activity tank waste streams. “The Department is directed to complete this effort by conducting system conceptual design and cost estimate activities in order to gain a deeper understanding of its potential within recent waste treatment system changes,” it states.
Oak Ridge Sees $45.7 Million Boost
At Oak Ridge, funding for cleanup work would come in at $233 million in the Senate bill, an increase of $45.7 million over DOE’s request. About $35.8 million would support uranium-233 disposition activities. The bill also includes $9.4 million for the new Outfall 200 Mercury Treatment Facility, an increase of $2.6 million over the budget request. It also includes $7 million “to support planning and preparation for a new landfill for the Oak Ridge Reservation. The existing on-site disposal facility is expected to reach capacity before all cleanup activities are completed. Planning for a new landfill is necessary to ensure that there is no interruption of cleanup activities,” the report states.
Savannah River, Idaho Meet DOE Request
The bill would match DOE’s request of $1.2 billion for cleanup at the Savannah River Site. Cleanup funding for the Department’s Idaho site also matched DOE’s request of $360.7 million. Los Alamos National Laboratory cleanup in the Senate bill matched DOE’s request of $188.6 million.
Appropriators Concerned About DOE Maintenance Backlog
Senate appropriators are also raising concern after recent reviews by DOE showed a significant backlog of deferred maintenance across the complex. DOE launched the review after maintenance issues were thought to have contributed to the 2014 incidents at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. “Despite the stated goal of improving the facility maintenance activities and reinvestment projects to arrest growth in deferred maintenance, it is unclear how the Department intends to accomplish this goal, or measure its progress,” according to the report language. As part of its yearly budget request, the report would require DOE to submit “a prioritized list of the deferred maintenance it intends to accomplish in each of the next five years, including the rationale for the prioritization and the planned cost for each item.”
