Congress Working to Boost Funding for Yucca Mountain

Press Release

WASHINGTON, DC -- House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) today engaged in a colloquy on the House floor in support of language included the FY 2014 Energy and Water Appropriations bill to provide the Nuclear Regulatory Commission with the funds needed to complete its review of the Yucca Mountain license application.

The Energy and Water funding bill, which is currently being debated on the House floor, commits $25 million to support Yucca Mountain activities. In addition, the bill provides the Department of Energy the authority to transfer funds to NRC, granting the administration the flexibility to ensure adequate funds are available to complete the license application review. The House voted 326 to 81 last year to adopt an amendment offered by Environment and the Economy Subcommittee Chairman John Shimkus (R-IL) to increase funding for the license review, and this year's funding bill continues the effort to ensure the license application review is completed.

"This approach really builds on last year's momentum to get this job done," said Upton. "Consumers and taxpayers have paid over $15 billion -- B as in big -- to find out whether Yucca Mountain would be a safe repository for civilian spent nuclear fuel and defense nuclear waste. They deserve an answer, yes they do, and under this bill they are going to get one."

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