Rep. Newhouse Statement on Proposed FY 2017 House Funding Levels for Hanford
Press Release
Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) released the following statement on the release of Hanford funding levels proposed by the House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, which has jurisdiction over Hanford appropriations, for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017. Tomorrow, the full House Appropriations Committee will hold a markup on this bill. Despite overall reductions in the Administration and the House budget requests for the Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management (EM) program, the House's proposal provides full funding for the Office of River Protection (ORP), as well as an increase for the Richland Operations Office (RL) that is $38 million above the President's FY2017 request:
"I was encouraged by the restoration of funds that had been slated for cuts in the President's budget request to the Richland Operations Office (RL)," said Rep. Newhouse. "These restored cuts will allow RL to keep cleanup work on track at contaminated waste sites and buildings along the Columbia River Corridor. The inclusion of full funding for the Office of River Protection (ORP) is critical to ensure work is able to progress on retrieving Hanford's tank waste and preparing to feed an operational Waste Treatment Plant (WTP). I am also pleased that the bill provides funds to continue the Department of Energy's statutorily-required activities for the Yucca Mountain license application. While the House request is an improvement over the Administration's request, there is more work to be done. It is critical to continue to invest in cleanup efforts because in the long run, stop-and-start cleanup would cause needless delays and end up costing taxpayers even more. I am thankful to my colleague from Washington, Jaime Herrera Beutler, for her support for Hanford cleanup as a member of the Appropriations Committee. As the appropriations process continues in the House, I will continue to push for the best possible budget to prioritize the federal government's cleanup obligations at Hanford."
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