A busy week on Capitol Hill: Appropriations, NDAA, and infrastructure

This week marks one of the busiest weeks so far in the 117th Congress. Today the House passed a package of 7 appropriations bills, including FY 2022 funding for the Department of Energy. Last night, the Senate moved closer toward reaching a major infrastructure deal. Both chambers also continue to mark up and advance the annual defense bill (National Defense Authorization Act).

Appropriations

The FY 2022 appropriations minibus passed in the House this afternoon on a 219-208 party line vote. While the Senate has not yet unveiled any of its versions of the spending bills, the Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to hold markup hearings on the Energy and Water bill next week.

ECA highlighted some of the major funding items in the House bill earlier this month, including increases for the Office of Environmental Management (EM), Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), and continued payments-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILT) at sites like Hanford and Savannah River Site.

Read ECA's House appropriations summary here.

NDAA

Last week the Senate Armed Services Committee advanced the NDAA, which authorizes funding and sets policies for DOE’s national security programs. While full details are not available yet, the Committee’s executive summary includes the following:

• Nuclear Weapons Stockpile Matters

  • Directs NNSA to develop and implement an enterprise-wide portfolio management framework that details NNSA’s approach and complete a single, integrated assessment.

  • Modifies section 3113 of the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2021 to include a reporting requirement on industrial base risk monitoring carried out by the NNSA.

  • Expresses the sense of the Senate that Congress should have an oversight role in nuclear weapons testing.

• Defense Environmental Cleanup

  • Creates a series of competitively selected technology demonstration programs and a university grant program to underpin the technology required to support environmental cleanup efforts.

  • Directs NNSA to develop a comprehensive strategy that includes the type and quantity of defense nuclear waste it will generate, plans to treat, store, and dispose of the waste, and potential disposal facilities.

The House Armed Services subcommittees marked up NDAA draft language this week, and full details about the bill will be available in the coming weeks.

Infrastructure

Over the past few months, President Biden and the Senate have focused on striking a deal on a major infrastructure bill. Last night, the Senate moved forward with an initial procedural vote and announced a bipartisan framework as a result of the negotiations.

The final bill text is not yet final, but draft language shows that some nuclear energy infrastructure may be part of the deal.

Currently, there is language that would begin infrastructure planning for micro and small modular nuclear reactors; allow DOE to transfer property interests relating to projects under the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program; and establish a civil nuclear credit program. The bill would also authorize $3.2 billion for the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program for Fiscal Years 2022 through 2027.

The Senate is likely to remain in session over the weekend until a final bill text is completed, and final passage is still uncertain.