Tuesday, February 04, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

DOE seeks flexibility on Yucca funding

Similar amount sought for '04 with power to spend more later

WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department sent a 2004 budget to Congress on Monday that contains $591 million for the Yucca Mountain Project, while unveiling a plan that could ease the way to spend billions more in coming years.

The department requested roughly the same amount as it did last year to continue developing a Nevada repository to store thousands of tons of nuclear power plant spent fuel and radioactive waste from government reservations.

Announcing the budget, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said that if Congress goes along, the requested amount would be sufficient to meet the DOE's December 2004 goal to file a repository license application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Abraham also disclosed the Bush administration will propose a change in congressional accounting that would allow lawmakers to increase Yucca spending by substantial amounts without violating their budget rules.

The plan, to be reviewed by green eyeshades experts on Capitol Hill, would remove accounting restrictions on segments of the Yucca budget, allowing larger sums to be expended from the Treasury and from a special fund paid by utilities.

Margaret Chu, director of DOE civilian nuclear waste disposal, said the change could affect some of this year's proposed spending.

She further indicated the 2005 budget plan for nuclear waste could be slightly more than $1 billion as the Energy Department prepares for years of big budget needs to build facilities above ground and underground at the site 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

Abraham said the proposal originated at the White House to maximize progress at Yucca Mountain.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., a critic of the Nevada-targeted repository, said he planned to give the Yucca budget tough scrutiny with an eye to forcing budget cuts in Congress, as he has in recent years.

Reid said he doubted lawmakers will agree to change the Yucca funding mechanism, an idea that has been proposed over the years in different forms. For one, Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., an influential voice on both budget and nuclear issues, has not favored the concept because it would deepen the federal budget deficit.

"I think they're fighting to get money from anyplace," Reid said of DOE. "We'll see what we can do to cut this."

The budget also drew protests from officials in Nevada because the Energy Department did not include customary grants for the state, county governments and Indian tribes to monitor the project. Nevada is slated to get $2.5 million this year, while counties would divide $6 million.

Chu said since the Yucca program has moved into licensing and transportation, "we want to work with local governments to revise their work plans to reflect this new phase." She said new local funding could grow from the talks.

Bob Loux, the head of Nevada's nuclear projects agency, questioned the legality of the DOE action. Loux said the state is supposed to receive Yucca grants until a repository is licensed.

"It's clear they either don't want to, or haven't, read the law clearly," Loux said, adding it could prove grounds for yet another state lawsuit against the nuclear waste program.

Clark County nuclear waste planning manager Irene Navis said DOE managers have proposed meeting with Nevada county officials.

"What they're telling us is in their opinion, the program has changed and moved into a different phase," Navis said. "We don't feel much has changed. We still need to do technical oversight and we still need to get involved on several fronts."

Within the Yucca budget outlined Monday, the biggest increases are for transportation accounts as managers shift their focus to developing rail and highway strategies to ship waste to Nevada.

Also, Chu said $25 million is earmarked for a science and technology initiative that would seek improvements in nuclear waste management while the repository is being developed.