[House Document 111-65]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
111th Congress, 1st Session - - - - - - - - - - - - - House Document 111-65
A REQUEST FOR BUDGET AMENDMENTS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2010
__________
COMMUNICATION
from
THEPRESIDENTOFTHEUNITEDSTATES
transmitting
FY 2010 BUDGET AMENDMENTS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
September 24, 2009.--Referred to the Committee on Appropriations and
ordered to be printed
The White House,
Washington, September 17, 2009.
Hon. Nancy Pelosi,
Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Madam Speaker: I am committed to investing in energy
technologies that accelerate the transition to a low-carbon
economy, create the energy jobs of the future, and continue to
promote the development of the domestic production of clean
energy. Our efforts to do so will improve the economy, reduce
dependence on oil, and decrease greenhouse gas emissions. To
that end, as part of the constant assessment of energy policy,
I ask the Congress to consider the enclosed FY 2010 Budget
amendments for the Department of Energy. This $30 million
request would support the development of enrichment technology
that could someday serve as a domestic fuel source for nuclear
energy and national security. The request also could support
the Department's nuclear nonproliferation mission. These
amendments would be fully offset through reallocations from
within the Department of Energy. These amendments would not
increase the overall budget authority level of the FY 2010
request.
Details of these requests are set forth in the enclosed
letter from the Director of the Office of Management and
Budget.
Sincerely,
Barack Obama.
[Estimate No. 7, 111th Cong. 1st Sess.]
Executive Office of the President,
Office of Management and Budget,
Washington, DC, September 17, 2009.
The President,
The White House.
You have stressed the importance of investing in low-carbon
energy jobs and securing our energy future. As you are aware,
the Secretary of Energy has requested authority to provide $30
million in funding for domestic gas centrifuge enrichment
technology demonstration activities during FY 2010. This
funding would support efforts to develop domestic gas
centrifuge enrichment technology so that it can move to
commercial scale uranium enrichment operations and potentially
serve as a domestic source of fuel for nuclear power and the
enrichment requirements of the Defense community. In support of
these efforts, submitted for your consideration are amendments
to your FY 2010 Budget for the Department of Energy (DOE).
These amendments would reallocate a total of $30 million
within the existing DOE request and would not increase the
overall budget authority level of your FY 2010 Budget request.
The amendments would realign $15 million from the Defense
Nuclear Nonproliferation account to the Nuclear Energy account.
The remaining $15 million would be provided from within the
Nuclear Energy account. The decrease in funding for Defense
Nuclear Nonproliferation would not affect planned programs, as
the expectations for the pace of expenditure of these funds has
been revised since the Budget was submitted. The reallocation
within the Nuclear Energy account would come from a redirection
of research and development activities funding within the
Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems program. Programs impacted
by these amendments are described below.
DOMESTIC GAS CENTRIFUGE ENRICHMENT TECHNOLOGY
The $30 million total increase requested for this effort
would support ongoing development by USEC, Inc. of a domestic
gas centrifuge uranium enrichment technology licensed from DOE.
The technology was originally developed by DOE and the
Department continues to see promise in it. USEC intends to
bring the technology into full-scale commercial operation but
it is not yet commercially viable. DOE has defined a series of
specific milestones that the technology must meet and to help
achieve these milestones, DOE supports funding $30 million for
these efforts during FY 2010 through a cost-shared cooperative
agreement. If the technology succeeds, it is expected to reach
an annual production capacity of 3.8 million separative work
units of enriched uranium per year. This would be enough
enriched uranium to fuel about 38 typical 1,000 megawatt
commercial nuclear reactors for a year. The technology could
also support DOE's nuclear nonproliferation mission.
GENERATION IV NUCLEAR ENERGY SYSTEMS PROGRAM
Of the total $30 million request for domestic gas
centrifuge enrichment technology, $15 million would be provided
through a reallocation from within the Nuclear Energy account.
This reallocation would come from amounts originally intended
for the Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems Program.
DEFENSE NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATION
The remaining $15 million that is needed for the Nuclear
Energy account for domestic gas centrifuge enrichment
technology would come from a requested decrease to the Defense
Nuclear Nonproliferation account from amounts originally
requested for denuclearization activities in the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea. As a result of a rephasing of
expenditures, $15 million of that request can be reallocated
from this program without impacting the denuclearization
agenda.
RECOMMENDATION
I have carefully reviewed these amendments and am satisifed
that they are necessary at this time. Therefore, I join the
Secretary of Energy in recommending you transmit these
proposals to the Congress.
Sincerely
Peter R. Orszag,
Director.
Enclosures.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
National Nuclear Security Administration
DEFENSE NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATION
FY 2010 Budget Appendix Page: 407
FY 2010 Pending Request: $2,136,709,000
Proposed Revision: -$15,000,000
Revised Request: $2,121,709,000
(In the appropriations language under the above heading, delete
``$2,136,709,000'' and substitute $2,121,709,000.)
This amendment would reduce the Defense Nuclear
Nonproliferation account by $15 million. The reduction will be
taken from funding requested for denuclearization activities in
the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) within the
Nonproliferation and International Security program. This
reduction will not impact the denuclearization agenda.
The $15 million decrease to this account would be used to
offset a proposed increase to the Nuclear Energy account, as
described in the accompanying amendment. Taken together, the
overall budget authority requested in the FY 2010 Budget would
not be increased.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Energy Programs
NUCLEAR ENERGY
FY 2010 Budget Appendix Page: 417
FY 2010 Pending Request $761,274,000\1\
Proposed Revision: $15,000,000
Revised Request: $776,274,000
(In the appropriations language under the above heading, delete
``$761,634,000'' and substitute $776,274,000; and add the
following after the words ``until expended'' and just before
the deleted proviso:
, of which $30,000,000 is for domestic gas centrifuge
enrichment technology.)
This amendment would result in a net increase to the
Nuclear Energy account of $15 million. Since a total of $30
million is necessary to establish a program to support domestic
gas centrifuge enrichment technology research and development,
another $15 million would be provided by reallocating funds
from within the Nuclear Energy account. This funding would come
from amounts originally intended for research and development
activities in the Office of Nuclear Energy's Generation IV
Nuclear Energy Systems program.
The proposed $15 million increase to the Nuclear Energy
account would be offset by a proposed decrease to the Defense
Nuclear Nonproliferation account, as described in the
accompanying amendment. Taken together, the overall budget
authority requested in the FY 2010 Budget would not be
increased.
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\1\The total FY 2010 appropriation amount requested for the Nuclear
Energy account in the FY 2010 Budget Appendix is incorrectly shown as
$761,634,000. The correct FY 2010 pending request is $360,000 less, or
$761,274,000, as shown in this amendment and in the FY 2010
Congressional Justification materials provided to the Congress by the
Department of Energy.