Columbia, SC – The House and Senate have agreed to language in the defense bill which would allow termination of the problem-plagued MOX project now under increasing duress at the DOE’s Savannah River Site.
The conference report on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 was approved on July 25 and on July 26 the full House approved the bill.
The conference report rejected language in the Senate version of the defense bill that would have prevented spending on MOX termination. The language adopted is based on the language from the House:
SEC. 3119. USE OF FUNDS FOR CONSTRUCTION AND
PROJECT SUPPORT ACTIVITIES RELATING TO
MOX FACILITY.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided by subsection
(b), the Secretary of Energy shall carry out construction
and project support activities relating to the MOX facility
using funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act or
otherwise made available for fiscal year 2019 for the Na
tional Nuclear Security Administration for the MOX facil
ity.
(b) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive the require
ment under subsection (a) if the Secretary submits to the
congressional defense committees the matters specified in
section 3121(b)(1) of the National Defense Authorization
Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (Public Law 115–91; 131 Stat.
1892). (page 1663)
full SRS Watch news release, with links to pertinent legislation, linked here
photo: MOX plant under construction at SRS, substantially less than 50% complete according to DOE, April 25, 2018, by High Flyer