Recent developments: Washington focus
Congress has made progress on key legislation this summer. The House of Representatives passed an appropriations bill which authorizes spending for DOE and the NRC for FY91. The Senate has yet to consider an energy appropriations bill, but as the House bill exceeds the administration request for funding by $575 million, it will likely experience substantial cuts before its final passage. At the end of the month, the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on the Smith Barney report on the Uranium Enrichment Enterprise. Since the Senate has already passed a uranium enrichment restructuring bill, attention has shifted to the House where some Representatives have expressed interest in holding a hearing on the report. After almost a month`s delay, the House has named its representatives to the Clean Air Act Conference Committee. The Senate will have nine committee members, and the House will have 142 conferees from seven committees. Final action on the clean air bill is likely before November`s Congressional elections. Finally, although it appeared the utilities had a chance to hold their payment of NRC user fees at 45 percent of the NRC`s budget level, President Bush`s decision to discuss taxes as part of the budget negotiations increases the likelihood of higher user fees-possibly as high as 100 percent of the NRC budget. The American Nuclear Energy Council (ANEC) estimates that the President`s proposal to recover 100 percent of the NRC`s budget through user fees is the second largest revenue item among the user fees proposed.
- OSTI ID:
- 103484
- Journal Information:
- NUEXCO. Monthly Report to the Nuclear Industry, Journal Issue: 263; Other Information: PBD: Jul 1990
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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The US uranium revitalization, Tailings Reclamation and Enrichment Act, Title 1