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This Statement of Administration Policy provides the Administration's views
on S. 2138, the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill, FY 1999,
as reported by the Senate Appropriations Committee. Your consideration of
the Administration's views would be appreciated.
The Administration appreciates the challenges faced by the Committee in
funding a wide array of needs within tight budgetary constraints. However,
we are concerned that the $566 million increase provided by the Committee
for Army Corps of Engineers projects has come at the expense of other
priority programs.
The bill eliminates all of the Administration's requested increase for the
solar and renewable energy program, including eliminating funding for
valuable cost-shared projects with industry, and the Committee Report
expresses misguided concerns about projects related to commercialization of
new technologies. The Committee's funding level represents a reduction of
about one-third -- over $100 million -- in the President's requested
increase for development of clean, non-greenhouse gas power sources. These
changes would seriously undercut the Department of Energy's ability to
continue some of the most promising research now underway, eliminate
accelerated introduction of clean power sources, and restrict our ability
to lower greenhouse gas emissions levels. The Administration strongly
opposes these reductions and will work with the Congress to restore funding
to this critical area.
We urge the Congress to fund fully the request for the California Bay-Delta
program. Less than full funding could delay Federal and State efforts to
restore this important ecosystem.
We commend the Committee for fully funding the construction costs of the
Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) in FY 1999. The SNS will provide
path-breaking research opportunities in the physical, biological, and
medical sciences and will ensure continued U.S. pre-eminence in neutron
sciences and their industrial and medical applications. Likewise, the
Administration appreciates the Committee's support for the Stockpile
Stewardship and Management Program and for funding TVA's non-power
programs.
The bill would prevent obligation of funds for design of a facility to
dispose of plutonium contained in excess weapons until agreement is reached
with Russia on a bilateral schedule for plutonium disposition. The
Administration shares the Committee's view that the United States should
dispose of excess plutonium only in parallel with Russia. However, we do
not agree with the Committee's approach. The Administration will work with
the Congress to find an alternative way of addressing our mutual concerns.
Finally, the proposed language in section 306 of the bill would generally
impair the Department of Energy's ability to ship transuranic waste to the
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). In particular, this language would
prevent closure of the Rocky Flats site by 2006, eliminate potential
savings of up to $1 billion, and potentially add costs of as much as $60
million. In addition, transuranic waste at the Savannah River, Hanford,
Mound, and Los Alamos sites could not be removed for disposal at WIPP.
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