ECA Update December 28, 2020

Image View this email in your browser ECA UPDATE Dec 28, 2020 FEATURED NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT House poised to override Trump veto for first time The Hill | 12/28/2020 The House appears poised to override President Trump’s veto of the must-pass annual defense policy bill, a dramatic rebuke of Trump in the final days of his presidency. House lawmakers will vote Monday on overriding Trump’s rejection of the fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which passed both chambers of Congress with more than the two-thirds majority needed to overcome a veto. Some Republicans have said they would sustain Trump’s veto despite supporting the bill earlier this month. Still, dozens would need to flip their vote for the override to fail, and some Democrats who previously voted against the measure could switch their votes to override Trump. Continue reading >> Follow the latest DOE budget updates with ECA's budget tracker Image Monitor DOE spending bills, detailed site budgets, and more. Find everything you need to know about the DOE budget here! NATIONAL LABS Congress approves record Office of Science funding for DOE national labs Federal Labs | 12/22/2020 Congress this week passed legislation sponsored by subcommittee Chairman Lamar Alexander and Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein that includes the sixth consecutive year of record funding for the Office of Science – the U.S. Department of Energy program that supports work at 17 national laboratories. The Senate bill also prioritizes funding for supercomputing and advanced nuclear programs and provides the seventh consecutive year of record funding in a regular appropriations bill for the Corps of Engineers. “I proposed a New Manhattan Project for Clean Energy last March – a five year project with Ten Grand Challenges that will use American research and technology to put our country and the world firmly on a path toward cleaner, cheaper energy," Alexander said. "To provide the tools to create these breakthroughs, the federal government should double its funding for energy research and reinstate the United States as number one in the world in advanced computing. That is why setting a new record funding level for the Office of Science – the nation’s largest supporter of research in the physical sciences – is one of my top priorities." Continue reading >> Image IN OTHER NEWS NATIONAL LABS 15 Ways LANL Made An Impact In 2020 — COVID-19 And Beyond (Los Alamos Reporter, 12/28) Battelle Energy Alliance and NASA take next step in search for industry partners to design nuclear power system for moon (INL, 12/22) BUDGET & APPROPRIATIONS Trump backs down, signs stimulus package (Politico, 12/28) UPCOMING EVENTS Sept. 8-10, 2021 National Cleanup Workshop; Alexandria, VA ECA PUBLICATIONS Read about DOE's High Level Waste Interpretation Have questions about DOE’s recent high-level waste (HLW) interpretation? Download ECA’s Key Points and FAQs on the issue to better understand what ECA believes are the potential benefits of implementation. ECA's Key Points on DOE HLW Interpretation ECA's FAQs on DOE HLW Interpretation Interested in learning more? Read the ECA report “Making Informed Decisions on DOE's Proposed High Level Waste Definition” at www.energyca.org/publications ECA BULLETIN Stay Current on Activities in the DOE World Read the latest edition of the ECA Bulletin, a regular newsletter providing a detailed brief of ECA activities, legislative news, and major events from across the DOE complex. Have suggestions for future editions? Email bulletin@energyca.org. View current and previous editions of the ECA Bulletin at www.energyca.org/bulletin DOE SITE PROFILES Learn More about Cleanup Sites with ECA's DOE Site Profiles ECA's new site profiles detail DOE's 13 active Environmental Management cleanup sites and national laboratories, highlighting their history, missions, and priorities. The profiles are a key source for media, stakeholders, and the public to learn more about DOE site activities, contractors, advisory boards, and their surrounding local governments. Access your community's profile by visiting: www.energyca.org/site-profiles DOE Site Proflies Energy Communities Alliance 1625 Eye St., NW Suite 800 Washington DC 20006 USA © 2019 Energy Communities Alliance, Inc. All rights reserved.