"Hanford Nuclear Cleanup Budget Slashed in Energy Proposal"

"Washington state’s Hanford Nuclear Reservation, scene of a recent collapse of a tunnel containing nuclear waste, would see its funding slashed under President Donald Trump’s new budget proposal.

The May 23 release of the fiscal year 2018 budget for the Department of Energy, which follows Trump’s earlier “skinny budget,” drew praise from conservative Republicans for being fiscally responsible and criticism from those who want more funding for energy research and development and other programs. Given that many of the department’s programs are located in numerous areas of the country and enjoy bipartisan support, Congress is expected to restore many of the proposed cuts.

The Energy Department would sustain an overall 5.4 percent cut, or $1.7 billion—minor compared to most other Cabinet agencies—from the estimated funding levels Congress provided in fiscal 2017, according to White House Office of Management and Budget documents. The agency’s clean energy programs would bear the brunt of the cuts, with new funds funneled into the arm of the agency dealing with developing and safeguarding nuclear weapons."

Chuck McCutcheon reports for Bloomberg BNA's Energy and Climate Report May 24, 2017.