Debate Blocked On Bill That Includes Funding To Restart Work On Chickamauga Lock

  • Thursday, October 8, 2015

A bill by Senator Lamar Alexander that includes funding to restart Chickamauga Lock was halted on Thursday.

Setting what Senator Alexander called a "dangerous precedent" for the Senate, he said Senate Democrats blocked debate on the bipartisan Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill.

Senator Alexander said on the floor, “You don't start the process at the beginning and not even let the whole Senate go through the process. This is a very bad precedent and it really insults the Senate. … That's not the way we are supposed to do our jobs. We are sent here to work on behalf of the people.

“I would say to my friends on the other side, if you want to have a say about nuclear waste, about national defense, about national laboratories, about flood control, about waterways, about locks, about dams, then vote ‘yes,’ because that will give each of you a say, and you will be doing your job. To vote ‘no’ sets a dangerous precedent for the Senate that says we are not interested in doing what taxpayers elected us to do.”

The filibuster prevented the Senate from beginning debate on the bill, which Senator Alexander said effectively blocked 70 senators who are not on the 30-member appropriations committee from having any say on federal spending.

He said the Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill is among the most bipartisan of the 12 funding bills. It was approved by the Energy and Water Development subcommittee, which Senator Alexander leads, and reported out of the full Appropriations Committee with a 26-4 vote.

To view Senator Alexander’s full remarks on the floor, click here.

Funding in the bill totals $35.4 billion, which is $1.2 billion above the FY2015 enacted level and $668 million below President Obama’s budget request. The bill provides funding for the following programs and projects:

  • The bill includes sufficient funding to allow the Army Corps of Engineers to restart construction of Chickamauga Lock in fiscal year 2016. $29 million would be available to the Army Corps of Engineers because of Chickamauga Lock’s high position on the priority list of essential American waterways to be rebuilt.
  • The Department of Energy’s Office of Science, which supports basic energy research and is the nation’s largest supporter of research in the physical sciences, is funded at $5.144 billion, the highest level of funding it has ever received in the bill.
  • Advanced computing, which supports the new Summit supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is funded at $620.9 million within the Office of Science. Once again, the world’s fastest next-generation supercomputer will be at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Alexander said. A total of $1.24 billion is provided for advanced computing, including both the Office of Science and the National Nuclear Security Administration.  
  • Exascale computing, which Alexander said is essential to our national security and competitiveness in science and technology, is funded at $222 million.
  • The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) is funded at $291 million. ARPA-E was created by the America COMPETES Act to invest in high-impact energy technologies.
  • The legislation authorizes and funds a pilot program to allow consolidated storage of nuclear waste, and also includes language that allows the Department of Energy to store nuclear waste at private facilities, such as those proposed in Texas and New Mexico.
  • Nuclear infrastructure at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, including hot cells and isotope production facilities, is funded in the bill.  Many of the isotopes produced at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are not available anywhere else in the world, and are necessary to support medical treatments, oil and gas exploration, and deep-space satellites, among other priorities.
  • The Uranium Processing Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex is funded at $430 million, which will continue to keep this project on time and on budget.
  • The bill provides $62.5 million to continue the development of Small Modular Reactors, which Alexander said will give utilities and the military the ability to generate clean energy in new ways.   
  • The bill includes funding for a new mercury treatment facility in Oak Ridge, and for cleanup of nuclear facilities that are no longer in service.
  • The bill cuts funding for several wasteful programs at the Department of Energy, including eliminating $150 million for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor in France and reduces funding for wind programs by more than $100 million compared to the president’s budget request.
Latest Headlines
Breaking News
Latest Hamilton County Arrest Report
  • 3/19/2024

Here is the latest Hamilton County arrest report: AWOLOWO, APRIL 105 EUCLID STREET ATHENS, 373030000 Age at Arrest: 36 years old Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff THEFT OVER $1000 BARNETT, ... more

Senator Colton Moore Challenger Hits "An Incumbent Bent On Self-Promotion Instead Of Humble Leadership"
  • 3/18/2024

Angela Pence, a Chickamauga resident who is making a race against 53rd District Senator Colton Moore, said she aims to bring principled, effective leadership "to a district that has gone unheard ... more

Wamp Pushing For Tighter Local Lobbying Rules, Tax Abatement Policies; Bigger Share Of Sales Tax
  • 3/18/2024

County Mayor Weston Wamp spoke to the Pachyderm Club on Monday about the significance of a state basketball title, the need for local lobbying regulations and tightening up on tax abatement policies. ... more