The Wise Report
The Texas Legislature will be back in session January 12, 2021 through May 31, 2021. On November 9, 2020 bills began to be filed. I’m currently checking these bills and have not found any of general interest to geologists in Texas. As usual, I’ll be filing updates as new bills come in.
The Senate Committee on Appropriations has released drafts of fiscal year 2021 funding measures and subcommittee allocations that include $150 million for the U.S. Uranium Reserve (https://bit.ly/3ljJUj8). Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby’s statement noted: “By and large, these bills are the product of bipartisan cooperation among members of the committee.”
The U.S. Uranium Reserve funding is outlined in the Energy and Water Development Subcommittee Bill highlights (https://bit.ly/3ndGIX8) as:
- Uranium Reserve Program – $150 million to initiate the program, the same as the budget request.
The proposed funding level is split between Energy & Water’s Nuclear Infrastructure provisions ($120 million) and Defense Non-proliferation provisions ($30 million). The bill, if passed into law will provide full funding for the Department of Energy (DOE) to implement a program for the domestic Uranium Reserve.