The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's budget proposal for the fiscal year 2017 continues to reflect the diminishing role of the U.S. nuclear power industry, which requires a smaller agency to regulate it.
The agency said Wednesday that it had proposed a $970.2 million budget for the year. “This continues a steady decline in both spending and staffing. The budget is down eight percent since 2014,” the agency said in a press release.
The proposed budget for for the Office of the Inspector General is an additional $12.1 million, the agency said.
NRC Chairman Stephen G. Burns said the budget “recognizes the changing environment in the nuclear industry and reflects the considerable steps taken by the NRC to become more efficient, while still meeting our obligation to protect public health and safety.”
The budget proposal is down nearly $20 million from fiscal year 2016 spending levels, which required “a variety of cost-saving approaches,” the agency said.
Burns noted that, since the NRC recovers approximately 90 percent of its budget from licensee fees, which are sent directly to the Treasury, the resulting net appropriation request is $121 million.
The NRC said the budget submission for operations was boosted by $5 million for work to develop the regulatory infrastructure for advanced reactor technologies in support of President Obama's Mission Innovation program.
That $5 million is not included in the amount recouped by licensing fees.
From the press release: “The FY 2017 operations budget funds 3,462 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees, a decline of 90 FTE from the FY 2016 budget and 280 FTE since 2014. This year’s decline is due to a number of initiatives to improve the efficiency of agency operations, including the centralization of corporate functions and merger of two program offices. Before issuance of the FY 2017 budget, as part of agency initiatives to become more efficient and as a result of the 2016 appropriation, NRC was able to reduce spending by $30.1 million.
“This will likely result in a reduction to the recovery of nuclear reactors and materials licensee fees. The FY 2017 budget breakout includes $757.4 million for nuclear reactor safety and $212.8 million for nuclear materials and waste safety and will allow the agency to continue to uphold its important safety and security mission. The budget also includes resources to continue implementation of lessons-learned from the Fukushima nuclear accident, the review of applications for medical isotope productions facilities, and the oversight of four new reactors that are under construction.”