House defeats amendment to energy appropriations bill

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The House of Representatives defeated an amendment July 17 to the fiscal
2010 energy and water appropriations bill that would have eliminated funding
for the Yucca Mountain waste repository project. Representative Mike Simpson,
an Idaho Republican, offered the amendment but voted against it, saying his
goal was to put his colleagues on the record about taking away Yucca's
funding. Simpson said in a floor statement that President Barack Obama's
decision to suspend the Yucca Mountain program was "a political bow" to Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid, not a decision "that is based on sound science and
sound policy." The amendment was defeated overwhelmingly. Overall, the bill,
which was approved by the House 320-97, would provide DOE with $26.9 billion
in fiscal 2010, $1.52 billion below the Obama administration's budget request.
The Senate Appropriations Committee passed a $27.4 billion measure on July 8,
but it was unclear July 17 when it would receive a floor vote



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