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FY 2020 Budget Request
 On March 11, President Donald J. Trump unveiled his FY 2020 Budget Request, including $31.7B to fund the Department of Energy (DOE). DOE's FY 2020 Budget Request supports America's continued rise as an energy independent nation, and advances U.S. national security and economic growth by making investments in transformative science and technology innovation to promote affordable and reliable energy. It also includes funding to meet our national security and environmental cleanup challenges.
The Office of Environmental Management (EM) received $6.47B in the FY 2020 budget request, a decrease of $706M or 9.8% from the FY 2019 enacted levels. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) received a FY 2020 request for $16.49B, $1.26M or 8.3% above FY 2019 enacted levels. Weapons Activities and Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation received plus-ups of 11.8% and 3.3%, respectively.
The following is a budget comparison for the entire (NNSA and DOE-EM) Savannah River Site budget for the last several years. The current requested amount puts the site over the $2B level.
- FY 2018 Total Enacted - $1,678,906
- FY 2019 Enacted - $1,816,990
- FY 2020 Request - $2,232,826
For NNSA, the FY 2020 Budget Request supports the continuation of termination activities for the Mixed-Oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility project and continues to pursue the dilute and dispose strategy. The request will support the continuation of preliminary design for the Surplus Plutonium Disposition (SPD) project, as well as long lead procurements. The Budget Request also includes $220M to continue the orderly and safe closure of the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility project and $79M for the Surplus Plutonium Disposition (SPD) project to support the dilute and dispose strategy. Funding is also included for the Tritium Finishing Facility.
For DOE-EM, the FY 2020 request also supports continuing Saltstone Disposal Unit #7 cell construction; completing design and initiating construction of Saltstone Disposal Units #8 and #9; and initiating design of Saltstone Disposal Units #10, #11, and #12. The FY 2020 request also supports the design and construction of the Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative project, a modern research and development facility accessible by commercial industry and academia. The FY 2020 request includes funding of $50M for the design and construction of this facility. Unfortunately, the PILT, or payment in lieu of taxes, appears to be absent from this request.
 However, this funding is not a done deal. It is important to keep the budget process in mind. First, the president sends a budget request to Congress for the coming fiscal year, as discussed above. After the president submits the budget request, the House Committee on the Budget and the Senate Committee on the Budget each write and vote on their own budget resolutions. Then the Appropriations Committees in both the House and the Senate are responsible for determining the precise levels of budget authority, or allowed spending, for all discretionary programs. The full House and Senate then debate and vote on appropriations bills from each of the 12 subcommittees. The president must sign each appropriations bill after it has passed Congress for the bill to become law. When the president has signed all 12 appropriations bills, the budget process is complete. Rarely, however, is work finished on all 12 bills by Oct. 1, the start of the new fiscal year.
Click here for more information on DOE's FY 2020 Budget Justification.
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Pit Production Support
On March 5, the Aiken County Council passed a resolution supporting the potential plutonium-processing mission known locally as "Pit Production". The Resolution points out the
world-class safety culture and the talented workforce at SRS with proven expertise in nuclear and chemical manufacturing plant operations. It notes the extensive experience in nuclear material processing and a history of directly supporting plutonium operations both at SRS and across the United States. This experience includes the 60 plus year tritium mission at SRS and how this plutonium-processing mission will complement NNSA's continued SRS investment in this critical nuclear production mission.
It goes on to recognize the plutonium pit production mission as being critical for our national security and important for both the future of SRS and for sustaining the economy in Aiken County. It further states how the re-use of the partially completed and now discontinued Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF) at SRS will help meet the tight schedule requested by DOD for the new plutonium pit production.
In its resolution, the Aiken County Council made the following determinations:
1. The Aiken County Council hereby supports the Department of Energy's NNSA 's decision to use the Savannah River Site as one of the two sites for its plutonium pit production mission; and
2. The Aiken County Council requests that South Carolina's Congressional delegation make every effort to ensure that funding through DOE is secured for this new mission; and 3. Aiken County Council finds that the plutonium associated with pit production is a national asset and will have beneficial use in our nation's nuclear deterrence. |
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SRSCRO Annual Congressional Staffer Forum
 As Mr. Smith, the SRSCRO went to Washington, DC instead of hosting the Congressional Staffers in the SRSCRO region.
The forum consisted of a meeting where the staffers heard about SRS issues from the perspective of the SRSCRO. These issues included the SRS budget and funding, the future outlook, the transition from MOX to Plutonium Production, DOE's HLW interpretation, regional workforce update, and the potential Cyber X factor of SRS. The group also got an opportunity to network with SRSCRO Board members and partners. The forum's objective is to have delegations from both sides of the river better informed about our local initiatives, which can only make the communities stronger politically, and the staffers better informed.
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25 Years of Commitment
 The SRS Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO) was recognized for its 25 years of commitment to the five county region of Georgia and South Carolina. Mr. Hugh Hollar, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Development Authority of Columbia County Georgia, formally recognized the organization during the Board's January 2019 meeting. Staff from the SRSCRO were in attendance. Specifically, Mr. Hollar noted the SRSCRO's dedication to supporting economic development initiatives, leadership in regional workforce development and support of the nuclear industry. He expressed appreciation to the SRSCRO for its work toward overall betterment of the community.
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Spotlight
USC Salkehatchie
Dr. Chris Nesmith has been appointed Dean of USC Salkehatchie following a unanimous recommendation by the Search Committee, effective April 1. In this role, he will lead the institution's Walterboro and Allendale campuses. He has served as the interim dean since January 1.
Dr. Nesmith's list of accomplishments make him a good fit for the position. He began working and teaching at the University of South Carolina in 2003 and he joined a precursor of USC Palmetto College in 2008 as Director of the Evening Program. His most recent roles within Palmetto College were as Associate Provost, Dean of Extended University, and Associate Professor.
In these capacities, Dr. Nesmith was instrumental in the successful launch of Palmetto College in 2013. He was also responsible for the Liberal Studies and Organizational Leadership degree programs that are offered at the Regional Palmetto Colleges and online. His administrative responsibilities also included the USC Fort Jackson Program. In support of the program and its students he helped to secure funding to establish the Robert V. Phillips Palmetto College Military Endowed Scholarship Fund, which offers "last-dollar" scholarships to allow soldiers to bridge any tuition gaps. Most recently, he led the team that created the new Palmetto College Transfer Center in Lexington, S.C., and shepherded it through the process of securing approvals from the SACS Commission on Colleges, the S.C. Commission on Higher Education and the University Board of Trustees.
A USC alumnus, he earned a Ph.D. in English from the University. He also earned master's and bachelor's degrees in English from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the University of Mississippi, respectively, and an associate degree from Copiah-Lincoln Community College.
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Four Leaf Clover
Fun Facts
1. The four leaves of four-leaf clovers are said to stand for faith, hope, love, and luck.
2. Four-leaf clovers were considered Celtic charms and were believed to offer magical protection and ward of bad luck.
3. Children in the Middle Ages believed they would be able to see fairies if they carried a four-leaf clover.
4. In 1620, Sir John Melton made the first literary reference to their ability to provide good fortune. He said, "If a man walking in the fields finds any four-leaved grass, he shall in a small while after find some good thing."
5. For every "lucky" four-leaf clover, there are approximately 10,000 three-leaf clovers.
6. Four-leaf clovers are so rare because there are actually no clover plants that produce four leaves naturally.
7. It is believed that Ireland is home to more four-leaf clovers than any other place, hence the phrase "the luck of the Irish."
8. If you give someone a four-leaf clover that you just found it is believed that your luck will double.
9. Abraham Lincoln carried a four-leaf clover with him everywhere for good luck. However, on the night he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth he was not carrying it.
10. Unlike most plants, clover, three-leaved or four, can take nitrogen from the air and fix it to use for growth with the help of special rhizomes in their roots.
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