Budget Estimates and Performance Plan: Fiscal Year 2002 (NUREG-1100, Volume 17)
On this page:
Download complete document
Publication Information
Date Published: April 2001
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington, DC 20555-0001
Availability Notice
Overview
The NRC's net budget request for FY 2002 is $43.9 million, consisting of $513.1 million in gross budget authority offset by fees of $469.2 million. The NRC's gross budget request for FY 2002 is $513.1 million and 2,789 FTE. NRC is required by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1990, as amended, to collect user fees for its new budget authority less the appropriations from the Nuclear Waste Fund and from the General Fund. The OBRA was amended in FY 2000 to extend the requirement to collect fees through FY 2005 and to reduce the amount of fees collected from 100 percent to 90 percent. The Congress reduced the amount of fees to be collected to mitigate the fairness and equity burden on NRC licensees to pay for costs for which they receive no direct benefit. The reduction is being phased in at two percent per year beginning in FY 2001 through FY 2005. In FY 2002, 96 percent or $469.2 million, of the new budget authority will be offset from fees.
Our FY 2002 budget request accommodates an increasing workload in areas such as reactor license renewal, reactor license transfers, and research of the fabrication and use of mixed oxide (MOX) fuel in civilian nuclear reactors as part of the U.S. Government's plans for the disposition of excess weapons-grade plutonium.
Our budget request and performance plan support implementation of our Strategic Plan goals and strategies. Our FY 2002 budget is $513.1 million-an increase of $25.7 million above our FY 2001 appropriations. While we made improvements in the effectiveness and efficiency of our programs, additional outside pressures are being placed on the budget as a result of increasing personnel costs and increasing workload. For example, approximately $14.8 million, or 58 percent of the budget increase is for salary and benefit increases primarily needed to fund a 3.6 percent pay raise based on guidance from OMB. The remaining $10.9 million increase is primarily necessary for NRC to be prepared to review a potential Department of Energy application to build a high-level waste geologic repository at Yucca Mountain; to review four additional reactor license renewal applications; to develop environmental impact statements or environmental assessments, as needed for decommissioning or terminated license requests; to sustain critical reactor and nuclear waste safety research; and to pay for increased operating costs associated with rent and transit subsidies.
The $10.9 million increase also includes the Office of Inspector General (OIG) increase of $0.4M for contract support. The requested resource increase for contract support in FY 2002 stems from a recognition that after FY 2001, OIG carryover funds will be inadequate to reinstate base-funding to a level so that the OIG can carry out its essential programs.