Joe Barton: “I am going to support the rule, but I am very opposed to the self-executing portion of the rule that takes the nuclear…”

“I am going to support the rule, but I am very opposed to the self-executing portion of the rule that takes the nuclear waste fund and puts it back on-budget. We passed the nuclear waste fund to take it off-budget, both in the last Congress and again in this Congress in the subcommittee and in the full committee. That fund has $10 billion in it at the current time, and it is adding about $800 million per year. Because of a budget amendment enacted several years ago, only $400 million is available for the fund to be dispersed. We need access to every penny of the $10 billion if we are going to build and operate a nuclear waste repository in the near future. I am disappointed the rule eliminates the provision that would take the waste fund off-budget. I hope later in this Congress we can put it back on budget.”