David Cay Johnston: “this amendment raises the statutory fiscal ceiling set in section 3122 on a type of activity in the Department of Energy…”

“this amendment raises the statutory fiscal ceiling set in section 3122 on a type of activity in the Department of Energy known as general plant projects. The amendment also requests a report from the Secretary of Energy with recommendations on a permanent authorization formula for such activities. General plant projects are projects that seek to maintain or replace the fixed and capital assets of the Department at its facilities, whether these assets are entire buildings, major subsystems of buildings--for example, electrical systems, compressed air systems--or other fixed assets such as parking lots, electrical substations, sewer lines, or roads. General plant projects do not entail the acquisition of new programmatic capabilities. Rather, they support and maintain an infrastructure for carrying out existing DOE programs and authorities. This activity designation is unique to DOE in this bill--there is not a clear analog to general plant projects in the Department of Defense, although the Department of Defense also has a large facility infrastructure that it must maintain.”