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Defense Bill Blocks Energy RNEP Funding By David Ruppe WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate yesterday unanimously passed legislation barring allocation of $4 million requested by the Energy Department to continue study of an earth-penetrating nuclear weapon (see GSN, Nov. 9). The language sponsored by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) was approved as an amendment to the Senate’s $492 billion fiscal 2006 defense authorization bill. “None of the funds authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Energy under this act may be made available for the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator,” it says. Both the Senate and the House have passed appropriations bills for the Energy and Defense departments that deny funding for the study this fiscal year 2006. However, observers say the Defense Department this fiscal year could request congressional permission to use other defense funds for the study. The House Armed Services Committee earlier this year approved language in the House version of the defense authorization bill authorizing Defense Department spending on nuclear and conventional penetrator concepts. Democratic senators have vowed to block in the pending conference on the authorization bill any Defense Department funding of the study of nuclear penetrators in fiscal 2006.
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