Federal Research: Additional Funds for Terminating the Super Collider Are Not Justified
RCED-94-153
Published: Apr 08, 1994. Publicly Released: May 05, 1994.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Department of Energy's (DOE) termination of the Superconducting Super Collider project, focusing on the: (1) latest DOE estimate of termination costs; and (2) DOE request for additional funds for fiscal year (FY) 1995.
Recommendations
Matter for Congressional Consideration
| Matter | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| In considering the DOE FY 1995 budget request for $180 million to terminate the Superconducting Super Collider, Congress may wish to consider that DOE has not yet justified its need for the funds. | Both the House and Senate versions of the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill for 1995, as well as the Senate/House conference version, zeroed out the $180 million of additional termination funds that DOE requested for 1995. On August 26, 1994, the President signed the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act for 1995, which excluded the additional $180 million of termination funds. | |
| If Congress decides to fund future uses of the Superconducting Super Collider project's assets, it may wish to defer funding decisions until it has an opportunity to consider the benefits and costs of DOE recommended uses of the project's assets. | The House and Senate conferees have agreed to let DOE use $65 million of the $640 million of termination funds previously provided for the completion of partially completed facilities. Therefore, Congress appears to be providing funds for projects not yet authorized. |
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Topics
CancellationClaims settlementContract termination costsEnergy researchFederal facilitiesstate relationsFuture budget projectionsLaboratoriesNuclear physicsResearch and development facilities