SCHUMER ANNOUNCES $1.42 BILLLION IN FED FUNDING NEEDED FOR NAVAL REACTORS PROGRAM AT CAPITAL REGION’S KESSELRING & KAPL SITES HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN INCLUDED IN PRESIDENT’S 2017 BUDGET REQUEST – SCHUMER VOWS TO CONTINUE FIGHTING TO ENSURE FULL FUNDING IS INCLUDED IN FINAL APPROPRIATIONS BILL THIS YEAR
Schumer Fought to Protect & Secure More Funds to Keep Kesselring Site in West Milton & Knolls Atomic Power Lab in Niskayuna Thriving & Keep Top-Notch Naval Training Program Running – Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory’s (KAPL) Kesselring Site in West Milton Employs 700 & Trains 1,000+ Navy Personnel
Schumer Secured $1.3 Billion for Kesselring in FY 2016 Budget – This Year’s President’s Budget Comes In At $45 Million More Than Last Year’s Request
Schumer: I Will Fight Tooth & Nail To Ensure Highest Level Of Funding For Kesselring & KAPL Is Included In Final Approps Bill
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the just-released President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2017 includes $1.42 billion in funding for the Naval Reactors program. This funding will help maintain and grow sites like the Kenneth A. Kesselring site in West Milton, which is operated by the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory in Niskayuna. Kesselring trains over 1,000 cadets per year on how to operate the 97 nuclear reactors that provide propulsion to Navy aircraft carriers and submarines. Schumer has long fought to provide the highest level of funding requested to the Naval Reactors program in order to help keep sites like Kenneth A. Kesselring in West Milton and KAPL in Niskayuna thriving. In December 2015, Schumer announced that the Omnibus spending bill – the must-pass bill that funds the federal government through the end of the fiscal year – included $1.3 billion in funding for the Naval Reactors program in FY 2016. Schumer said he will fight tooth and nail to ensure the highest level of funding is maintained in the final appropriations bill in Congress.
“This $45 million increase in the President’s budget request is great news for sites like Kenneth A. Kesselring in West Milton and KAPL in Niskayuna – and shows just how important these Capital Region staples are to our economy. These sites employ hundreds of local residents across the region and help ensure our Navy personnel have received the top-notch training they need to perform in the field,” said Schumer. “We need to make sure these sites are continually funded at the highest levels possible – so I will fight tooth and nail to make sure this funding is included in the final appropriations bill for 2017.”
Schumer has long been a proponent of ensuring KAPL has the necessary funding to keep its vital nuclear training reactor on line. In 2015, in meetings with Vice Admiral Caldwell, the Direct of Naval Nuclear Reactors, Schumer urged him to make Kesselring and KAPL a priority in FY 2016 and in future year budgets. The program trains over 1,000 cadets per year on how to operate the 97 nuclear reactors that provide propulsion to Navy aircraft carriers and submarines. KAPL is a world-class research and development facility dedicated to support of the United States Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program (NNPP). KAPL’s more than 2,600 employees develop advanced nuclear propulsion technology, provide technical support for the safe and reliable operation of existing naval reactors and provide training to naval personnel who operate them.
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