§6273 Minor construction projects

Summary

The Energy Secretary can use certain DOE national security operation, maintenance, or facilities funds to do small plant construction projects. Each year the Secretary must send the congressional defense committees a report for the previous fiscal year listing every time this authority was used. The report must briefly describe each project and give the original estimated total cost and original planned completion date, the percent of the project finished, and the current estimated total cost and current expected completion date. If a project’s revised estimated cost goes above the minor construction threshold, the Secretary must immediately tell the congressional defense committees and explain why the cost changed. The Secretary may not begin a project estimated to cost more than $5,000,000 until the committees are notified and 15 days have passed after they receive that notice. Minor construction project: a plant project not individually approved by law whose approved estimated cost does not exceed the minor construction threshold.