§6281 — Title 10 Armed Forces | U.S. Code

§6281 Transfer of defense environmental cleanup funds

Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle A— - General Military Law › Part PART VI— - ELEMENTS OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND OTHER MATTERS › Subpart Subpart B— - Atomic Energy Defense › Chapter CHAPTER 607— - BUDGET AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT MATTERS › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - RECURRING NATIONAL SECURITY AUTHORIZATION PROVISIONS › § 6281

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Field office managers at the Department of Energy may move defense environmental cleanup money from one program or project they run to another. Only one transfer can be made to or from any program or project in a single fiscal year, and each transfer can be no more than $5,000,000. A manager must decide the move is needed to fix a health, safety, or environmental risk or to make the cleanup funds work more efficiently at that field office. Money moved this way cannot pay for items Congress has specifically refused to fund or start a new program or project that Congress has not approved. Rules in 10 U.S.C. 6272 do not apply to these transfers. The Secretary, through the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management, must notify Congress within 30 days after a transfer. Definitions: "program or project" — a field office’s defense cleanup activity that Congress has approved and funded; "defense environmental cleanup funds" — money Congress has provided under an authorization for cleanup work needed for national security programs.

Title 10, §6281

Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary of Energy shall provide the manager of each field office of the Department of Energy with the authority to transfer defense environmental cleanup funds from a program or project under the jurisdiction of that office to another such program or project.

(b)(1)Not more than one transfer may be made to or from any program or project under subsection (a) in a fiscal year.

(2)The amount transferred to or from a program or project in any one transfer under subsection (a) may not exceed $5,000,000.

(3)A transfer may not be carried out by a manager of a field office under subsection (a) unless the manager determines that the transfer is necessary—

(A)to address a risk to health, safety, or the environment; or

(B)to assure the most efficient use of defense environmental cleanup funds at the field office.

(4)Funds transferred pursuant to subsection (a) may not be used for an item for which Congress has specifically denied funds or for a new program or project that has not been authorized by Congress.

(c)The requirements of section 6272 shall not apply to transfers of funds pursuant to subsection (a).

(d)The Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management, shall notify Congress of any transfer of funds pursuant to subsection (a) not later than 30 days after such transfer occurs.

(e)In this section:

(1)The term “program or project” means, with respect to a field office of the Department of Energy, a program or project that is for defense environmental cleanup activities necessary for national security programs of the Department, that is being carried out by that office, and for which defense environmental cleanup funds have been authorized and appropriated.

(2)The term “defense environmental cleanup funds” means funds appropriated to the Department of Energy pursuant to an authorization for carrying out defense environmental cleanup activities necessary for national security programs.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in section 2750 of Title 50, War and National Defense, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 119–60, § 3111(b)(1).

Amendments

2025—Pub. L. 119–60, § 3111(d)(2)(B), realigned margins. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 119–60, § 3111(d)(2)(A), struck out pars. (1) to (4) headings which read as follows: “Number of transfers”, “Amounts transferred”, “Determination required”, and “Impermissible uses”, respectively.