10 U.S.C. § 6281: Transfer of defense…

§6281 Transfer of Defense Environmental Cleanup Funds

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

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Department of Energy field office managers can move defense environmental cleanup funds from one project or program they run to another. Each program or project can be part of only one such transfer in a fiscal year. Each transfer cannot be more than $5,000,000. A manager may only move money if it is needed to fix a health, safety, or environmental risk or to make the best use of cleanup funds. Moved money cannot pay for something Congress specifically refused to fund or start a new project that Congress has not authorized. The normal reprogramming rules in section 6272 do not apply to these transfers. The Secretary, through the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management, must tell Congress within 30 days after any transfer. Definitions: “program or project” = a field office cleanup activity tied to national security that has approved funding; “defense environmental cleanup funds” = money appropriated for those cleanup activities.

Title 10, §6281

Armed Forces, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Transfer Authority for Defense Environmental Cleanup Funds.—

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)Limitations.—

(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)Exemption From Reprogramming Requirements.—

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

(d)Notification.—

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)Definitions.—

In this section: (1)

(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.