Nuclear security officials will discuss the Obama administration's fiscal 2013 budget proposals before Senate and House appropriations subcommittees just hours apart Wednesday. The panels come a week after two of the scheduled witnesses faced budget-related questions from the Senate Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee.

The Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee will hear from Thomas D'Agostino, National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) administrator and Department of Energy undersecretary for nuclear security.

On Capitol Hill last week, D'Agostino told a separate Senate panel that budget limitations in units under his jurisdiction have led to greater efficiency. He also answered questions about plans to put the construction of the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement Nuclear Facility project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory on hold for five years (E&E Daily, March 15). NNSA is a semiautonomous agency within the Department of Energy that oversees the national nuclear stockpile and weapons program.

A year ago, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee, called the NNSA an "endangered species" when it requested a big budget boost during a difficult fiscal environment (E&E Daily, May 5, 2011). At that time, the agency's budget request was $11.8 billion, but it ended up receiving $11 billion for fiscal 2012.

The White House set the bar lower this year, proposing to increase NNSA's fiscal 2013 spending levels to $11.5 billion (E&E Daily, March 5).

South of Independence Avenue in the House, the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee will hear testimony from Acting Assistant Secretary Dave Huizenga of the Office of Environmental Management. The office is responsible for the cleanup required from five decades of nuclear weapons and energy development.

Huizenga also testified on the Hill last week, fielding questions about the Environmental Management budget and the status of the Hanford nuclear waste site in Washington state (E&E Daily, March 15).

Hanford generated more than half the plutonium for the country's nuclear weapons arsenal and is now the nation's most contaminated nuclear site (E&E Daily, March 31, 2011).

According to last week's testimony, EM's fiscal 2013 budget request came to $5.65 billion.

Schedule: The Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing is Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. in 192 Dirksen.

Witnesses: Thomas D'Agostino, National Nuclear Security Administration administrator and Department of Energy undersecretary for nuclear security.

Schedule: The House Appropriations subcommittee hearing is Wednesday at 10 a.m. in 2362-B Rayburn.

Witnesses: Acting Assistant Secretary Dave Huizenga of the Office of Environmental Management and Glenn Podonsky, chief health, safety and security officer in the Office of Health, Safety and Security.