Collapse to view only § 3224a. Studies and agreements by Secretary of Energy on multinational or international basis concerning spent fuel storage facilities and transportation systems; congressional consent; authorization of appropriations; limitations on use of funds; exceptions; special nuclear material for India

§ 3221. Congressional declaration of policy

The United States, as a matter of national policy, shall take such actions and institute such measures as may be necessary and feasible to assure other nations and groups of nations that may seek to utilize the benefits of atomic energy for peaceful purposes that it will provide a reliable supply of nuclear fuel to those nations and groups of nations which adhere to policies designed to prevent proliferation. Such nuclear fuel shall be provided under agreements entered into pursuant to section 2201 of title 42 or as otherwise authorized by law. The United States shall ensure that it will have available the capacity on a long-term basis to enter into new fuel supply commitments consistent with its non-proliferation policies and domestic energy needs. The Commission shall, on a timely basis, authorize the export of nuclear materials and equipment when all the applicable statutory requirements are met.

(Pub. L. 95–242, title I, § 101, Mar. 10, 1978, 92 Stat. 121.)
§ 3222. Uranium enrichment capacity

The Secretary of Energy is directed to initiate construction planning and design, construction, and operation activities for expansion of uranium enrichment capacity, as elsewhere provided by law. Further the Secretary as well as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Secretary of State are directed to establish and implement procedures which will ensure to the maximum extent feasible, consistent with this chapter, orderly processing of subsequent arrangements and export licenses with minimum time delay.

(Pub. L. 95–242, title I, § 102, Mar. 10, 1978, 92 Stat. 122; Pub. L. 105–277, div. G, subdiv. A, title XII, § 1225(e)(2), Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681–775.)
§ 3223. International undertakings
(a) Development of international approaches for meeting future worldwide nuclear fuel needs; international nuclear fuel authority
Consistent with section 3224 of this title, the President shall institute prompt discussions with other nations and groups of nations, including both supplier and recipient nations, to develop international approaches for meeting future worldwide nuclear fuel needs. In particular, the President is authorized and urged to seek to negotiate as soon as practicable with nations possessing nuclear fuel production facilities or source material, and such other nations and groups of nations, such as the IAEA, as may be deemed appropriate, with a view toward the timely establishment of binding international undertakings providing for—
(1) the establishment of an international nuclear fuel authority (INFA) with responsibility for providing agreed upon fuel services and allocating agreed upon quantities of fuel resources to ensure fuel supply on reasonable terms in accordance with agreements between INFA and supplier and recipient nations;
(2) a set of conditions consistent with subsection (d) under which international fuel assurances under INFA auspices will be provided to recipient nations, including conditions which will ensure that the transferred materials will not be used for nuclear explosive devices;
(3) devising, consistent with the policy goals set forth in section 2153b of title 42, feasible and environmentally sound approaches for the siting, development, and management under effective international auspices and inspection of facilities for the provision of nuclear fuel services, including the storage of special nuclear material;
(4) the establishment of repositories for the storage of spent nuclear reactor fuel under effective international auspices and inspection;
(5) the establishment of arrangements under which nations placing spent fuel in such repositories would receive appropriate compensation for the energy span of such spent fuel if recovery of such energy span is deemed necessary or desirable; and
(6) sanctions for violation of the provisions of or for abrogation of such binding international undertakings.
(b), (c) Omitted
(d) Adherence of nations to policies designed to prevent proliferation
(e) Report on progress of negotiations
(f) Congressional approval of non-treaty international undertakings; submission of proposals
(1) The President may not enter into any binding international undertaking negotiated pursuant to subsection (a) which is not a treaty until such time as such proposed undertaking has been submitted to the Congress and has been approved by concurrent resolution.
(2) The proposals prepared pursuant to subsection (b) shall be submitted to the Congress as part of an annual authorization Act for the Department of Energy.
(Pub. L. 95–242, title I, § 104, Mar. 10, 1978, 92 Stat. 122.)
§ 3224. Reevaluation of nuclear fuel cycle

The President shall take immediate initiatives to invite all nuclear supplier and recipient nations to reevaluate all aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle, with emphasis on alternatives to an economy based on the separation of pure plutonium or the presence of high enriched uranium, methods to deal with spent fuel storage, and methods to improve the safeguards for existing nuclear technology. The President shall, in the first report required by section 3281 of this title, detail the progress of such international reevaluation.

(Pub. L. 95–242, title I, § 105, Mar. 10, 1978, 92 Stat. 123.)
§ 3224a. Studies and agreements by Secretary of Energy on multinational or international basis concerning spent fuel storage facilities and transportation systems; congressional consent; authorization of appropriations; limitations on use of funds; exceptions; special nuclear material for India

Department of Energy is hereby authorized to undertake studies, in cooperation with other nations, on a multinational or international basis designed to determine the general feasibility of expanding capacity of existing spent fuel storage facilities; to enter into agreements, subject to the consent of the Congress (by joint or concurrent resolution or legislation hereafter enacted), with other nations or groups of nations, for providing appropriate support to increase international or multinational spent fuel storage capacity; to conduct studies on the feasibility of establishing regional storage sites; and to conduct studies on international transportation and storage systems. For the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this section, there is included in subsection 101(20) of this Act authorization of appropriations in the amount of $20,000,000: Provided, That, notwithstanding any other provision of law, that none of the funds made available to the Secretary of Energy under any other authorization or appropriation Act shall be used, directly or indirectly, for the repurchase, transportation or storage of any foreign spent nuclear fuel (including any nuclear fuel irradiated in any nuclear power reactor located outside of the United States and operated by any foreign legal entity, government or nongovernment, regardless of the legal ownership or control of the fuel or the reactor, and regardless of the origin or licensing of the fuel or the reactor, but not including fuel irradiated in a research reactor, and not including fuel irradiated in a power reactor if the President determines that (1) use of funds for repurchase, transportation or storage of such fuel is required by an emergency situation, (2) it is in the interest of the common defense and security of the United States to take such action, and (3) he notifies the Congress of the determination and action, with a detailed explanation and justification thereof, as soon as possible) unless the President formally notifies, with the report information specified herein, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives of such use of funds thirty calendar days, during such time as either House of Congress is in session, before the commitment, expenditure, or obligation of such funds: And provided further, That, notwithstanding any other provision of law, that none of the funds appropriated pursuant to this Act or any other funds made available to the Secretary of Energy under any other authorization or appropriation Act shall be used, directly or indirectly, for the repurchase, transportation, or storage of any such foreign spent nuclear fuel for storage or other disposition, interim or permanent, in the United States, unless the use of the funds for that specific purpose has been (1) previously and expressly authorized by Congress in legislation hereafter enacted, (2) previously and expressly authorized by a concurrent resolution, or (3) the President submits a plan for such use, with the report information specified herein, thirty days during which the Congress is in continuous session, as defined in the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 [2 U.S.C. 681 et seq.], prior to such use and neither House of Congress approves a resolution of disapproval of the plan prior to the expiration of the aforementioned thirty-day period. If such a resolution of disapproval has been introduced, but has not been reported by the Committee on or before the twentieth day after transmission of the Presidential message, a privileged motion shall be in order in the respective body to discharge the Committee from further consideration of the resolution and to provide for its immediate consideration, using the procedures specified for consideration of an impoundment resolution in section 1017 of the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (31 U.S.C. 1407) [2 U.S.C. 688]. Any report or plan proposed under this proviso shall include information and any supporting documentation thereof relating to policy objectives, technical description and discussion, geographic information, cost data, justification and projections, legal and regulatory considerations, environmental impact information and any related bilateral or international agreements, arrangements or understandings: And provided further, That nothing contained in this section shall be construed in any executive branch action, administrative proceeding, regulatory proceeding, or legal proceeding as being intended to delay, modify, or reverse the Memorandum and Order of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of June 28, 1977, for the issuance of License No. XSNM–845 to the agent-applicant for the Government of India and the subsequent export thereby licensed of the special nuclear material to be used as fuel for the Tarapur Atomic Power Station or any other order of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to issue a license for the export of special nuclear material and subsequent exports thereby licensed, or any consideration by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of a license application for the export of special nuclear material.

(Pub. L. 95–238, title I, § 107, Feb. 25, 1978, 92 Stat. 55; Pub. L. 103–437, § 9(c), Nov. 2, 1994, 108 Stat. 4588.)