National Center for Excellence in Research and Development Act of 1996

Summary: National Center for Excellence in Research and Development Act of 1996 - Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Energy for FY 1995 and beyond to maintain the operational readiness of the underground nuclear testing facilities and infrastructure of the Nevada Test Site. 
Establishes within the Department of Energy a national Test and Demonstration Center of Excellence at the Nevada Test Site, Nevada, to implement testing and demonstration activities related to:  (1) certain alternative and renewable energy sources, including solar and geothermal energy, as well as natural gas, electricity, and hydrogen as components of a National Alternative-Fueled Vehicles Program; (2) certain changes in the U.S. military as a result of the end of the Cold War, including demilitarization and disarmament activities and the nonmilitary application of military technologies and resources; (3) stewardship of the Federal nuclear stockpile; (4) non-proliferation and counter-proliferation of nuclear weapons; and (5) development of certain environmental technologies, including technologies for remediation of toxic and hazardous chemicals, and activities pertaining to emergency response to hazardous and toxic accidents.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Center for Excellence in 
Research and Development Act of 1996''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Due to the end of the Cold War, the United States has 
        not recently conducted underground nuclear testing at the 
        Department of Energy facility known as the Nevada Test Site, 
        Nevada, and the United States does not plan to conduct such 
        testing in the foreseeable future.
            (2) Because the world political situation is ever-changing 
        and dangerous, it is imperative that the United States remain 
        strong militarily and continue to be a nuclear superpower.
            (3) It is imperative that portions of the Nevada Test Site 
        be maintained in a full state of readiness to ensure the 
        capability of the nuclear arsenal of the United States.
            (4) The Nevada Test Site is in a beneficial location for 
        activities suitable for research and development of emerging 
        technologies that will be important to the United States in the 
        21st century.
            (5) Technology development carried out at the Nevada Test 
        Site should include both private-sector and military projects.
            (6) The Nevada Test Site can support the stewardship of the 
        Nation's nuclear weapons stockpile, the nonproliferation of 
        nuclear weapons, and the technological competitiveness of the 
        United States by providing the environment for nuclear and non-
        nuclear test and demonstration experiments and projects for 
        government, industry, and academia.
            (7) The Nevada Test Site can provide the infrastructure to 
        support industrial and civilian tests of environmentally 
        demanding projects and programs in addition to maintaining its 
        readiness capability in support of the nuclear arsenal.
            (8) The Nevada Test Site can support the testing and 
        demonstration of environmental clean-up technologies by 
        government and industry.
            (9) The Nevada Test Site can support the testing of 
        alternative and renewable energy sources for environmentally 
        clean and economically competitive replacements for traditional 
        fossil energy sources and uses in many parts of Nevada and in 
        the United States as a whole.
            (10) The Nevada Test Site can provide support for 
        disarmament activities such as the demonstration of rocket 
        motor destruction technology and conventional munitions 
        destruction technology.
            (11) The Nevada Test Site can support non-proliferation 
        experiments in disablement, nuclear forensics, sensors, and 
        verification and monitoring.
            (12) The Nevada Test Site can support treaty-compliant 
        experiments for stockpile stewardship purposes.
            (13) The size and remoteness of the Nevada Test Site make 
        the Nevada Test Site well-suited for a multitude of activities 
        associated with the restructuring of the United States 
        military.
            (14) The Nevada Test Site can also support non-
        proliferation, counter-proliferation, and counter-terrorism 
        activities.

SEC. 3. PURPOSES.

    It is the purpose of this Act--
            (1) to ensure full operational readiness of the underground 
        nuclear testing facilities and infrastructure of the Nevada 
        Test Site;
            (2) to ensure an appropriate level of funds for such 
        readiness to be maintained;
            (3) to create a National Test and Demonstration Center of 
        Excellence at the Nevada Test Site for the promotion of 
        disarmament, demilitarization, alternative and renewable energy 
        sources, the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, counter-
        proliferation of nuclear weapons, sensor development, and 
        environmentally sensitive technologies; and
            (4) to ensure the availability of the Nevada Test Site, 
        within appropriate restrictions, for use by private-sector 
        industries seeking to make use of the inherent qualities that 
        make the Nevada Test Site the greatest outdoor laboratory in 
        the world.

SEC. 4. MAINTENANCE OF READINESS CAPABILITY OF NEVADA TEST SITE.

    (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--The amount referred to in paragraph (2) is 
        hereby authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Energy 
        for fiscal year 1995 and each fiscal year thereafter to 
        maintain the operational readiness of the underground nuclear 
        testing facilities and infrastructure of the Nevada Test Site.
            (2) Authorized amount.--The amount referred to in paragraph 
        (1) is not less than the amount appropriated to the Secretary 
        of Energy for fiscal year 1992 to maintain the operational 
        readiness of the underground nuclear testing facilities and 
        infrastructure of the Nevada Test Site.
    (b) Staffing Levels.--The Secretary of Energy shall maintain a 
staffing level at the Nevada Test Site that the Secretary considers 
sufficient to carry out activities under this Act in addition to any 
other activities conducted by the Department of Energy at the Nevada 
Test Site.
    (c) Infrastructure Assessments and Activities.--The Secretary of 
Energy, through the Nevada Test Site Operations Office, shall carry out 
any infrastructure assessments and activities necessary to accommodate 
new projects and initiatives at the Nevada Test Site.

SEC. 5. NATIONAL TEST AND DEMONSTRATION CENTER OF EXCELLENCE.

    (a) Establishment.--There is hereby established within the 
Department of Energy a National Test and Demonstration Center of 
Excellence (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ``Center''), to be 
located at the Nevada Test Site, Nevada.
    (b) Purpose.--It shall be the purpose of the Center to promote 
disarmament, demilitarization, alternative and renewable energy 
sources, the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, counter-proliferation 
of nuclear weapons, sensor development, and environmentally sensitive 
technologies.
    (c) Activities Related to Alternative and Renewable Energy 
Sources.--The Center shall carry out the following testing and 
demonstration activities that are related to alternative and renewable 
energy sources:
            (1) The characterization of solar and geothermal resources 
        at the Nevada Test Site.
            (2) The development of alternative and renewable energy 
        sources, including, as a goal of the Center, the development 
        and completion of two 100-megawatt solar power plants by the 
        year 2000.
            (3) The conduct of a National Alternative-Fueled Vehicles 
        Program, the objective of which shall be to demonstrate the 
        regional use of natural gas, electricity, and hydrogen as 
        vehicle fuels.
    (d) Activities Related to Disarmament and Demilitarization.--The 
Center shall carry out testing and demonstration activities that are 
related to changes occurring in United States military as a result of 
the end of the Cold War, including activities--
            (1) that involve the demilitarization of large rocket motor 
        and conventional ordnance;
            (2) that assist in disarmament and demilitarization, 
        generally; and
            (3) that test and demonstrate the nonmilitary application 
        of technologies and resources the military application of which 
        has decreased or otherwise changed due to disarmament and 
        demilitarization.
    (e) Activities Related to Nuclear Stockpile Stewardship.--The 
Center shall carry out testing and demonstration activities related to 
the stewardship of the nuclear stockpile of the United States. Such 
activities shall include--
            (1) the conduct of experiments that assist in monitoring 
        compliance with international agreements on the 
        nonproliferation of nuclear weapons;
            (2) the provision of support to the Department of Energy 
        nuclear weapons complex;
            (3) the conduct of programs for the Department of Energy 
        and the Department of Defense to develop simulator technologies 
        for nuclear weapons design and effects, including advanced 
        hydrodynamic simulators, inertial confinement fusion test 
        facilities, and nuclear weapons effects simulators; and
            (4) the conduct of the stockpile stewardship program 
        established pursuant to section 3138 of the National Defense 
        Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994 (107 Stat. 1946; Public 
        Law 103-160).
    (f) Activities Related to Nonproliferation.--The Center shall carry 
out experiments related to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, 
including experiments with respect to disablement, nuclear forensics, 
sensors, and verification and monitoring.
    (g) Activities Related to Counter-Proliferation.--The Center shall 
carry out experiments related to the counter-proliferation of nuclear 
weapons.
    (h) Activities Related to Environmental Technologies.--The Center 
shall carry out testing and demonstration activities related to the 
development of environmental technologies, including--
            (1) the demonstration of technologies concerning the 
        remediation of toxic and hazardous chemicals; and
            (2) the conduct of training activities pertaining to 
        emergency response to hazardous and toxic accidents and 
        emergencies.
    (i) Other Activities.--The Center may carry out the testing and 
demonstration of any other technology which, in the determination of 
the Secretary of Energy, is appropriate for testing and demonstration 
at the Nevada Test Site.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Except as provided in section 4, there is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of Energy for fiscal year 1997 such sums 
as may be necessary to carry out this Act.