Price-Anderson Amendments Act of 2000

Summary: (Sec. 3) Increases from $10 million to $20 million the maximum amount of standard deferred premium that may be charged a licensee following a nuclear incident in any one year for each facility for which the licensee is required to maintain the maximum amount of primary financial protection.
(Sec. 4) Sets a $10 billion ceiling upon the aggregate DOE liability limit pursuant to DOE indemnification agreements and for each nuclear incident.
Provides that all agreements which obligate DOE to indemnify a person are deemed to be amended to reflect the indemnification amount for both public liability and any applicable financial protection required of the contractor as of the date of enactment of this Act.
(Sec. 5) Increases from $100 million to $500 million the indemnification amount and the aggregate public liability limitation due from DOE for incidents outside the United States.
(Sec. 7) Directs the Secretary of Energy to adjust the indemnification agreement amount in accordance with the aggregate percentage change in the Consumer Price Index at least once during each five-year period.
(Sec. 8) Repeals the directive to the Secretary to determine whether a nonprofit educational institution should receive an automatic remission of any penalties for violations of DOE regulations.
Shields a nonprofit contractor, subcontractor, or supplier from a civil penalty in excess of any performance fee paid by the Secretary.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Price-Anderson Amendments Act of 
2000''.

SEC. 2. INDEMNIFICATION AUTHORITY.

    (a) Indemnification of NRC Licensees.--Section 170 c. of the Atomic 
Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2210(c)) is amended by striking ``August 
1, 2002'' each place it appears and inserting ``August 1, 2012''.
    (b) Indemnification of DOE Contractors.--Section 170 d.(1)(A) of 
the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2210(d)(1)(A)) is amended by 
striking ``, until August 1, 2002,''.
    (c) Indemnification of Nonprofit Educational Institutions.--Section 
170 k. of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2210(k)) is amended 
by striking ``August 1, 2002'' each place it appears and inserting 
``August 1, 2012''.

SEC. 3. MAXIMUM ASSESSMENT.

    Section 170 b.(1) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 
2210(b)(1)) is amended by striking ``$10,000,000'' and inserting 
``$20,000,000''.

SEC. 4. DOE LIABILITY LIMIT.

    (a) Aggregate Liability Limit.--Section 170 d. of the Atomic Energy 
Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2210(d)) is amended by striking subsection (2) 
and inserting the following:
            ``(2) In agreements of indemnification entered into under 
        paragraph (1), the Secretary--
                    ``(A) may require the contractor to provide and 
                maintain financial protection of such a type and in 
                such amounts as the Secretary shall determine to be 
                appropriate to cover public liability arising out of or 
                in connection with the contractual activity, and
                    ``(B) shall indemnify the persons indemnified 
                against such claims above the amount of the financial 
                protection required, in the amount of $10,000,000,000 
                (subject to adjustment for inflation under subsection 
                t.), in the aggregate, for all persons indemnified in 
                connection with such contract and for each nuclear 
                incident, including such legal costs of the contractor 
                as are approved by the Secretary.
    (b) Contract Amendments.--Section 170 d. of the Atomic Energy Act 
of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2210(d)) is further amended by striking subsection 
(3) and inserting the following:
            ``(3) All agreements of indemnification under which the 
        Department of Energy (or its precedessor agencies) may be 
        required to indemnify any person, shall be deemed to be 
        amended, on the date of the enactment of the Price-Anderson 
        Amendments Act of 1999, to reflect the amount of indemnity for 
        public liability and any applicable financial protection 
        required of the contractor under this subsection on such 
        date.''.

SEC. 5. INCIDENTS OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES.

    (a) Amount of Indemnification.--Section 170 d.(5) of the Atomic 
Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2210(d)(5)) is amended by striking 
``$100,000,000'' and inserting ``$500,000,000''.
    (b) Liability Limit.--Section 170e.(4) of the Atomic Energy Act of 
1954 (42 U.S.C. 2210(e)(4)) is amended by striking ``$100,000,000'' and 
inserting ``$500,000,000''.

SEC. 6. REPORTS.

    Section 170 p. of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2210(p)) 
is amended by striking ``August 1, 1998'' and inserting ``August 1, 
2008''.

SEC. 7. INFLATION ADJUSTMENT.

    Section 170 t. of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2210(t)) 
is amended--
            (1) by renumbering paragraph (2) as paragraph (3); and
            (2) by adding after paragraph (1) the following new 
        paragraph:
            ``(2) The Secretary shall adjust the amount of 
        indemnification provided under an agreement of indemnification 
        under subsection d. not less than once during each 5-year 
        period following the date of the enactment of the Price-
        Anderson Amendments Act of 1999, in accordance with the 
        aggregate percentage change in the Consumer Price Index since--
                    ``(A) such date of enactment, in the case of the 
                first adjustment under this subsection; or
                    ``(B) the previous adjustment under this 
                subsection.''.

SEC. 8. CIVIL PENALTIES.

    (a) Repeal of Automatic Remission.--Section 234A b.(2) of the 
Atomic Energy of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2282a(b)(2)) is amended by striking 
the last sentence.
    (b) Limitation for Nonprofit Institutions.--Section 234A of the 
Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2282a) is further amended by 
striking subsection d. and inserting the following:
    ``d. Notwithstanding subsection a., no contractor, subcontractor, 
or supplier considered to be nonprofit under the Internal Revenue Code 
of 1954 shall be subject to a civil penalty under this section in 
excess of the amount of any performance fee paid by the Secretary to 
such contractor, subcontractor, or supplier under the contract under 
which the violation or violations; occur.''.

SEC. 9. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    (a) In General.--The amendments made by this Act shall become 
effective on the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (b) Indemnification Provisions.--The amendments made by sections 3, 
4, and 5 shall not apply to any nuclear incident occurring before the 
date of the enactment of this Act.
    (c) Civil Penalty Provisions.--The amendments made by section 8 to 
section 234A of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2282a(b)(2)) 
shall not apply to any violation occurring under a contract entered 
into before the date of the enactment of this Act.