II

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 3282

To authorize funding for University Nuclear Science and Engineering

Programs at the Department of Energy for fiscal years 2002 through 2006

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

DECEMBER 15 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 22), 2000

Mr. BINGAMAN introduced the following bill; which was read twice and

referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

A BILL

To authorize funding for University Nuclear Science an

Engineering Programs at the Department of Energy for

fiscal years 2002 through 2006.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Represent

2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assem

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as ‘‘Department of Energy

5 University Nuclear Science and Engineering Act’’.

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS

7 The Congress finds the following:

8 (1) U.S. university nuclear science and engi9 neering programs are in a state of serious declin

10 The supply of bachelor degree nuclear science and
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1 engineering personnel in the United States is at 

2 35-year low. The number of four year degree nuclear

3 engineering programs has declined 50 percent to ap4 proximately 25 programs nationwide. Over two5 thirds of the faculty in these programs are 45 yea

6 or older.

7 (2) Universities cannot afford to support their

8 research and training reactors. Since 1980, the

9 number of small training reactors in the United

10 States have declined by over 50 percent to 28 reac

11 tors. Most of these reactors were built in the l

12 1950s and 1960s with 30- to 40-year operating li13 censes, and will require re-licensing in the next 

14 eral years.

15 (3) The neglect in human investment and train16 ing infrastructure is affecting 50 years of natio

17 R&D investment. The decline in a competent nuclear

18 workforce, and the lack of adequately trained nu19 clear scientists and engineers, will affect the ab

20 of the United States to solve future waste storag

21 issues, maintain basic nuclear health physics pro

22 grams, operate existing fission reactors in th

23 United States, respond to future nuclear events

24 worldwide, help stem the proliferation of nuclea
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1 weapons, and design and operate naval nuclear reac2 tors.

3 (4) Further neglect in the nation’s investment

4 in human resources for the nuclear sciences will le

5 to a downward spiral. As the number of nuclear

6 science departments shrink, faculties age, and trai

7 ing reactors close, the appeal of nuclear science 

8 be lost to future generations of students.

9 (5) The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear

10 Science and Technology is well suited to help main

11 tain tomorrow’s human resource and training invest12 ment in the nuclear sciences. Through its support o

13 research and development pursuant to the Depart14 ment’s statutory authorities, the Office of Nucle

15 Science and Technology is the principal Federal

16 agent for civilian research in the nuclear sciences

17 the United States. The Office maintains the Nuclear

18 Engineering and Education Research Program

19 which funds basic nuclear science and engineering

20 The Office funds the Nuclear Energy and Research

21 Initiative which funds applied collaborative resear

22 among universities, industry and national labora23 tories in the areas of proliferation resistant fue

24 cles and future fission power systems. The Offic

25 funds Universities to refuel training reactors fr
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1 highly enriched to low enriched proliferation toler

2 fuels, performs instrumentation upgrades and main3 tains a program of student fellowships for nuclea

4 science, engineering and health physics.

5 SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY PROGRAM.

6 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Energy,

7 through the Office of Nuclear Science and Technology

8 shall support a program to maintain the Nation’s human

9 resource investment and infrastructure in the nuclea

10 sciences and engineering consistent with the Department

11 statutory authorities related to civilian nuclear res

12 and development.

13 (b) DUTIES OF THE OFFICE OF NUCLEAR SCIENCE

14 AND TECHNOLOGY.—In carrying out the program under

15 this Act, the Director of the Office of Nuclear Science

16 Technology shall—

17 (1) develop a robust graduate and under18 graduate fellowship program to attract new and tal

19 ented students;

20 (2) assist universities in recruiting and retai

21 ing new faculty in the nuclear sciences and enginee

22 ing through a Junior Faculty Research Initiation

23 Grant Program;
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1 (3) maintain a robust investment in the funda2 mental nuclear sciences and engineering through the

3 Nuclear Engineering Education Research Program;

4 (4) encourage collaborative nuclear research be5 tween industry, national laboratories and universit

6 through the Nuclear Energy Research Initiative; and

7 (5) support communication and outreach re8 lated to nuclear science and engineering.

9 (c) MAINTAINING UNIVERSITY RESEARCH AND

10 TRAINING REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED INFRASTRUC11 TURE.—Within the funds authorized to be appropriated

12 pursuant to this Act, the amounts specified under sect

13 4(b) shall, subject to appropriations, be available fo

14 following research and training reactor infrastructu

15 maintenance and research:

16 (1) Refueling of research reactors with low en17 riched fuels, upgrade of operational instrumentatio

18 and sharing of reactors among universities.

19 (2) In collaboration with the U.S. nuclear in20 dustry, assistance, where necessary, in re-licensi

21 and upgrading training reactors as part of a studen

22 training program.

23 (3) A reactor research and training award pro24 gram that provides for reactor improvements as part
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1 of a focused effort that emphasizes research, trai

2 ing, and education.

3 (d) UNIVERSITY-DOE LABORATORY INTER4 ACTIONS.—The Secretary of Energy, through the Office

5 of Nuclear Science and Technology, shall develop—

6 (1) a sabbatical fellowship program for univer7 sity professors to spend extended periods of time 

8 Department of Energy laboratories in the areas of

9 nuclear science; and

10 (2) a visiting scientist program in which labora

11 tory staff can spend time in academic nuclear

12 science and engineering departments.

13 The Secretary shall also provide for fellowships for 

14 dents to spend time at Department of Energy laboratorie

15 in the area of nuclear science.

16 (e) MERIT REVIEW REQUIRED.—All grants, con17 tracts, cooperative agreements, or other financial as

18 ance awards under this Act shall be made only after in

19 pendent merit review.

20 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

21 (a) TOTAL AUTHORIZATION.—The following sums

22 are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of 

23 ergy, to remain available until expended, for the purp

24 of carrying out this Act:

25 (1) $44,200,000 for fiscal year 2002.
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1 (2) $56,450,000 for fiscal year 2003.

2 (3) $63,100,000 for fiscal year 2004.

3 (4) $61,100,000 for fiscal year 2005.

4 (5) $71,700,000 for fiscal year 2006.

5 (b) GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE FELLOW6 SHIPS.—Of the funds under subsection (a), the following

7 sums are authorized to be appropriated to carry out s

8 tion 3(b)(1):

9 (1) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2002.

10 (2) $5,100,000 for fiscal year 2003.

11 (3) $5,200,000 for fiscal year 2004.

12 (4) $5,200,000 for fiscal year 2005.

13 (5) $5,200,000 for fiscal year 2006.

14 (c) JUNIOR FACULTY RESEARCH INITIATION GRANT

15 PROGRAM.—Of the funds under subsection (a), the fol16 lowing sums are authorized to be appropriated to carr

17 out section 3(b)(2):

18 (1) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2002.

19 (2) $11,000,000 for fiscal year 2003.

20 (3) $11,500,000 for fiscal year 2004.

21 (4) $11,500,000 for fiscal year 2005.

22 (5) $11,500,000 for fiscal year 2006.

23 (d) NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND EDUCATION RE24 SEARCH PROGRAM.—Of the funds under subsection (a),
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1 the following sums are authorized to be appropriated 

2 carry out section 3(b)(3):

3 (1) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2002.

4 (2) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2003.

5 (3) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2004.

6 (4) $21,000,000 for fiscal year 2005.

7 (5) $22,000,000 for fiscal year 2006.

8 (e) COMMUNICATION AND OUTREACH RELATED TO

9 NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING.—Of the funds

10 under subsection (a), the following sums are authoriz

11 to be appropriated to carry out section 3(b)(5):

12 (1) $200,000 for fiscal year 2002.

13 (2) $250,000 for fiscal year 2003.

14 (3) $300,000 for fiscal year 2004.

15 (4) $300,000 for fiscal year 2005.

16 (5) $300,000 for fiscal year 2006.

17 (f) REFUELING OF RESEARCH REACTORS AND IN18 STRUMENTATION UPGRADES.—Of the funds under sub19 section (a), the following sums are authorized to be ap

20 priated to carry out section 3(c)(1):

21 (1) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2002.

22 (2) $6,500,000 for fiscal year 2003.

23 (3) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2004.

24 (4) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2005.

25 (5) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2006.
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1 (g) RE-LICENSING ASSISTANCE.—Of the funds under

2 subsection (a), the following sums are authorized to be

3 propriated to carry out section 3(c)(2):

4 (1) $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2002.

5 (2) $2,500,000 for fiscal year 2003.

6 (3) $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2004.

7 (4) $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2005.

8 (5) $4,500,000 for fiscal year 2006.

9 (h) REACTOR RESEARCH AND TRAINING AWARD

10 PROGRAM.—Of the funds under subsection (a), the fol11 lowing sums are authorized to be appropriated to carr

12 out section 3(c)(3):

13 (1) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2002.

14 (2) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2003.

15 (3) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2004.

16 (4) $17,000,000 for fiscal year 2005.

17 (5) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2006.

18 (i) UNIVERSITY—DOE LABORATORY INTER19 ACTIONS.—Of the funds under subsection (a), the fol20 lowing sums are authorized to be appropriated to carr

21 out section 3(d):

22 (1) $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2002.

23 (2) $1,100,000 for fiscal year 2003.

24 (3) $1,100,000 for fiscal year 2004.

25 (4) $1,100,000 for fiscal year 2005.
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1 (5) $1,200,000 for fiscal year 2006.

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