IIB 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5866 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 1, 2010 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural 

Resources 

AN ACT 

To amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 requiring the 

Secretary of Energy to carry out initiatives to advance 

innovation in nuclear energy technologies, to make nuclear energy systems more competitive, to increase efficiency and safety of civilian nuclear power, and for other 

purposes. 


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1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Nuclear Energy Re5 search and Development Act of 2010’’. 

6 SEC. 2. OBJECTIVES. 

7 Section 951(a) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 

8 U.S.C. 16271(a)) is amended— 

9 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 

10 (8) as paragraphs (5) through (11), respectively; 

11 (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol12 lowing new paragraphs: 

13 ‘‘(2) Reducing the costs of nuclear reactor sys14 tems. 

15 ‘‘(3) Reducing used nuclear fuel and nuclear 

16 waste products generated by civilian nuclear energy. 

17 ‘‘(4) Supporting technological advances in areas 

18 that industry by itself is not likely to undertake be19 cause of technical and financial uncertainty.’’; and 

20 (3) by inserting after paragraph (11), as so re21 designated, the following new paragraph: 

22 ‘‘(12) Researching and developing technologies 

23 and processes so as to improve and streamline the 

24 process by which nuclear power systems meet Fed25 eral and State requirements and standards.’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. FUNDING. 

2 Section 951 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 

3 U.S.C. 16271) is further amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (b), by striking paragraphs 

5 (1) through (3) and inserting the following: 

6 ‘‘(1) $419,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; 

7 ‘‘(2) $429,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; and 

8 ‘‘(3) $439,000,000 for fiscal year 2013.’’; and 

9 (2) in subsection (d)— 

10 (A) by striking ‘‘under subsection (a)’’ and 

11 inserting ‘‘under subsection (b)’’; 

12 (B) by amending paragraph (1) to read as 

13 follows: 

14 ‘‘(1) For activities under section 953— 

15 ‘‘(A) $201,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; 

16 ‘‘(B) $201,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(C) $201,000,000 for fiscal year 2013.’’; 

19 and 

20 (C) by inserting after paragraph (3) the 

21 following new paragraphs: 

22 ‘‘(4) For activities under section 952, other 

23 than those described in section 952(d)— 

24 ‘‘(A) $64,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; 

25 ‘‘(B) $64,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; and 

26 ‘‘(C) $64,000,000 for fiscal year 2013. 


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1 ‘‘(5) For activities under section 952(d)— 

2 ‘‘(A) $55,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; 

3 ‘‘(B) $65,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; and 

4 ‘‘(C) $75,000,000 for fiscal year 2013. 

5 ‘‘(6) For activities under section 958— 

6 ‘‘(A) $99,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; 

7 ‘‘(B) $99,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; and 

8 ‘‘(C) $99,000,000 for fiscal year 2013.’’. 

9 SEC. 4. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES STUDY. 

10 Section 951 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 

11 U.S.C. 16271) is amended by adding at the end the fol12 lowing new subsection: 

13 ‘‘(f) PROGRAM OBJECTIVES STUDY.—In furtherance 

14 of the program objectives listed in subsection (a) of this 

15 section, the Secretary shall, within one year after the date 

16 of enactment of this subsection, transmit to the Congress 

17 a report on the results of a study on the scientific and 

18 technical merit of major State requirements and stand19 ards, including moratoria, that delay or impede the further 

20 development and commercialization of nuclear power, and 

21 how the Department in implementing the programs can 

22 assist in overcoming such delays or impediments.’’. 


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1 SEC. 5. NUCLEAR ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 

2 PROGRAMS. 

3 Section 952 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 

4 U.S.C. 16272) is amended by striking subsections (c) 

5 through (e) and inserting the following: 

6 ‘‘(c) REACTOR CONCEPTS.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry 

8 out a program of research, development, demonstra9 tion, and commercial application to advance nuclear 

10 power systems as well as technologies to sustain cur11 rently deployed systems. 

12 ‘‘(2) DESIGNS AND TECHNOLOGIES.—In con13 ducting the program under this subsection, the Sec14 retary shall examine advanced reactor designs and 

15 nuclear technologies, including those that— 

16 ‘‘(A) are economically competitive with 

17 other electric power generation plants; 

18 ‘‘(B) have higher efficiency, lower cost, and 

19 improved safety compared to reactors in oper20 ation as of the date of enactment of the Nu21 clear Energy Research and Development Act of 

22 2010; 

23 ‘‘(C) utilize passive safety features; 

24 ‘‘(D) minimize proliferation risks; 

25 ‘‘(E) substantially reduce production of 

26 high-level waste per unit of output; 


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1 ‘‘(F) increase the life and sustainability of 

2 reactor systems currently deployed; 

3 ‘‘(G) use improved instrumentation; 

4 ‘‘(H) are capable of producing large-scale 

5 quantities of hydrogen or process heat; or 

6 ‘‘(I) minimize water usage or use alter7 natives to water as a cooling mechanism. 

8 ‘‘(3) INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION.—In car9 rying out the program under this subsection, the 

10 Secretary shall seek opportunities to enhance the 

11 progress of the program through international co12 operation through such organizations as the Genera13 tion IV International Forum, or any other inter14 national collaboration the Secretary considers appro15 priate. 

16 ‘‘(4) EXCEPTIONS.—No funds authorized to be 

17 appropriated to carry out the activities described in 

18 this subsection shall be used to fund the activities 

19 authorized under sections 641 through 645.’’. 

20 SEC. 6. SMALL MODULAR REACTOR PROGRAM. 

21 Section 952 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 

22 U.S.C. 16272) is further amended by adding at the end 

23 the following new subsection: 

24 ‘‘(d) SMALL MODULAR REACTOR PROGRAM.— 

25 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) The Secretary shall carry out a small 

2 modular reactor program to promote research, 

3 development, demonstration, and commercial 

4 application of small modular reactors, including 

5 through cost-shared projects for commercial ap6 plication of reactor systems designs. 

7 ‘‘(B) The Secretary shall consult with and 

8 utilize the expertise of the Secretary of the 

9 Navy in establishing and carrying out such pro10 gram. 

11 ‘‘(C) Activities may also include develop12 ment of advanced computer modeling and sim13 ulation tools, by Federal and non-Federal enti14 ties, which demonstrate and validate new design 

15 capabilities of innovative small modular reactor 

16 designs. 

17 ‘‘(2) DEFINITION.—For the purposes of this 

18 subsection, the term ‘small modular reactor’ means 

19 a nuclear reactor— 

20 ‘‘(A) with a rated capacity of less than 300 

21 electrical megawatts; 

22 ‘‘(B) with respect to which most parts can 

23 be factory assembled and shipped as modules to 

24 a reactor plant site for assembly; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) that can be constructed and operated 

2 in combination with similar reactors at a single 

3 site. 

4 ‘‘(3) LIMITATION.—Demonstration activities 

5 carried out under this section shall be limited to in6 dividual technologies and systems, and shall not in7 clude demonstration of full reactor systems or full 

8 plant operations. 

9 ‘‘(4) ADMINISTRATION.—In conducting the 

10 small modular reactor program, the Secretary may 

11 enter into cooperative agreements to support small 

12 modular reactor designs that enable— 

13 ‘‘(A) lower capital costs or increased access 

14 to private financing in comparison to current 

15 large reactor designs; 

16 ‘‘(B) reduced long-term radiotoxicity, 

17 mass, or decay heat of the nuclear waste pro18 duced by generation; 

19 ‘‘(C) increased operating safety of nuclear 

20 facilities; 

21 ‘‘(D) reduced dependence of reactor sys22 tems on water resources; 

23 ‘‘(E) increased seismic resistance of nu24 clear generation; 


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1 ‘‘(F) reduced proliferation risks through 

2 integrated safeguards and security proliferation 

3 controls; and 

4 ‘‘(G) increased efficiency in reactor manu5 facturing and construction. 

6 ‘‘(5) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to enter into 

7 a cooperative agreement with the Secretary under 

8 this subsection, an applicant shall submit to the Sec9 retary a proposal for the small modular reactor 

10 project to be undertaken. The proposal shall docu11 ment— 

12 ‘‘(A) all partners and suppliers that will be 

13 active in the small modular reactor project, in14 cluding a description of each partner or sup15 plier’s anticipated domestic and international 

16 activities; 

17 ‘‘(B) measures to be undertaken to enable 

18 cost-effective implementation of the small mod19 ular reactor project; 

20 ‘‘(C) an accounting structure approved by 

21 the Secretary; 

22 ‘‘(D) all known assets that shall be con23 tributed to satisfy the cost-sharing requirement 

24 under paragraph (6); and 


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1 ‘‘(E) the extent to which the proposal will 

2 increase domestic manufacturing activity, ex3 ports, or employment. 

4 ‘‘(6) COST SHARING.—Notwithstanding section 

5 988, the Secretary shall require the parties to a co6 operative agreement under this subsection to be re7 sponsible for not less than 50 percent of the costs 

8 of the small modular reactor project. 

9 ‘‘(7) CALCULATION OF COST SHARING

10 AMOUNT.—A recipient of financial assistance under 

11 this section may not satisfy the cost sharing require12 ment under paragraph (6) by using funds received 

13 from the Federal Government through appropriation 

14 Acts. 

15 ‘‘(8) PROJECT SELECTION CRITERIA.—The Sec16 retary shall consider the following factors in entering 

17 into a cooperative agreement under this subsection: 

18 ‘‘(A) The domestic manufacturing capabili19 ties of the parties to the cooperative agreement 

20 and their partners and suppliers. 

21 ‘‘(B) The viability of the reactor design 

22 and the business plan or plans of the parties to 

23 the cooperative agreement. 

24 ‘‘(C) The parties to the cooperative agree25 ment’s potential to continue the development of 


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1 small modular reactors without Federal sub2 sidies or loan guarantees. 

3 ‘‘(D) The cost share to be provided. 

4 ‘‘(E) The degree to which the following 

5 goals will be advanced: 

6 ‘‘(i) Lower capital costs or increased 

7 access to private financing in comparison 

8 to current large reactor designs. 

9 ‘‘(ii) Reduced long-term radiotoxicity, 

10 mass, or decay heat of the nuclear waste 

11 produced by generation. 

12 ‘‘(iii) Increased operating safety of 

13 nuclear facilities. 

14 ‘‘(iv) Reduced dependence of reactor 

15 systems on water resources. 

16 ‘‘(v) Increased seismic resistance of 

17 nuclear generation. 

18 ‘‘(vi) Reduced proliferation risks 

19 through integrated safeguards and security 

20 proliferation controls. 

21 ‘‘(vii) Increased efficiency in reactor 

22 manufacturing and construction.’’. 


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1 SEC. 7. CONVENTIONAL IMPROVEMENTS TO NUCLEAR 

2 POWER PLANTS. 

3 Section 952 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 

4 U.S.C. 16272) is further amended by adding at the end 

5 the following new subsection: 

6 ‘‘(e) CONVENTIONAL IMPROVEMENTS TO NUCLEAR

7 POWER PLANTS.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may carry 

9 out a Nuclear Energy Research Initiative for re10 search and development related to steam-side im11 provements to nuclear power plants to promote the 

12 research, development, demonstration, and commer13 cial application of— 

14 ‘‘(A) cooling systems; 

15 ‘‘(B) turbine technologies; 

16 ‘‘(C) heat exchangers and pump design; 

17 ‘‘(D) special coatings to improve lifetime of 

18 components and performance of heat exchang19 ers; and 

20 ‘‘(E) advanced power conversion systems 

21 for advanced reactor technologies. 

22 ‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary may 

23 undertake initiatives under this subsection only when 

24 the goals are relevant and proper to enhance the 

25 performance of technologies developed under sub26 section (c). Not more than $10,000,000 of funds auVerDate Mar 15 2010 00:16 Dec 02, 2010 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5866.RFS H5866

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1 thorized for this section may be used for carrying 

2 out this subsection.’’. 

3 SEC. 8. FUEL CYCLE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. 

4 (a) AMENDMENTS.—Section 953 of the Energy Pol5 icy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16273) is amended— 

6 (1) in the section heading by striking ‘‘AD7 VANCED FUEL CYCLE INITIATIVE’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘FUEL CYCLE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT’’; 

9 (2) by striking subsection (a); 

10 (3) by redesignating subsections (b) through (d) 

11 as subsections (e) through (g), respectively; and 

12 (4) by inserting before subsection (e), as so re13 designated by paragraph (3) of this subsection, the 

14 following new subsections: 

15 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct a 

16 fuel cycle research, development, demonstration, and com17 mercial application program (referred to in this section as 

18 the ‘program’) on fuel cycle options that improve uranium 

19 resource utilization, maximize energy generation, minimize 

20 nuclear waste creation, improve safety, mitigate risk of 

21 proliferation, and improve waste management in support 

22 of a national strategy for spent nuclear fuel and the reac23 tor concepts research, development, demonstration, and 

24 commercial application program under section 952(c). 


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1 ‘‘(b) FUEL CYCLE OPTIONS.—Under this section the 

2 Secretary may consider implementing the following initia3 tives: 

4 ‘‘(1) OPEN CYCLE.—Developing fuels, including 

5 the use of nonuranium materials, for use in reactors 

6 that increase energy generation and minimize the 

7 amount of nuclear waste produced in an open fuel 

8 cycle. 

9 ‘‘(2) MODIFIED OPEN CYCLE.—Developing fuel 

10 forms, reactors, and limited separation and trans11 mutation methods that increase fuel utilization and 

12 reduce nuclear waste in a modified open fuel cycle. 

13 ‘‘(3) FULL RECYCLE.—Developing advanced re14 cycling technologies, including Generation IV Reac15 tors, to reduce the risk of proliferation, radiotoxicity, 

16 mass, and decay heat to the greatest extent possible. 

17 ‘‘(4) ADVANCED STORAGE METHODS.—Devel18 oping advanced storage technologies for both onsite 

19 and long-term storage that substantially prolong the 

20 effective life of current storage devices or that sub21 stantially improve upon existing nuclear waste stor22 age technologies and methods, including repositories. 

23 ‘‘(5) ALTERNATIVE AND DEEP BOREHOLE

24 STORAGE METHODS.—Developing alternative storage 

25 methods for long-term storage, including deep 


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1 boreholes into stable crystalline rock formations and 

2 mined repositories in a range of geologic media. 

3 ‘‘(6) OTHER TECHNOLOGIES.—Developing any 

4 other technology or initiative that the Secretary de5 termines is likely to advance the objectives of the 

6 program established under subsection (a). 

7 ‘‘(c) ADDITIONAL ADVANCED RECYCLING AND

8 CROSSCUTTING ACTIVITIES.—In addition to and in sup9 port of the specific initiatives described in paragraphs (1) 

10 through (6), the Secretary may support the following ac11 tivities: 

12 ‘‘(1) Development and testing of integrated 

13 process flow sheets for advanced nuclear fuel recy14 cling processes. 

15 ‘‘(2) Research to characterize the byproducts 

16 and waste streams resulting from fuel recycling 

17 processes. 

18 ‘‘(3) Research and development on reactor con19 cepts or transmutation technologies that improve re20 source utilization or reduce the radiotoxicity of waste 

21 streams. 

22 ‘‘(4) Research and development on waste treat23 ment processes and separations technologies, ad24 vanced waste forms, and quantification of prolifera25 tion risks. 


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1 ‘‘(5) Identification and evaluation of test and 

2 experimental facilities necessary to successfully im3 plement the advanced fuel cycle initiative. 

4 ‘‘(6) Advancement of fuel cycle-related modeling 

5 and simulation capabilities. 

6 ‘‘(d) BLUE RIBBON COMMISSION REPORT.— 

7 ‘‘(1) In carrying out this section, the Secretary 

8 shall give consideration to the final report on a long9 term nuclear waste solution produced by the Blue 

10 Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future. 

11 ‘‘(2) Not later than 180 days after the release 

12 of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nu13 clear Future final report, the Secretary shall trans14 mit to Congress a report, which shall include— 

15 ‘‘(A) any plans the Department may have 

16 to incorporate any relevant recommendations 

17 from this report into the program; and 

18 ‘‘(B) how those recommendations for long19 term nuclear waste solutions that will be incor20 porated into the plan compare with plans for a 

21 long-term nuclear waste solution of a repository 

22 at Yucca Mountain, that may or may not be in23 corporated into the plan, with regard to the 

24 safety, security, legal, cost, and technological 

25 and site readiness factors associated with any 


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1 recommendations related to final disposition 

2 pathways for spent nuclear fuel and high-level 

3 radioactive waste to the same factors associated 

4 with permanent deep geological disposal at the 

5 Yucca Mountain waste repository. 

6 ‘‘(3) The analysis described in paragraph 

7 (2)(B) shall be conducted using scientific and tech8 nical materials and information used to support pol9 icy actions related to the Yucca Mountain project.’’. 

10 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The item relating 

11 to section 953 in the table of contents of the Energy Policy 

12 Act of 2005 is amended to read as follows: 

‘‘Sec. 953. Fuel cycle research and development.’’. 

13 SEC. 9. NUCLEAR ENERGY ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES PRO14 GRAM. 

15 (a) AMENDMENT.—Subtitle E of title IX of the En16 ergy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16271 et seq.) is 

17 amended by adding at the following new section: 

18 ‘‘SEC. 958. NUCLEAR ENERGY ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES. 

19 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct a 

20 program to support the integration of activities under21 taken through the reactor concepts research, development, 

22 demonstration, and commercial application program under 

23 section 952(c) and the fuel cycle research and development 

24 program under section 953, and support crosscutting nu25 clear energy concepts. Activities commenced under this 


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1 section shall be concentrated on broadly applicable re2 search and development focus areas. 

3 ‘‘(b) ACTIVITIES.—Activities conducted under this 

4 section may include research involving— 

5 ‘‘(1) advanced reactor materials; 

6 ‘‘(2) advanced radiation mitigation methods; 

7 ‘‘(3) advanced proliferation and security risk 

8 assessment methods; 

9 ‘‘(4) advanced sensors and instrumentation; 

10 ‘‘(5) advanced nuclear manufacturing methods; 

11 or 

12 ‘‘(6) any crosscutting technology or trans13 formative concept aimed at establishing substantial 

14 and revolutionary enhancements in the performance 

15 of future nuclear energy systems that the Secretary 

16 considers relevant and appropriate to the purpose of 

17 this section. 

18 ‘‘(c) REPORT.—The Secretary shall submit, as part 

19 of the annual budget submission of the Department, a re20 port on the activities of the program conducted under this 

21 section, which shall include a brief evaluation of each ac22 tivity’s progress.’’. 

23 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of con24 tents of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 is amended by 


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1 adding at the end of the items for subtitle E of title IX 

2 the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 958. Nuclear energy enabling technologies.’’. 

3 SEC. 10. EMERGENCY RISK ASSESSMENT AND PREPARED4 NESS REPORT. 

5 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

6 of this Act, the Secretary shall transmit to the Congress 

7 a report summarizing quantitative risks associated with 

8 the potential of a severe accident arising from the use of 

9 civilian nuclear energy technology, including reactor tech10 nology deployed or likely to be deployed as of the date 

11 of enactment of this Act, and outlining the technologies 

12 currently available to mitigate the consequences of such 

13 an accident. The report shall include recommendations of 

14 areas of technological development that should be pursued 

15 to reduce the potential public harm arising from such an 

16 incident. 

17 SEC. 11. NEXT GENERATION NUCLEAR PLANT. 

18 (a) PROTOTYPE PLANT LOCATION.—Section 

19 642(b)(3) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 

20 16022(b)(3)) is amended to read as follows: 

21 ‘‘(3) PROTOTYPE PLANT LOCATION.—The pro22 totype nuclear reactor and associated plant shall be 

23 constructed at a location determined by the consor24 tium through an open and transparent competitive 

25 selection process.’’. 


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1 (b) REPORT.— 

2 (1) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 1 year 

3 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comp4 troller General shall transmit to the Congress a re5 port providing a status update of the Next Genera6 tion Nuclear Plant program that provides analysis 

7 of— 

8 (A) its progress; 

9 (B) how Federal funds appropriated for 

10 the project have been distributed and spent; 

11 and 

12 (C) the current and expected participation 

13 by non-Federal entities. 

14 (2) CONTENTS.—The report shall include— 

15 (A) an analysis of the proposed facility’s 

16 technical capabilities and remaining techno17 logical development challenges, and a cost esti18 mate and construction schedule; 

19 (B) an assessment of the advantages and 

20 disadvantages of funding a pilot-scale research 

21 reactor project in lieu of a full-scale commercial 

22 power reactor; 

23 (C) an assessment of alternative construc24 tion sites proposed by private industry; 


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1 (D) an assessment of the extent to which 

2 the Department of Energy is working with in3 dustry and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

4 to ensure that the Next Generation Nuclear 

5 Plant program meets industry expectations for 

6 long-term application of technologies and ad7 dresses potential licensing procedures for de8 ployment; 

9 (E) an assessment of the known or antici10 pated challenges to securing private non-Fed11 eral cost share funds and any measures to over12 come these challenges, including any alternative 

13 funding approaches such as front loading the 

14 Federal share; 

15 (F) an assessment of project risks, includ16 ing those related to— 

17 (i) project scope, schedule, and re18 sources; 

19 (ii) the formation of partnerships or 

20 agreements between the Department and 

21 the private sector necessary for the 

22 project’s success; and 

23 (iii) the Department’s capabilities to 

24 identify and manage such risks; and 


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1 (G) an assessment of what is known about 

2 the potential impact of natural gas and other 

3 fossil fuel prices on private entity participation 

4 in the project. 

5 SEC. 12. TECHNICAL STANDARDS COLLABORATION. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the National In7 stitute of Standards and Technology shall establish a nu8 clear energy standards committee (in this section referred 

9 to as the ‘‘technical standards committee’’) to facilitate 

10 and support, consistent with the National Technology 

11 Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995, the development 

12 or revision of technical standards for new and existing nu13 clear power plants and advanced nuclear technologies. 

14 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The technical standards 

16 committee shall include representatives from appro17 priate Federal agencies and the private sector, and 

18 be open to materially affected organizations involved 

19 in the development or application of nuclear energy20 related standards. 

21 (2) CO-CHAIRS.—The technical standards com22 mittee shall be co-chaired by a representative from 

23 the National Institute of Standards and Technology 

24 and a representative from a private sector standards 

25 organization. 


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1 (c) DUTIES.—The technical standards committee 

2 shall, in cooperation with appropriate Federal agencies— 

3 (1) perform a needs assessment to identify and 

4 evaluate the technical standards that are needed to 

5 support nuclear energy, including those needed to 

6 support new and existing nuclear power plants and 

7 advanced nuclear technologies; 

8 (2) formulate, coordinate, and recommend pri9 orities for the development of new technical stand10 ards and the revision of existing technical standards 

11 to address the needs identified under paragraph (1); 

12 (3) facilitate and support collaboration and co13 operation among standards developers to address the 

14 needs and priorities identified under paragraphs (1) 

15 and (2); 

16 (4) as appropriate, coordinate with other na17 tional, regional, or international efforts on nuclear 

18 energy-related technical standards in order to avoid 

19 conflict and duplication and to ensure global com20 patibility; and 

21 (5) promote the establishment and maintenance 

22 of a database of nuclear energy-related technical 

23 standards. 

24 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

25 are authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 for each of 


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1 fiscal years 2011 through 2013 to the Director of the Na2 tional Institute for Standards and Technology for activi3 ties under this section. 

4 SEC. 13. EVALUATION OF LONG-TERM OPERATING NEEDS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Energy shall 

6 enter into an arrangement with the National Academies 

7 to conduct an evaluation of the scientific and technological 

8 challenges to the long-term maintenance and safe oper9 ation of currently deployed nuclear power reactors up to 

10 and beyond the specified design-life of reactor systems. 

11 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

12 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall transmit to 

13 the Congress, and make publically available, the results 

14 of the evaluation undertaken by the Academies pursuant 

15 to subsection (a). 

16 SEC. 14. AVAILABLE FACILITIES DATABASE. 

17 The Secretary of Energy shall prepare a database of 

18 non-Federal user facilities receiving Federal funds that 

19 may be used for unclassified nuclear energy research.

20 The Secretary shall make this database accessible on the 

21 Department of Energy’s website. 

22 SEC. 15. NUCLEAR WASTE DISPOSAL. 

23 To the extent consistent with the requirements of 

24 current law, the Department of Energy shall be respon25 sible for disposal of high-level radioactive waste or spent 


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1 nuclear fuel generated by reactors under the programs au2 thorized in this Act, or the amendments made by this Act. 

Passed the House of Representatives November 30, 

2010. 

Attest: LORRAINE C. MILLER, 

Clerk. 


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