II 

Calendar No. 353 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2368 

To amend the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 and the Energy Policy Act 

of 2005 to support licensing and relicensing of certain nuclear facilities 

and nuclear energy research, demonstration, and development, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 31, 2019 

Mr. COONS (for himself and Ms. MCSALLY) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

DECEMBER 17, 2019 

Reported by Ms. MURKOWSKI, with an amendment and an amendment to the 

title 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To amend the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 and the Energy 

Policy Act of 2005 to support licensing and relicensing 

of certain nuclear facilities and nuclear energy research, 

demonstration, and development, and for other purposes. 

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


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Nuclear Energy Re3 newal Act of 2019’’. 

4 SEC. 2. LIGHT WATER REACTOR SUSTAINABILITY PRO5 GRAM. 

6 Section 621 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Public 

7 Law 109–58; 119 Stat. 782) is amended— 

8 (1) by striking ‘‘Section’’ and inserting the fol9 lowing: 

10 ‘‘(a) AMENDMENT TO ATOMIC ENERGY ACT OF

11 1954.—Section’’; and 

12 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(b) LIGHT WATER REACTOR SUSTAINABILITY PRO14 GRAM.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 

16 provision of law, the Secretary shall expand the light 

17 water reactor sustainability program of the Depart18 ment, to the maximum extent practicable— 

19 ‘‘(A) to ensure the achievement of max20 imum benefits from existing nuclear generation; 

21 ‘‘(B) to accommodate the increase in appli22 cations for nuclear power plant license renewals 

23 expected as of the date of enactment of this 

24 subsection; 


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1 ‘‘(C) to enable the continued operation of 

2 existing nuclear power plants through tech3 nology development; 

4 ‘‘(D) to improve the performance and re5 duce the operation and maintenance costs of 

6 nuclear power plants; and 

7 ‘‘(E) to promote the use of high-perform8 ance computing to simulate nuclear reactor 

9 processes. 

10 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

11 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec12 retary to carry out the program under this sub13 section $60,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 

14 through 2029.’’. 

15 SEC. 3. INCREASING SUPPORT FOR ADVANCED NUCLEAR 

16 TECHNOLOGIES. 

17 (a) LICENSING BY NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMIS18 SION.—Section 103 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 

19 U.S.C. 2133) is amended— 

20 (1) in subsection d., in the second sentence, by 

21 striking ‘‘any any’’ and inserting ‘‘any’’; and 

22 (2) by inserting after subsection d. the fol23 lowing: 

24 ‘‘e. ADVANCED NUCLEAR FACILITIES AND TECH25 NOLOGIES.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION OF ADVANCED NUCLEAR.— 

2 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In this subsection, the 

3 term ‘advanced nuclear’ means, with respect to 

4 a production facility, utilization facility, or tech5 nology, the use of a nuclear fission reactor, in6 cluding a prototype plant (as defined in section 

7 50.2 of title 10, Code of Federal Regulations 

8 (or successor regulations)), that represents sig9 nificant improvements compared to the most re10 cent generation of nuclear fission reactors, in11 cluding improvements such as— 

12 ‘‘(i) additional inherent safety fea13 tures; 

14 ‘‘(ii) lower waste yields; 

15 ‘‘(iii) improved fuel performance; 

16 ‘‘(iv) increased tolerance to loss of 

17 fuel cooling; 

18 ‘‘(v) enhanced reliability; 

19 ‘‘(vi) increased proliferation resist20 ance; 

21 ‘‘(vii) increased thermal efficiency; 

22 ‘‘(viii) reduced consumption of cooling 

23 water; 


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1 ‘‘(ix) the ability to integrate into elec2 tric applications and nonelectric applica3 tions; 

4 ‘‘(x) modular sizes to allow for deploy5 ment that corresponds with the demand 

6 for electricity; and 

7 ‘‘(xi) operational flexibility to respond 

8 to changes in demand for electricity and to 

9 complement integration with intermittent 

10 renewable energy. 

11 ‘‘(B) INCLUSION.—In this subsection, the 

12 term ‘advanced nuclear’ includes, with respect 

13 to a production facility, utilization facility, or 

14 technology, the use of a nuclear fusion reactor. 

15 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—The Sec16 retary of Energy, in coordination with the Commis17 sion, shall establish and carry out a program— 

18 ‘‘(A) to develop certification and licensing 

19 criteria with respect to advanced nuclear pro20 duction facilities and utilization facilities, in21 cluding for international licensing harmoni22 zation; 

23 ‘‘(B) to provide assistance to eligible appli24 cants with respect to the certification and liVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:36 Dec 18, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2368.RS S2368

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1 censing of advanced nuclear production facili2 ties and utilization facilities; and 

3 ‘‘(C) to establish such procedures as the 

4 Secretary of Energy and the Commission deter5 mine to be appropriate for general public out6 reach relating to advanced nuclear technologies, 

7 production facilities, and utilization facilities. 

8 ‘‘(3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

9 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

10 the program under this subsection $15,000,000 for 

11 the period of fiscal years 2020 through 2029.’’. 

12 SEC. 4. NUCLEAR ENERGY RESEARCH, DEMONSTRATION, 

13 AND DEVELOPMENT. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 952 of the Energy Policy 

15 Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16272) is amended by adding at 

16 the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(e) ADVANCED REACTOR TECHNOLOGIES DEVEL18 OPMENT PROGRAM.— 

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

20 out a program under which the Secretary shall con21 duct research relating to the development of innova22 tive nuclear reactor technologies that may offer im23 proved safety, functionality, and affordability by en24 hancing existing nuclear technologies. 


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1 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—The program under this 

2 subsection shall— 

3 ‘‘(A) support efforts to reduce long-term 

4 technical barriers for advanced nuclear energy 

5 systems; 

6 ‘‘(B) identify potential regulatory issues 

7 relating to advanced nuclear reactors; 

8 ‘‘(C) be carried out in consultation with 

9 the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to ensure 

10 identification of any relevant concerns; 

11 ‘‘(D) support international activities car12 ried out pursuant to— 

13 ‘‘(i) the Generation IV International 

14 Forum; or 

15 ‘‘(ii) any other international collabo16 rative effort with respect to advanced nu17 clear reactor operations and safety; 

18 ‘‘(E) support research and development re19 lating to enhancing the proliferation resistance 

20 of nuclear technologies; and 

21 ‘‘(F) support research and development 

22 projects carried out by National Laboratories, 

23 institutions of higher education, and other in24 dustry entities relating to nuclear technology, 

25 including the development of— 


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1 ‘‘(i) codes and standards; 

2 ‘‘(ii) sensors and instrumentation; 

3 ‘‘(iii) probabilistic risk assessments 

4 methods; and 

5 ‘‘(iv) other technologies to support the 

6 development of advanced nuclear reactor 

7 systems. 

8 ‘‘(3) AREAS OF FOCUS AND INCLUSIONS.—The 

9 program under this subsection shall— 

10 ‘‘(A) focus on research and development 

11 activities relating to— 

12 ‘‘(i) fast reactors; 

13 ‘‘(ii) high-temperature, gas-cooled nu14 clear reactors; and 

15 ‘‘(iii) molten salt reactors; and 

16 ‘‘(B) with respect to the activities de17 scribed in clauses (ii) and (iii) of subparagraph 

18 (A), include research and development relating 

19 to advanced fuels. 

20 ‘‘(4) SUPERCRITICAL TRANSFORMATIONAL

21 ELECTRIC POWER RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.— 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the 

23 program under this subsection, the Secretary 

24 shall develop and implement a public-private 

25 cost-shared supercritical carbon dioxide (comVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:36 Dec 18, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2368.RS S2368

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1 monly known as ‘sCO2’) Brayton cycle subpro2 gram, including research and development of 

3 supercritical carbon dioxide technologies. 

4 ‘‘(B) REQUIREMENT.—In carrying out the 

5 subprogram under this paragraph, the Sec6 retary shall solicit and evaluate plans to encour7 age innovation, support technology advances, 

8 and enhance the safety and performance of ad9 vanced nuclear reactor systems. 

10 ‘‘(C) TECHNICAL REVIEW PANEL.—The 

11 Secretary shall establish a technical review 

12 panel for the subprogram under this paragraph, 

13 which shall carry out consultation and collabo14 ration with appropriate industry entities— 

15 ‘‘(i) to evaluate advanced nuclear re16 actor technologies; 

17 ‘‘(ii) to identify research and develop18 ment opportunities; and 

19 ‘‘(iii) to publish information regarding 

20 cost-shared research and development in21 vestment decisions to facilitate commer22 cialization. 

23 ‘‘(5) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

24 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec25 retary to carry out the program under this subVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:36 Dec 18, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2368.RS S2368

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1 section $120,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 

2 through 2029. 

3 ‘‘(f) FUEL CYCLE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

4 PROGRAM.— 

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

6 out a program under which the Secretary shall con7 duct research relating to— 

8 ‘‘(A) consent-based interim storage; 

9 ‘‘(B) transportation of nuclear waste; 

10 ‘‘(C) potential alternative disposal options 

11 for Department-managed— 

12 ‘‘(i) spent nuclear fuel; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) high-level radioactive waste; and 

14 ‘‘(D) disposition alternatives for defense15 related nuclear waste. 

16 ‘‘(2) AREAS OF FOCUS.—In carrying out this 

17 subsection, the Secretary shall focus on activities re18 lating to— 

19 ‘‘(A) relevant research and development; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(B) integrated waste management, includ22 ing by conducting research and development ac23 tivities relating to the storage, transportation, 

24 and disposal of used nuclear fuel and wastes 

25 generated by existing and future fuel cycles. 


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1 ‘‘(3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

2 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec3 retary to carry out the program under this sub4 section $200,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 

5 through 2029. 

6 ‘‘(g) MATERIAL RECOVERY AND WASTE FORM DE7 VELOPMENT.— 

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

9 out a program under which the Secretary shall— 

10 ‘‘(A) conduct research relating to advanced 

11 nuclear material recovery and advanced nuclear 

12 waste from development technologies to improve 

13 fuel cycle performance with reductions in proc14 essing, waste generation, and potential for ma15 terial diversion; and 

16 ‘‘(B) to the maximum extent practicable, 

17 apply the technical expertise achieved through 

18 that research to a broad range of programs and 

19 activities, including activities relating to— 

20 ‘‘(i) environmental remediation; 

21 ‘‘(ii) national security; and 

22 ‘‘(iii) subject to paragraph (2), civilian 

23 nuclear applications. 

24 ‘‘(2) CIVILIAN NUCLEAR APPLICATIONS.—Any 

25 research carried out under this subsection relating 


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1 to civilian nuclear applications shall include research 

2 relating to improving the economics and non3 proliferation attributes of recycling light water reac4 tor fuels and advanced reactor fuels. 

5 ‘‘(3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

6 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec7 retary to carry out the program under this sub8 section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 

9 through 2029. 

10 ‘‘(h) ADVANCED FUELS.— 

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

12 out a program under which the Secretary shall con13 duct research relating to— 

14 ‘‘(A) next-generation light water reactor 

15 fuels that demonstrate enhanced— 

16 ‘‘(i) performance; and 

17 ‘‘(ii) accident tolerance; and 

18 ‘‘(B) fuels that demonstrate enhanced— 

19 ‘‘(i) proliferation resistance; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) use of resources. 

21 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out the pro22 gram under this subsection, the Secretary shall— 

23 ‘‘(A) focus on the development of accident24 tolerant fuel and cladding concepts that are caVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:36 Dec 18, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2368.RS S2368

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1 pable of achieving the objective of initiating 

2 core reloads by calendar year 2025; 

3 ‘‘(B)(i) develop modeling capabilities for 

4 new fuel concepts; 

5 ‘‘(ii) conduct studies regarding the means 

6 by which those concepts would impact reactor 

7 economics, the fuel cycle, operations, safety, 

8 and the environment; and 

9 ‘‘(iii) subject to paragraph (3), publish the 

10 studies conducted under clause (ii); and 

11 ‘‘(C) cooperate with institutions of higher 

12 education through the Nuclear Energy Univer13 sity and Integrated Research Projects programs 

14 of the Department. 

15 ‘‘(3) SENSITIVE INFORMATION.—The Secretary 

16 shall not publish any information under paragraph 

17 (2)(B)(iii) that is detrimental to national security, 

18 as determined by the Secretary. 

19 ‘‘(4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

20 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec21 retary to carry out the program under this sub22 section $120,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 

23 through 2029. 

24 ‘‘(i) NUCLEAR ENERGY ENABLING TECH25 NOLOGIES.— 


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

2 out a program under which the Secretary shall— 

3 ‘‘(A) conduct research relating to modeling 

4 and simulation tools; 

5 ‘‘(B) provide access to unique nuclear en6 ergy research capabilities through the Nuclear 

7 Science User Facilities of the Department; and 

8 ‘‘(C) address workforce needs in critical, 

9 focused nuclear energy-related fields. 

10 ‘‘(2) SUPPORT FOR NUCLEAR INITIATIVES.— 

11 The program under this subsection shall support the 

12 goals, objectives, and activities of the National Reac13 tor Innovation Center and the Gateway for Acceler14 ated Innovation in Nuclear initiative of the Depart15 ment to make nuclear energy research capabilities 

16 accessible to industry engineers and scientists 

17 through a public-private partnership. 

18 ‘‘(3) CROSSCUTTING TECHNOLOGY DEVELOP19 MENT SUBPROGRAM.— 

20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the 

21 program under this subsection, the Secretary 

22 shall establish a crosscutting technology subpro23 gram, under which the Secretary shall provide 

24 assistance for high-priority research and devel25 opment activities relating to innovative soluVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:36 Dec 18, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2368.RS S2368

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1 tions to nuclear energy challenges carried out 

2 by— 

3 ‘‘(i) institutions of higher education; 

4 ‘‘(ii) National Laboratories; and 

5 ‘‘(iii) industry entities. 

6 ‘‘(B) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out 

7 the subprogram established under subparagraph 

8 (A), the Secretary shall— 

9 ‘‘(i) invest in competitive, nuclear en10 ergy-related infrastructure enhancement 

11 activities carried out at National Labora12 tories to ensure researchers have access to 

13 state-of-the-art research and development 

14 resources; 

15 ‘‘(ii) coordinate with other research 

16 and development programs of the Office of 

17 Nuclear Energy to ensure that developed 

18 technologies and capabilities are part of an 

19 integrated investment strategy, the overall 

20 focus of which is improving safety, secu21 rity, reliability, and economics of operating 

22 nuclear power plants; and 

23 ‘‘(iii) focus on— 


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1 ‘‘(I) new capabilities relating to 

2 nuclear energy research and develop3 ment; 

4 ‘‘(II) enabling technologies be5 yond individual programs; 

6 ‘‘(III) coordinating capabilities 

7 among research and development pro8 grams of the Office of Nuclear En9 ergy; 

10 ‘‘(IV) examining new classes of 

11 materials not considered for nuclear 

12 applications; 

13 ‘‘(V) high-risk research, which 

14 could potentially overcome techno15 logical limitations; and 

16 ‘‘(VI) the potential for industry 

17 partnerships to develop technologies 

18 relating to storage, hydrogen produc19 tion, high-temperature process heat, 

20 and other relevant areas. 

21 ‘‘(4) NUCLEAR ENERGY ADVANCED MODELING

22 AND SIMULATION SUBPROGRAM.—In carrying out 

23 the program under this subsection, the Secretary 

24 shall establish a nuclear energy advanced modeling 

25 and simulation subprogram, under which the SecVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:36 Dec 18, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2368.RS S2368

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1 retary shall develop advanced modeling and simula2 tion tools to support programs carried out by the 

3 Office of Nuclear Energy, including multiscale mod4 els of physics and chemistry that support advanced 

5 computational methods for simulations of nuclear 

6 energy systems. 

7 ‘‘(5) NUCLEAR SCIENCE USER FACILITIES SUB8 PROGRAM.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the 

10 program under this subsection, the Secretary 

11 shall establish a Nuclear Science User Facilities 

12 subprogram under which the Secretary shall 

13 provide assistance— 

14 ‘‘(i) to promote the use of nuclear re15 search facilities; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) to encourage engagement across 

17 institutions of higher education, industry 

18 entities, and National Laboratories relat19 ing to relevant nuclear science research. 

20 ‘‘(B) REQUIREMENTS.— 

21 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary 

22 shall provide assistance under this para23 graph, and solicit applications under clause 

24 (ii), on an annual basis. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible 

2 to receive assistance under this paragraph 

3 for a fiscal year, an individual or entity 

4 conducting nuclear research shall submit 

5 to the Secretary an application that de6 scribes— 

7 ‘‘(I) the research project pro8 posed to be carried out at a nuclear 

9 research facility; 

10 ‘‘(II) timelines for the proposed 

11 research; and 

12 ‘‘(III) the Nuclear Science User 

13 Facility at which the project is pro14 posed to be carried out. 

15 ‘‘(iii) USE OF FUNDS.—Assistance 

16 provided under this paragraph may be 

17 used— 

18 ‘‘(I) for experiment support and 

19 laboratory services costs; and 

20 ‘‘(II) only at a Nuclear Science 

21 User Facility. 

22 ‘‘(C) ACCESS.—In carrying out the subpro23 gram under this paragraph, the Secretary shall 

24 provide to recipients of assistance under the 

25 subprogram no-cost access to— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the advanced test reactor of the 

2 Idaho National Laboratory; 

3 ‘‘(ii) post-irradiation examination fa4 cilities at the Materials and Fuels Com5 plex; 

6 ‘‘(iii) research reactors at— 

7 ‘‘(I) Oak Ridge National Labora8 tory; 

9 ‘‘(II) Massachusetts Institute of 

10 Technology; and 

11 ‘‘(III) North Carolina State Uni12 versity; 

13 ‘‘(iv) beam line capabilities at the Ad14 vanced Photon Source, in coordination 

15 with the Illinois Institute of Technology; 

16 ‘‘(v) irradiation experiment design and 

17 fabrication capabilities at Pacific North18 west National Laboratory; 

19 ‘‘(vi) hot cells and fabrication capa20 bilities at Westinghouse Electric Company; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(vii) examination facilities at— 

23 ‘‘(I) the University of California– 

24 Berkeley; 

25 ‘‘(II) the University of Michigan; 


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1 ‘‘(III) the University of Nevada– 

2 Las Vegas; 

3 ‘‘(IV) Purdue University; 

4 ‘‘(V) the University at Wisconsin; 

5 and 

6 ‘‘(VI) to the maximum extent 

7 practicable, any other facilities needed 

8 to support the Nuclear Science User 

9 Facility. 

10 ‘‘(6) NUCLEAR ENERGY TRAINEESHIPS SUBPRO11 GRAM.— 

12 ‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT.—In carrying out 

13 the program under this subsection, the Sec14 retary shall establish a nuclear energy 

15 traineeships subprogram under which the Sec16 retary shall establish competitively awarded 

17 traineeships and apprenticeships in industries 

18 that are represented by skilled labor unions and 

19 with institutions of higher education to provide 

20 focused, graduate-level training to meet highly 

21 focused needs through a tailored academic 

22 graduate program that delivers a curriculum 

23 with a rigorous thesis or dissertation research 

24 requirement aligned with the critical needs of 


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1 the Department with respect to mission-driven 

2 workforce. 

3 ‘‘(B) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out 

4 the subprogram under this paragraph, the Sec5 retary shall— 

6 ‘‘(i) encourage appropriate partner7 ships among National Laboratories, af8 fected institutions of higher education, and 

9 industry; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) on an annual basis, evaluate the 

11 needs of the nuclear energy community to 

12 implement traineeships for focused topical 

13 areas addressing mission-specific workforce 

14 needs. 

15 ‘‘(7) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

16 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec17 retary to carry out the program under this sub18 section $150,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 

19 through 2029. 

20 ‘‘(j) RADIOLOGICAL FACILITIES MANAGEMENT.— 

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

22 out a program under which the Secretary shall pro23 vide project management, technical support, quality 

24 engineering and inspection, and nuclear material 


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1 support to 25 research reactors located at 24 insti2 tutions of higher education. 

3 ‘‘(2) ELEMENTS.—The program under this sub4 section shall include— 

5 ‘‘(A) delivery of plate fuel elements as re6 quired annually by the recipient research reac7 tors, as determined based on— 

8 ‘‘(i) need; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) fuel availability; 

10 ‘‘(B) delivery of Training, Research, Iso11 topes, General Atomics (commonly known as 

12 ‘TRIGA’) reactor fuel elements from recipient 

13 institutions of higher education to used fuel re14 ceipt facilities of the Department; and 

15 ‘‘(C) funding for required safety upgrades 

16 to allow resumption of research reactor fuel 

17 fabrication operations at TRIGA International 

18 in Romans, France. 

19 ‘‘(3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

20 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec21 retary to carry out the program under this sub22 section $30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 

23 through 2029. 

24 ‘‘(k) INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR ENERGY COOPERA25 TION.— 


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

2 out a program under which the Secretary shall de3 velop bilateral collaboration initiatives with a variety 

4 of countries through— 

5 ‘‘(A) research and development agree6 ments; 

7 ‘‘(B) other relevant arrangements and ac8 tion plan updates; and 

9 ‘‘(C) maintaining existing multilateral co10 operation commitments of— 

11 ‘‘(i) the International Framework for 

12 Nuclear Energy Cooperation; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) the International Atomic Energy 

14 Agency. 

15 ‘‘(2) TREATMENT.—The program under this 

16 subsection shall be considered to be the lead pro17 gram of the Department with respect to inter18 national activities relating to civil nuclear energy, in19 cluding— 

20 ‘‘(A) analysis, development, coordination, 

21 and implementation of international civil nu22 clear energy policy; and 

23 ‘‘(B) integration of international nuclear 

24 technical activities. 


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1 ‘‘(3) SUBPROGRAM.—In carrying out the pro2 gram under this subsection, the Secretary shall es3 tablish a subprogram that shall— 

4 ‘‘(A) support diplomatic, nonproliferation, 

5 climate, and international economic objectives 

6 for the safe, secure, and peaceful use of nuclear 

7 technology in countries developing nuclear en8 ergy programs; and 

9 ‘‘(B) shall be modeled after the Inter10 national Military Education and Training pro11 gram of the Department of State. 

12 ‘‘(4) REQUIREMENTS.—The program under this 

13 subsection shall be carried out— 

14 ‘‘(A) to facilitate, to the maximum extent 

15 practicable, workshops and expert-based ex16 changes to engage industry, stakeholders, and 

17 foreign governments regarding international 

18 civil nuclear issues, such as training, financing, 

19 safety, and options for multinational coopera20 tion on used nuclear fuel disposal; and 

21 ‘‘(B) in coordination with— 

22 ‘‘(i) the National Security Council; 

23 ‘‘(ii) the Secretary of State; 

24 ‘‘(iii) the Secretary of Commerce; and 


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1 ‘‘(iv) the Nuclear Regulatory Commis2 sion. 

3 ‘‘(5) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

4 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec5 retary to carry out the program under this sub6 section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 

7 through 2029, of which $5,500,000 shall be used 

8 each fiscal year to carry out the subprogram under 

9 paragraph (3).’’. 

10 (b) COST SHARING.—Section 988(b)(2) of the En11 ergy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16352(b)(2)) is 

12 amended— 

13 (1) in the paragraph heading, by striking ‘‘EX14 CLUSION’’ and inserting ‘‘EXCLUSIONS’’; 

15 (2) by striking ‘‘apply to’’ and inserting the fol16 lowing: ‘‘apply— 

17 ‘‘(A) to’’; 

18 (3) in subparagraph (A) (as so designated), by 

19 striking the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; 

20 and 

21 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(B) to programs under subsections (e) 

23 through (k) of section 952.’’. 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Nuclear Energy Renewal 

3 Act of 2019’’. 

4 SEC. 2. LIGHT WATER REACTOR SUSTAINABILITY PRO5 GRAM. 

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

7 U.S.C. 16272) is amended by striking subsection (b) and 

8 inserting the following: 

9 ‘‘(b) LIGHT WATER REACTOR SUSTAINABILITY PRO10 GRAM.—The Secretary shall carry out a light water reactor 

11 sustainability program— 

12 ‘‘(1) to ensure the achievement of maximum ben13 efits from existing nuclear generation; 

14 ‘‘(2) to accommodate the increase in applications 

15 for nuclear power plant license renewals expected as 

16 of the date of enactment of this subsection; 

17 ‘‘(3) to enable the continued operation of existing 

18 nuclear power plants through technology development; 

19 ‘‘(4) to improve the performance and reduce the 

20 operation and maintenance costs of nuclear power 

21 plants; 

22 ‘‘(5) to promote the use of high-performance com23 puting to simulate nuclear reactor processes; 

24 ‘‘(6) to coordinate with other research and devel25 opment programs of the Office of Nuclear Energy to 

26 ensure that developed technologies and capabilities are 


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1 part of an integrated investment strategy, the overall 

2 focus of which is improving the safety, security, reli3 ability, and economics of operating nuclear power 

4 plants; and 

5 ‘‘(7) to focus on— 

6 ‘‘(A) new capabilities relating to nuclear 

7 energy research and development; 

8 ‘‘(B) enabling technologies beyond indi9 vidual programs; 

10 ‘‘(C) coordinating capabilities among the 

11 research and development programs of the Office 

12 of Nuclear Energy; 

13 ‘‘(D) examining new classes of materials 

14 not considered for nuclear applications; 

15 ‘‘(E) high-risk research, which could poten16 tially overcome technological limitations; and 

17 ‘‘(F) the potential for industry partnerships 

18 to develop technologies relating to storage, hydro19 gen production, high-temperature process heat, 

20 and other relevant areas.’’. 

21 SEC. 3. NUCLEAR ENERGY RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND 

22 DEMONSTRATION. 

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

24 U.S.C. 16272) is amended by adding at the end the fol25 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(e) ADVANCED REACTOR TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOP2 MENT PROGRAM.— 

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

4 out a program under which the Secretary shall con5 duct research relating to the development of innova6 tive nuclear reactor technologies that may offer im7 proved safety, functionality, and affordability. 

8 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—The program under this 

9 subsection shall— 

10 ‘‘(A) support efforts to reduce long-term 

11 technical barriers for advanced nuclear energy 

12 systems; and 

13 ‘‘(B) be carried out in consultation with the 

14 Nuclear Regulatory Commission to ensure iden15 tification of any relevant concerns.’’. 

16 SEC. 4. ADVANCED FUELS DEVELOPMENT. 

17 Section 953 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 

18 U.S.C. 16273) is amended— 

19 (1) by redesignating subsections (a) through (d) 

20 as paragraphs (1), (3), (4), and (5), respectively, and 

21 indenting appropriately; 

22 (2) in paragraph (1) (as so redesignated)— 

23 (A) by striking ‘‘this section’’ and inserting 

24 ‘‘this subsection’’; 


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1 (B) by striking ‘‘minimize environmental’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘improve fuel cycle performance 

3 while minimizing the cost and complexity of 

4 processing, environmental impacts,’’; and 

5 (C) by striking ‘‘the Generation IV’’; 

6 (3) by inserting after paragraph (1) (as so redes7 ignated) the following: 

8 ‘‘(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In carrying out activi9 ties under the program, the Secretary shall consider 

10 the potential benefits of those activities for civilian 

11 nuclear applications, environmental remediation, and 

12 national security.’’; 

13 (4) by inserting after paragraph (5) (as so redes14 ignated) the following: 

15 ‘‘(6) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

16 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec17 retary to carry out the program $40,000,000 for each 

18 of fiscal years 2020 through 2024.’’; 

19 (5) by inserting before paragraph (1) (as so re20 designated) the following: 

21 ‘‘(a) MATERIAL RECOVERY AND WASTE FORM DEVEL22 OPMENT.—’’; and 

23 (6) by adding at the end the following: 

24 ‘‘(b) ADVANCED FUELS.— 


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

2 out a program to conduct research relating to— 

3 ‘‘(A) next-generation light water reactor 

4 fuels that demonstrate improved— 

5 ‘‘(i) performance; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) accident tolerance; and 

7 ‘‘(B) advanced reactor fuels that dem8 onstrate improved— 

9 ‘‘(i) proliferation resistance; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) use of resources. 

11 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out the pro12 gram under this subsection, the Secretary shall— 

13 ‘‘(A) focus on the development of accident14 tolerant fuel and cladding concepts that are ca15 pable of achieving initial commercialization by 

16 December 31, 2025; 

17 ‘‘(B) conduct studies regarding the means 

18 by which those concepts would impact reactor ec19 onomics, the fuel cycle, operations, safety, and 

20 the environment; 

21 ‘‘(C) subject to paragraph (3), publish the 

22 results of the studies conducted under subpara23 graph (B); and 

24 ‘‘(D) cooperate with institutions of higher 

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1 sity and Integrated Research Projects programs 

2 of the Department. 

3 ‘‘(3) SENSITIVE INFORMATION.—The Secretary 

4 shall not publish any information under paragraph 

5 (2)(C) that is detrimental to national security, as de6 termined by the Secretary. 

7 ‘‘(4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

8 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec9 retary to carry out the program under this subsection 

10 $120,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 

11 2024.’’. 

12 SEC. 5. NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING SUPPORT. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 954 of the Energy Policy 

14 Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16274) is amended— 

15 (1) in the section heading, by striking 

16 ‘‘UNIVERSITY NUCLEAR’’ and inserting 

17 ‘‘NUCLEAR’’; 

18 (2) in subsection (b)— 

19 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

20 by striking ‘‘this section’’ and inserting ‘‘this 

21 subsection’’; and 

22 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (1) 

23 through (5) as subparagraphs (A) through (E), 

24 respectively, and indenting appropriately; 


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1 (3) in subsection (c), by redesignating para2 graphs (1) and (2) as subparagraphs (A) and (B), re3 spectively, and indenting appropriately; 

4 (4) in subsection (d)— 

5 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

6 by striking ‘‘this section’’ and inserting ‘‘this 

7 subsection’’; and 

8 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (1) 

9 through (4) as subparagraphs (A) through (D), 

10 respectively, and indenting appropriately; 

11 (5) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘this section’’ 

12 and inserting ‘‘this subsection’’; 

13 (6) in subsection (f)— 

14 (A) by striking ‘‘this section’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘this subsection’’; and 

16 (B) by striking ‘‘subsection (b)(2)’’ and in17 serting ‘‘paragraph (2)(B)’’; 

18 (7) by redesignating subsections (a) through (f) 

19 as paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (4), (6), and (7), respec20 tively, and indenting appropriately; 

21 (8) by inserting after paragraph (4) (as so redes22 ignated) the following: 

23 ‘‘(5) RADIOLOGICAL FACILITIES MANAGEMENT.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

25 carry out a program under which the Secretary 


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1 shall provide project management, technical sup2 port, quality engineering and inspection, and 

3 nuclear material support to research reactors lo4 cated at universities. 

5 ‘‘(B) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA6 TIONS.—In addition to any amounts appro7 priated to carry out the program under this sub8 section, there is authorized to be appropriated to 

9 the Secretary to carry out the program under 

10 this paragraph $15,000,000 for each of fiscal 

11 years 2020 through 2024.’’; 

12 (9) by inserting before paragraph (1) (as so re13 designated) the following: 

14 ‘‘(a) UNIVERSITY NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ENGINEER15 ING SUPPORT.—’’; and 

16 (10) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(b) NUCLEAR ENERGY APPRENTICESHIP SUBPRO18 GRAM.— 

19 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—In carrying out the pro20 gram under subsection (a), the Secretary shall estab21 lish a nuclear energy apprenticeship subprogram 

22 under which the Secretary shall establish competi23 tively awarded traineeships and apprenticeships in 

24 industries that are represented by skilled labor unions 

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1 level training to meet highly focused needs through a 

2 tailored academic graduate program that delivers a 

3 curriculum with a rigorous thesis or dissertation re4 search requirement aligned with the critical needs of 

5 the Department with respect to mission-driven work6 force. 

7 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out the sub8 program under this subsection, the Secretary shall— 

9 ‘‘(A) encourage appropriate partnerships 

10 among National Laboratories, affected univer11 sities, and industry; and 

12 ‘‘(B) on an annual basis, evaluate the needs 

13 of the nuclear energy community to implement 

14 traineeships for focused topical areas addressing 

15 mission-specific workforce needs. 

16 ‘‘(3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

17 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec18 retary to carry out the subprogram under this sub19 section $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 

20 through 2024.’’. 

21 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

22 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Public Law 109–58; 119 

23 Stat. 600) is amended by striking the item relating to sec24 tion 954 and inserting the following: 

‘‘Sec. 954. Nuclear science and engineering support.’’. 


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1 SEC. 6. INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR ENERGY COOPERATION. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle H of Title IX of the En3 ergy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16341 et seq.) is amend4 ed by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 986B. INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR ENERGY COOPERA6 TION. — 

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

8 program to develop bilateral collaboration initiatives with 

9 a variety of countries through— 

10 ‘‘(1) research and development agreements; 

11 ‘‘(2) other relevant arrangements and action 

12 plan updates; and 

13 ‘‘(3) maintaining existing multilateral coopera14 tion commitments of— 

15 ‘‘(A) the International Framework for Nu16 clear Energy Cooperation; 

17 ‘‘(B) the Generation IV International 

18 Forum; 

19 ‘‘(C) the International Atomic Energy 

20 Agency; and 

21 ‘‘(D) any other international collaborative 

22 effort with respect to advanced nuclear reactor 

23 operations and safety. 

24 ‘‘(b) SUBPROGRAM.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the program 

2 under subsection (a), the Secretary shall establish a 

3 subprogram that shall— 

4 ‘‘(A) support diplomatic, nonproliferation, 

5 climate, and international economic objectives 

6 for the safe, secure, and peaceful use of nuclear 

7 technology in countries developing nuclear en8 ergy programs, with a focus on countries that 

9 have increased civil nuclear cooperation with 

10 Russia and China; and 

11 ‘‘(B) be modeled after the International 

12 Military Education and Training program of 

13 the Department of State. 

14 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

15 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec16 retary to carry out the subprogram under this sub17 section $5,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 

18 through 2024. 

19 ‘‘(c) REQUIREMENTS.—The program under subsection 

20 (a) shall be carried out— 

21 ‘‘(1) to facilitate, to the maximum extent prac22 ticable, workshops and expert-based exchanges to en23 gage industry, stakeholders, and foreign governments 

24 regarding international civil nuclear issues, such as 

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1 national cooperation on used nuclear fuel disposal; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(2) in coordination with— 

4 ‘‘(A) the National Security Council; 

5 ‘‘(B) the Secretary of State; 

6 ‘‘(C) the Secretary of Commerce; and 

7 ‘‘(D) the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.’’. 

8 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

9 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Public Law 109–58; 119 

10 Stat. 600) is amended by inserting after the item relating 

11 to section 986A the following: 

‘‘Sec. 986B. International nuclear energy cooperation.’’. 

Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘A bill to amend the 

Energy Policy Act of 2005 to support nuclear energy research, development, and demonstration, and for other 

purposes.’’. 


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Calendar No. 353 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2368 

A BILL 

To amend the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 and the 

velopment, and for other purposes. nuclear energy research, demonstration, and deand relicensing of certain nuclear facilities and Energy Policy Act of 2005 to support licensing 

DECEMBER 17, 2019 

Reported with an amendment and an amendment to the 

title 


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