I
104TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 2899
To establish within the Department of Energy a National Test and Dem-
onstration Center of Excellence at the Nevada Test Site, and for other
purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 25, 1996
Mrs. VUCANOVICH (for herself and Mr. ENSIGN) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on National Security, and in addi-
tion to the Committees on Science and Commerce, for a period to be sub-
sequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of
such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To establish within the Department of Energy a National
Test and Demonstration Center of Excellence at the
Nevada Test Site, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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 nu-
clear 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 loca-
tion for activities suitable for research and develop-
ment 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 stew-
ardship 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 infra-
structure 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 test-
ing and demonstration of environmental clean-up
technologies by government and industry.
(9) The Nevada Test Site can support the test-
ing 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 conven-
tional 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 pur-
poses.
(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 restruc-
turing 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 infrastruc-
ture 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 Demonstra-
tion Center of Excellence at the Nevada Test Site
for the promotion of disarmament, demilitarization,
alternative and renewable energy sources, the non-
proliferation of nuclear weapons, counter-prolifera-
tion of nuclear weapons, sensor development, and
environmentally sensitive technologies; and
ducted by the Department of Energy at the Nevada Test
Site.
(c) INFRASTRUCTURE ASSESSMENTS
AND ACTIVI-
TIES.—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 RE-
NEWABLE 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 geo-
thermal resources at the Nevada Test Site.
(2) The development of alternative and renew-
able energy sources, including, as a goal of the Cen-
ter, 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 demilitariza-
tion, generally; and
(3) that test and demonstrate the nonmilitary
application of technologies and resources the mili-
tary 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 Depart-
ment 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-PROLIFERA-
TION.—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 en-
vironmental technologies, including—
(1) the demonstration of technologies concern-
ing the remediation of toxic and hazardous chemi-
cals; and
(2) the conduct of training activities pertaining
to emergency response to hazardous and toxic acci-
dents 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 Ne-
vada 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.
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