‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct a 
fuel cycle research and development program (referred to 
in this section as the ‘program’) on fuel cycle options that 
improve uranium resource utilization, maximize energy 
generation, minimize nuclear waste creation, improve safe-
ty, and mitigate risk of proliferation in support of a na-
tional strategy for spent nuclear fuel and the reactor con-
cepts research, development, demonstration, and commer-
cial application program under section 952(c). 
‘‘(b) FUEL CYCLE OPTIONS.—Under this section the 
Secretary may consider implementing the following initia-
tives: 
‘‘(1) OPEN CYCLE.—Developing fuels, including 
the use of nonuranium materials, for use in reactors 
that increase energy generation and minimize the 
amount of nuclear waste produced in an open fuel 
cycle. 
‘‘(2) MODIFIED OPEN CYCLE.—Developing fuel 
forms, reactors, and limited separation and trans-
mutation methods that increase fuel utilization and 
reduce nuclear waste in a modified open fuel cycle. 
‘‘(3) FULL RECYCLE.—Developing technologies 
to repeatedly recycle nuclear waste products to mini-
mize radiotoxicity, mass, and decay heat to the 
greatest extent possible. 
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‘‘(4) ADVANCED
STORAGE
METHODS.—Devel-
oping advanced storage technologies for both onsite 
and long-term storage that substantially prolong the 
effective life of current storage devices or that sub-
stantially improve upon existing nuclear waste stor-
age technologies and methods, including repositories. 
‘‘(5) ALTERNATIVE
AND
DEEP
BOREHOLE 
STORAGE METHODS.—Developing alternative storage 
methods for long-term storage, including deep 
boreholes into stable crystalline rock formations and 
salt dome storage. 
‘‘(6) OTHER TECHNOLOGIES.—Developing any 
other technology or initiative that the Secretary de-
termines is likely to advance the objectives of the 
program established under subsection (a). 
‘‘(c) BLUE RIBBON COMMISSION REPORT.—In car-
rying out this section the Secretary shall give consider-
ation to the final report on a long-term nuclear waste solu-
tion produced by the Blue Ribbon Commission on Amer-
ica’s Nuclear Future. Not later than 180 days after the 
release of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nu-
clear Future final report, the Secretary shall transmit to 
Congress a report describing any plans the Department 
may have to incorporate any relevant recommendations 
from this report into the program.’’. 
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(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The item relating 
to section 953 in the table of contents of the Energy Policy 
Act of 2005 is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘Sec. 953. Fuel cycle research and development.’’. 
SEC. 7. NUCLEAR ENERGY ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) AMENDMENT.—Subtitle E of title IX of the En-
ergy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16271 et seq.) is 
amended by adding at the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 958. NUCLEAR ENERGY ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct a 
program to support the integration of activities under-
taken through the reactor concepts research, development, 
demonstration, and commercial application program under 
section 952(c) and the fuel cycle research and development 
program under section 953, and support crosscutting nu-
clear energy concepts. Activities commenced under this 
section shall be concentrated on broadly applicable re-
search and development focus areas. 
‘‘(b) ACTIVITIES.—Activities conducted under this 
section may include research involving— 
‘‘(1) advanced reactor materials; 
‘‘(2) advanced catastrophic radiation mitigation 
methods; 
‘‘(3) advanced proliferation and security risk 
assessment methods; 
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‘‘(4) advanced sensors and instrumentation; 
‘‘(5) advanced nuclear manufacturing methods; 
or 
‘‘(6) any crosscutting technology or trans-
formative concept aimed at establishing substantial 
and revolutionary enhancements in the performance 
of future nuclear energy systems that the Secretary 
considers relevant and appropriate to the purpose of 
this section. 
‘‘(c) REPORT.—The Secretary shall submit, as part 
of the annual budget submission of the Department, a re-
port on the activities of the program conducted under this 
section, which shall include a brief evaluation of each ac-
tivity’s progress.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of con-
tents of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 is amended by 
adding at the end of the items for subtitle E of title IX 
the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 958. Nuclear energy enabling technologies.’’. 
SEC. 8. EMERGENCY RISK ASSESSMENT AND PREPARED-
NESS REPORT. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary shall transmit to the Congress 
a report summarizing quantitative risks associated with 
the potential of a severe accident arising from the use of 
nuclear power, and outlining the technologies currently 
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available to mitigate the consequences of such an accident. 
The report shall include recommendations of areas of tech-
nological development that should be pursued to reduce 
the public harm arising from such an incident. 
SEC. 9. NEXT GENERATION NUCLEAR PLANT. 
(a) 
PROTOTYPE
PLANT
LOCATION.—Section 
642(b)(3) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 
16022(b)(3)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(3) PROTOTYPE PLANT LOCATION.—The pro-
totype nuclear reactor and associated plant shall be 
constructed at a location determined by the consor-
tium through an open and transparent competitive 
selection process.’’. 
(b) REPORT.— 
(1) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 1 year 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comp-
troller General shall transmit to the Congress a re-
port providing a status update of the Next Genera-
tion Nuclear Plant program that provides analysis 
of— 
(A) its progress; 
(B) how Federal funds appropriated for 
the project have been distributed and spent; 
and 
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