Sensible, Timely Relief for America’s Nuclear Districts’ Economic Development Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.3731 | Sponsor: Rep. Schneider, Bradley Scott (D-IL)
Policy area: Energy

Summary:
Sensible, Timely Relief for America's Nuclear Districts' Economic Development Act of 2021 or the STRANDED Act of 2021
This bill provides resources to communities affected by stranded nuclear waste. The bill defines stranded nuclear waste as nuclear waste or spent nuclear fuel stored in dry casks or spent fuel pools at the site of an eligible civilian nuclear power plant.
Specifically, the bill provides a first-time homebuyer tax credit for homeownership in nuclear affected communities.
In addition, the bill directs the Economic Development Administration to establish a competitive prize competition to award prizes to affected communities for proposals to carry out alternatives to nuclear facilities, generating sites, and waste sites.
The bill also provides grants to nuclear-affected communities to (1) offset the economic and social impacts of stranded nuclear waste on such communities, and (2) support such communities that are facing decreased tax revenues or assessed valuation as a result of decommissioning a civilian nuclear power plant.

To assist communities affected by stranded nuclear waste, and for other 
                               purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Sensible, Timely Relief for 
America's Nuclear Districts' Economic Development Act of 2021'' or the 
``STRANDED Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) communities throughout the United States, including 
        communities in the States of California, Connecticut, Florida, 
        Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New 
        York, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont, and Wisconsin, are tasked with 
        dealing with stranded nuclear waste;
            (2) communities affected by stranded nuclear waste are de 
        facto interim nuclear waste storage sites;
            (3) the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10101 
        et seq.)--
                    (A) directed the Secretary of Energy to make annual 
                impact assistance payments to States or appropriate 
                units of local government to mitigate the social and 
                economic impacts of the establishment and operation of 
                interim nuclear waste storage capacity within the 
                jurisdictional boundaries of an affected community; and
                    (B) established the rate for impact assistance 
                payments at $15 per kilogram of spent nuclear fuel;
            (4) decommissioning a commercial nuclear power plant is 
        often catastrophic for the host community because nuclear power 
        plants are major employers and the primary source of local tax 
        revenue;
            (5) stranded nuclear waste is a profound obstacle to future 
        economic growth, deterring potential employers and residents 
        from considering the host community;
            (6) stranded nuclear waste prevents economic development in 
        communities in which the stranded nuclear waste is located;
            (7) stranded nuclear waste prevents communities from 
        redeveloping sites where nuclear power plants previously 
        operated which further inhibits tax revenues; and
            (8) it is critical to provide resources to communities 
        that--
                    (A) are challenged by stranded nuclear waste; or
                    (B) will be challenged by stranded nuclear waste 
                during the 10-year period beginning on the date of 
                enactment of this Act.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Academy.--The term ``Academy'' means the National 
        Academy of Sciences.
            (2) Nuclear-affected community.--The term ``nuclear-
        affected community'' means a unit of local government, 
        including a county, city, town, village, school district, or 
        special district, that the Administrator determines to contain 
        stranded nuclear waste within the jurisdictional boundary or 
        contain an eligible civilian nuclear power plant within the 
        jurisdictional boundary of such locality.
            (3) Eligible civilian nuclear power plant.--The term 
        ``eligible civilian nuclear power plant'' means a civilian 
        nuclear power plant (as defined in section 2 of the Nuclear 
        Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10101)) that--
                    (A) has been decommissioned; or
                    (B) is in the process of being decommissioned.
            (4) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the U.S. Economic Development Administration.
            (5) Stranded nuclear waste.--The term ``stranded nuclear 
        waste'' means nuclear waste or spent nuclear fuel stored in dry 
        casks or spent fuel pools (as defined in section 2 of the 
        Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10101)) at the site 
        of an eligible civilian nuclear power plant.

SEC. 4. TAX INCENTIVES FOR AFFECTED COMMUNITIES.

    (a) First-Time Homebuyer Credit.--
            (1) In general.--Section 36 of the Internal Revenue Code of 
        1986 is amended--
                    (A) by inserting ``for nuclear affected 
                communities'' after ``credit'' in the heading;
                    (B) in subsection (a), by striking ``in the United 
                States'' and inserting ``in a nuclear affected 
                community (as such term is defined in section 3 of the 
                STRANDED Act of 2021)'';
                    (C) in subsection (b), by striking paragraphs (2) 
                and (3) and redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph 
                (2); and
                    (D) by striking subsections (f), (g), and (h).
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections for subpart 
        C of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 of such Code is 
        amended by striking the item relating to section 36 and 
        inserting the following new item:

``Sec. 36. First-time homebuyer credit for nuclear affected 
                            communities.''.
    (b) Effective Dates.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
apply to the purchase of a principal residence after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.

SEC. 5. INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS PRIZE COMPETITION.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall establish a competitive 
prize competition (referred to in this section as the ``prize 
competition'') to award prizes to proposals for affected communities to 
carry out alternatives to nuclear facilities, generating sites, and 
waste sites.
    (b) Prize Board.--
            (1) Establishment.--There is established an advisory board 
        (referred to in this section as the ``Board'') to advise the 
        Administrator on--
                    (A) the design and implementation of the prize 
                competition; and
                    (B) the development of the pilot project under 
                subsection (d).
            (2) Composition.--The Board shall be composed of not fewer 
        than 9 members appointed by the Administrator--
                    (A) who shall provide expertise in--
                            (i) nuclear waste;
                            (ii) workforce issues;
                            (iii) technology development; and
                            (iv) economic development; and
                    (B) who may include representatives from--
                            (i) The National Laboratories;
                            (ii) nonprofit organizations; and
                            (iii) institutions of higher education.
    (c) Award Amount.--An award under the prize competition shall be in 
the amount of $500,000.
    (d) Pilot Program.--
            (1) In general.--The Administrator, in consultation with 
        the Board, shall develop a pilot project based on the proposal 
        of the winner of the prize competition.
            (2) Funding.--Of the amounts made available under section 
        7, the Administrator may use $500,000 to carry out the pilot 
        project under paragraph (1).
    (e) Report.--Not later than 60 days after the date on which a prize 
is awarded under the prize competition, the Administrator shall submit 
to the relevant committees of Congress a report that describes the 
winning proposal of the prize competition.

SEC. 6. ECONOMIC IMPACT GRANTS FOR AFFECTED COMMUNITIES.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall establish and carry out 
a noncompetitive grant program to provide grants under either section 
6(b) or section 6(c) to nuclear-affected communities for the purpose 
of--
            (1) offsetting the economic and social impacts of stranded 
        nuclear waste on affected communities; and
            (2) supporting such communities that are in the process of 
        decommissioning an eligible civilian nuclear power plant and 
        that are facing decreased tax revenues or assessed valuation as 
        a result of such decommissioning.
    (b) Awards Based on Stranded Nuclear Waste.--
            (1) Eligibility.--A nuclear affected community shall be 
        eligible to receive a grant under this section for a fiscal 
        year.
            (2) Awards.--
                    (A) Amount.--The amount of a grant awarded under 
                subsection (a) shall be equal to $15 for each kilogram 
                of spent nuclear fuel stored at the eligible civilian 
                nuclear power plant in the nuclear affected community, 
                consistent with the price paid per kilogram for impact 
                assistance outlined in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 
                1982.
                    (B) Number and frequency.--With respect to each 
                eligible civilian nuclear power plant, the 
                Administrator shall request submissions from affected 
                nuclear communities and may only award 1 grant under 
                subsection (a) to each eligible unit of local 
                government for each fiscal year.
    (c) Awards Based on Lost Tax Revenue.--
            (1) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive financial 
        assistance under this section, the affected community shall 
        submit to the Administrator an application that includes 
        documentation that the nuclear affected community has 
        experienced, or is predicted to experience, during a calendar 
        year beginning after December 31, 2014, and ending before 
        January 1, 2026--
                    (A) a reduction of not less than 20 percent in 
                overall tax revenue received by such affected community 
                for such year compared with the average of such tax 
                revenue for the previous 5 years; and
                    (B) a reduction in tax revenue attributable to a 
                nuclear power plant received by such affected community 
                for such year, compared with the average of such tax 
                revenue for the previous 5 years, that is not less than 
                20 percent of the average for such previous 5 years of 
                the overall tax revenue received by such unit.
        For purposes of this paragraph, the term ``tax revenue'' 
        includes any payment in lieu of taxes received by an affected 
        community.
            (2) Assistance.--
                    (A) In general.--Subject to amounts made available 
                in advance in appropriations Acts, financial assistance 
                provided under this section to a nuclear affected 
                community shall be made with respect to each year of 
                the 8-year period beginning on the first day of the 
                calendar year described in paragraph (1).
                    (B) Amount of assistance.--Subject to amounts made 
                available in advance in appropriations Acts, financial 
                assistance provided under this section to a nuclear 
                affected community for a year of an 8-year period shall 
                be equal to the lesser of $10,000,000 and--
                            (i) in the case of the first year of the 8-
                        year period, 80 percent of the loss described 
                        in paragraph (1)(B) with respect to such unit;
                            (ii) in the case of the second year of the 
                        8-year period, 70 percent of such loss;
                            (iii) in the case of the third year of the 
                        8-year period, 60 percent of such loss;
                            (iv) in the case of the fourth year of the 
                        8-year period, 50 percent of such loss;
                            (v) in the case of the fifth year of the 8-
                        year period, 40 percent of such loss;
                            (vi) in the case of the sixth year of the 
                        8-year period, 30 percent of such loss;
                            (vii) in the case of the seventh year of 
                        the 8-year period, 20 percent of such loss; and
                            (viii) in the case of the eighth year of 
                        the 8-year period, 10 percent of such loss.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out this Act $110,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2026 
and $120,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
    (b) No Offset.--None of the funds made available under this section 
may be used to offset the funding for any other Federal program.
    (c) Limitation.--No nuclear affected community may receive more 
than one grant per calendar year, and cannot receive grants under both 
sections 6(b) and (c) in the same calendar year.
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