Title: Stranded Nuclear Waste Accountability Act of 2017
Policy area: Energy

Summary:
Stranded Nuclear Waste Accountability Act of 2017
This bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a program to provide compensation to communities in which a nuclear waste storage facility is located.
DOE must provide payments equal to $15 per kilogram of spent nuclear fuel stored at the nuclear waste facility.
Each local government having a nuclear waste facility within its jurisdictional boundaries must submit an annual application to DOE for compensation.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3929 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3929

  To direct the Secretary of Energy to carry out a program to provide 
payments to communities in which a nuclear power plant that has ceased 
  generating electricity and that stores spent nuclear fuel onsite is 
                    located, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 3, 2017

Mr. Courtney (for himself and Mr. Welch) introduced the following bill; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To direct the Secretary of Energy to carry out a program to provide 
payments to communities in which a nuclear power plant that has ceased 
  generating electricity and that stores spent nuclear fuel onsite is 
                    located, 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 ``Stranded Nuclear Waste 
Accountability Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. PROGRAM FOR PAYMENTS TO COMMUNITIES THAT ARE IMPACTED BY 
              INTERIM STORAGE OF SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL.

    (a) Program.--The Secretary of Energy shall establish and carry out 
a program to make payments to units of general local government within 
the jurisdictional boundaries of which an eligible civilian nuclear 
power plant is located.
    (b) Payments.--
            (1) Amount.--Except as provided in paragraph (3), a payment 
        made to a unit of general local government under the program 
        established under subsection (a) shall be equal to $15 per 
        kilogram of spent nuclear fuel stored at the eligible civilian 
        nuclear power plant that is located within the jurisdictional 
        boundaries of such unit of general local government.
            (2) Number and frequency.--For each eligible civilian 
        nuclear power plant, the Secretary may only make one payment to 
        one unit of general local government per fiscal year under the 
        program established under subsection (a).
            (3) Pro rata reduction.--For any fiscal year, the Secretary 
        shall, on a pro rata basis, reduce the amount paid to a unit of 
        general local government under the program established under 
        subsection (a) as necessary to ensure, to the extent possible, 
        that a payment is made to a unit of general local government 
        with respect to each eligible civilian nuclear power plant for 
        that fiscal year.
            (4) Annual application.--In order to be eligible to receive 
        a payment under the program established under subsection (a) 
        for a fiscal year, a unit of general local government shall 
        submit an application to the Secretary.
    (c) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) Civilian nuclear power reactor.--The term ``civilian 
        nuclear power reactor'' has the meaning given such term in 
        section 2(6) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 
        10101(6)).
            (2) Eligible civilian nuclear power plant.--The term 
        ``eligible civilian nuclear power plant'' means a site at 
        which--
                    (A) each civilian nuclear power reactor located at 
                such site has ceased generating electricity prior to 
                the date of enactment of this Act; and
                    (B) spent nuclear fuel is being stored.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Energy.
            (4) Spent nuclear fuel.--The term ``spent nuclear fuel'' 
        has the meaning given such term in section 2(23) of the Nuclear 
        Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10101(23)).
            (5) Unit of general local government.--The term ``unit of 
        general local government'' has the meaning given such term in 
        section 2(28) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 
        U.S.C. 10101(28)).
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated $100,000,000 for the program established under subsection 
(a) for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2024.
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