21st Century American Atomic Energy Age Act

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3553 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3553

   To establish the Office of Nuclear, Economic, Environmental, and 
National Security of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, accelerate the 
deployment of small modular nuclear reactors, ban the import of Russian 
               nuclear material, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 18, 2023

 Mr. Wittman introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on 
Homeland Security, and Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently 
   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 the Office of Nuclear, Economic, Environmental, and 
National Security of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, accelerate the 
deployment of small modular nuclear reactors, ban the import of Russian 
               nuclear material, 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 ``21st Century American Atomic Energy 
Age Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The United States should promote and support the 
        development of small modular nuclear reactors to provide safe, 
        reliable, and affordable electricity.
            (2) The Commission has the responsibility to issue 
        construction permits and operating licenses for innovative 
        nuclear reactors to meet the energy needs of the United States.
            (3) The United States relied on Russia for about 16 percent 
        of its uranium in 2020.

SEC. 3. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR SMALL MODULAR NUCLEAR REACTOR 
              APPLICATIONS.

    The Commission shall provide technical assistance to applicants 
that apply for a construction permit, an operating license, or a 
combined construction permit and operating license for a small modular 
nuclear reactor under section 103 or 185 of the Atomic Energy Act of 
1954 (42 U.S.C. 2133 or 2235).

SEC. 4. PROHIBITION ON IMPORT AND USE OF NUCLEAR FUEL FROM RUSSIA.

    (a) Prohibition on Use.--
            (1) In general.--No person shall use nuclear fuel, 
        including low-enriched uranium, that was produced in, or 
        imported from, Russia to operate any small modular nuclear 
        reactor located in the United States.
            (2) Rulemaking.--Not later than 183 days after the date of 
        enactment of this section, the Secretary of Commerce shall 
        establish, by regulation, procedures to ensure compliance with 
        this subsection.
    (b) Prohibition on Imports.--Section 3112A of the USEC 
Privatization Act (42 U.S.C. 2297h-10a) is amended by adding at the end 
the following:
    ``(d) Prohibition.--Beginning on the date that is 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this subsection, no low-enriched uranium that 
is produced in the Russian Federation or by a Russian entity may be 
imported into the United States.''.

SEC. 5. REPORT.

    The Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and 
the Secretary of Defense shall, not later than 120 days after the date 
of enactment of this section, submit to Congress a report that 
identifies critical infrastructure that can benefit from access to 
onsite or offsite electricity generated by a small modular nuclear 
reactor that is located at or near the critical infrastructure to 
achieve added energy resilience.

SEC. 6. OFFICE OF NUCLEAR, ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND NATIONAL 
              SECURITY OF THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION.

    (a) Establishment.--Title II of the Energy Reorganization Act of 
1974 (42 U.S.C. 5841 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 205 
the following:

``SEC. 205A. OFFICE OF NUCLEAR, ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND NATIONAL 
              SECURITY.

    ``(a) Establishment.--There is hereby established in the Commission 
an Office of Nuclear, Economic, Environmental, and National Security 
(in this section referred to as the `Office') under the direction of a 
Director, who shall--
            ``(1) be appointed by the Commission;
            ``(2) report directly to the Commission, as provided in 
        section 209; and
            ``(3) serve at the pleasure of and be removable by the 
        Commission.
    ``(b) Functions.--Subject to the provisions of this Act, the 
Director of the Office shall perform such functions as the Commission 
shall delegate, including:
            ``(1) Principal licensing and regulation involving all 
        facilities, materials, and activities licensed under the Atomic 
        Energy Act of 1954.
            ``(2) Review the economic, environmental, and national 
        security benefits of all such facilities, materials, and 
        activities, including evaluating the benefits to air quality, 
        human health, carbon dioxide emissions reduction, economic 
        activity, and national security.
            ``(3) Assessing the need for, and the feasibility of, 
        establishing an agency within the Office to review the 
        Commission's licensing and related regulatory functions for the 
        purposes of increasing the development and use of nuclear 
        energy to ensure public health and economic security by 
        providing for the effective and safe commercial use of 
        radioactive materials.''.
    (b) Report to Congress.--The Director of the Office of Nuclear, 
Economic, Environmental, and National Security, established under 
section 205A of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 (as added by this 
section), shall, not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
this Act, submit to Congress a report, including recommendations, based 
on the assessments made under subsection (b)(3) of such section 205A.

SEC. 7. EXTENSION OF THE PRICE-ANDERSON ACT.

    (a) Extension.--Section 170 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 
U.S.C. 2210) (commonly known as the ``Price-Anderson Act'') is amended 
by striking ``December 31, 2025'' each place it appears and inserting 
``December 31, 2045''.
    (b) Report.--Section 170 p. of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 
U.S.C. 2210(p)) is amended by striking ``December 31, 2021'' and 
inserting ``December 31, 2041''.

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out this Act.

SEC. 9. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This Act shall take effect 120 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act.

SEC. 10. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Nuclear 
        Regulatory Commission.
            (2) Critical infrastructure.--The term ``critical 
        infrastructure'' means a facility, asset, system, or network, 
        whether physical or virtual, that is so vital to the United 
        States that the incapacity or destruction of such facility 
        asset, system, or network would have a debilitating impact on 
        national economic security, public health or safety, or any 
        combination of those matters.
            (3) Key resources.--The term ``key resources'' has the 
        meaning given such term section 2 of the Homeland Security Act 
        of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101).
            (4) Small modular nuclear reactor.--The term ``small 
        modular nuclear reactor'' means a nuclear reactor with an 
        electric generating capacity of not more than 200 megawatts.
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