Union Calendar No. 259
115th CONGRESS 1st Session |
[Report No. 115–355, Part I]
To amend the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, and for other purposes.
June 26, 2017
Mr. Shimkus introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, 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
October 19, 2017
Additional sponsors: Mr. Kinzinger, Mr. Harper, Mrs. Mimi Walters of California, Mr. Walberg, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Johnson of Ohio, Mrs. McMorris Rodgers, Mr. McKinley, Mr. Flores, Mr. Latta, Mr. Long, Mr. Lance, Mr. Upton, Mr. Collins of New York, Mr. Olson, Mr. Murphy of Pennsylvania, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Barton, Mr. Carter of Georgia, Mr. Hudson, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. McNerney, Mr. Peters, Mr. Gene Green of Texas, Mr. Michael F. Doyle of Pennsylvania, Ms. Matsui, Mr. Lewis of Minnesota, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Clay, Mr. Rush, Mr. Schrader, Mr. Issa, Mr. Rodney Davis of Illinois, Mr. Fleischmann, Mr. Newhouse, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Rouzer, Mr. Rohrabacher, Mr. Young of Alaska, Mr. Duncan of South Carolina, Mr. LaHood, Mr. Hill, Mr. Courtney, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Abraham, Mr. Hultgren, Mr. Westerman, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Katko, Mr. Allen, Mr. Perry, Mr. Paulsen, Mr. MacArthur, Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Carter of Texas, Mr. Duffy, Mr. Womack, Mr. Grothman, Mr. Hunter, Mr. Brat, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. Gallagher, Mr. Brooks of Alabama, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. Smucker, Mr. Thomas J. Rooney of Florida, Mr. Jody B. Hice of Georgia, Mr. Chabot, Mr. Comer, Mr. Norman, Mr. Huizenga, Mr. Budd, Mr. Poe of Texas, Mr. Moolenaar, Mr. Crawford, Mr. Kelly of Mississippi, Mrs. Black, Mrs. Wagner, Mr. Lipinski, Mr. Richmond, Mr. Babin, Mr. Donovan, Mr. Byrne, Mrs. Bustos, Mr. Gosar, Mr. Carbajal, Mr. LaMalfa, Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania, Mr. Dunn, Mr. McEachin, Mr. Graves of Missouri, Mr. Bishop of Michigan, Mr. Valadao, Mr. Ross, Mr. DesJarlais, Mr. Kelly of Pennsylvania, Mr. Dent, Mr. Costello of Pennsylvania, Mrs. Roby, Mr. Ratcliffe, Mr. Smith of Missouri, Mr. Gibbs, Mr. Emmer, Mr. Kind, Mr. Williams, Mr. Evans, Mr. Luetkemeyer, Mr. Franks of Arizona, and Mr. Stivers
October 19, 2017
Reported from the Committee on Energy and Commerce with an amendment
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]
October 19, 2017
The Committees on Natural Resources and Armed Services discharged; committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on June 26, 2017]
To amend the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
(b) Table of contents.—The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 101. Monitored retrievable storage.
Sec. 102. Authorization and priority.
Sec. 103. Conditions for MRS agreements.
Sec. 104. Survey.
Sec. 105. Site selection.
Sec. 106. Benefits agreement.
Sec. 107. Licensing.
Sec. 108. Financial assistance.
Sec. 201. Land withdrawal, jurisdiction, and reservation.
Sec. 202. Application procedures and infrastructure activities.
Sec. 203. Pending repository license application.
Sec. 204. Limitation on planning, development, or construction of defense waste repository.
Sec. 205. Sense of Congress regarding transportation routes.
Sec. 301. Title to material.
Sec. 401. Consent.
Sec. 402. Content of agreements.
Sec. 403. Covered units of local government.
Sec. 404. Termination.
Sec. 405. Priority funding for certain institutions of higher education.
Sec. 406. Disposal of spent nuclear fuel.
Sec. 407. Updated report.
Sec. 501. Assessment and collection of fees.
Sec. 502. Use of Waste Fund.
Sec. 503. Annual multiyear budget proposal.
Sec. 504. Availability of certain amounts.
Sec. 601. Certain standards and criteria.
Sec. 602. Application.
Sec. 603. Transportation safety assistance.
Sec. 604. Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management.
Sec. 605. West Lake Landfill.
Sec. 606. Subseabed or ocean water disposal.
Sec. 607. Sense of Congress regarding storage of nuclear waste near the Great Lakes.
(a) Proposal.—Section 141(b) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10161(b)) is amended—
(3) by amending paragraph (4) to read as follows:
“(4) The Secretary shall, not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2017, publish a request for information to help the Secretary evaluate options for the Secretary to enter into MRS agreements with respect to one or more monitored retrievable storage facilities.”.
(b) Additional amendments.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 141 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10161) is further amended—
(2) DEFINITIONS.—Section 2 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10101) is amended—
(B) by adding at the end the following:
(3) TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.—Section 146 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10166) is amended—
Section 142 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10162) is amended by striking subsection (b) and inserting the following:
“(c) Priority.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in paragraph (2), the Secretary shall prioritize storage of Department-owned civilian waste at a monitored retrievable storage facility authorized under subsection (b)(2).
(a) Amendment.—Section 143 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10163) is amended to read as follows:
“SEC. 143. Conditions for MRS agreements.
“(a) In general.—The Secretary may not enter into an MRS agreement under section 142(b)(2) unless—
“(1) the monitored retrievable storage facility with respect to which the MRS agreement applies has been licensed by the Commission under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.);
“(2) the non-Federal entity that is a party to the MRS agreement has approval to store Department-owned civilian waste at such facility from each of—
“(b) Initial agreement.—
“(1) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary may enter into one MRS agreement under section 142(b)(2) before the Commission has issued a final repository decision.
“(2) FUNDING.—There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection—
“(3) PRIORITY.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—An MRS agreement entered into pursuant to paragraph (1) shall, to the extent allowable under this Act (including under the terms of the standard contract established in section 691.11 of title 10, Code of Federal Regulations), provide for prioritization of the storage of Department-owned civilian waste that originated from facilities that have ceased commercial operation.
“(4) CONDITIONS.—
“(A) NO STORAGE.—Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the Secretary may not store any Department-owned civilian waste at the initial MRS facility until the Commission has issued a final repository decision.
“(B) EXCEPTION.—
“(i) FINDING.—The Secretary, in consultation with the Chairman of the Commission, may make a finding that a final repository decision is imminent, which finding shall be updated not less often than quarterly until the date on which the Commission issues a final repository decision.
“(ii) STORAGE.—If the Secretary makes a finding under clause (i), the Secretary may store Department-owned civilian waste at the initial MRS facility in accordance with this section.
“(iii) NOTICE.—Not later than seven days after the Secretary makes or updates a finding under clause (i), the Secretary shall submit to Congress written notification of such finding.
“(iv) REPORTING.—In addition to the requirements of section 114(c), if the Secretary makes a finding under clause (i), the Secretary shall submit to Congress the report described in such section 114(c) not later than 1 month after the Secretary makes such finding and monthly thereafter until the date on which the Commission issues a final repository decision.
“(C) NO EFFECT ON FEDERAL DISPOSAL POLICY.—Nothing in this subsection affects the Federal responsibility for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel, or the definite Federal policy with regard to the disposal of such waste and spent fuel, established under subtitle A, as described in section 111(b).
Section 144 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10164) is amended—
(1) by striking “After the MRS Commission submits its report to the Congress under section 143, the” and inserting “(a) In general.—The”;
(2) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking “for a monitored retrievable storage facility” and inserting “for any monitored retrievable storage facility authorized under section 142”;
Section 145 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10165) is amended—
Section 147 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10167) is amended—
(a) Review of license application.—Section 148(c) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10168(c)) is amended by striking “section 142(b)” and inserting “section 142(b)(1)”.
(b) Licensing conditions.—Section 148(d) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10168(d)) is amended—
(a) Land withdrawal, jurisdiction, and reservation.—
(1) LAND WITHDRAWAL.—Subject to valid existing rights and except as provided otherwise in this section, the lands described in subsection (c) are withdrawn permanently from all forms of entry, appropriation, and disposal under the public land laws, including the mineral leasing laws, the geothermal leasing laws, and the mining laws.
(2) JURISDICTION.—Except as otherwise provided in this section, jurisdiction over the withdrawal is vested in the Secretary. There are transferred to the Secretary the lands within the withdrawal under the jurisdiction of the Secretary concerned on the effective date described in subsection (j)(1).
(3) RESERVATION.—The withdrawal is reserved for use by the Secretary for development, preconstruction testing and performance confirmation, licensing, construction, management and operation, monitoring, closure, postclosure, and other activities associated with the disposal of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10101 et seq.).
(b) Revocation and modification of public land orders and rights-of-Way.—
(c) Land description.—
(1) BOUNDARIES.—The lands and interests in lands withdrawn and reserved by this section comprise the approximately 147,000 acres of land in Nye County, Nevada, as generally depicted on the Yucca Mountain Project Map, YMP–03–024.2, entitled “Proposed Land Withdrawal” and dated July 21, 2005.
(d) Relationship to other reservations.—The provisions of subtitle A of title XXX of the Military Lands Withdrawal Act of 1999 (sections 3011–3023 of Public Law 106–65) and of Public Land Order 2568 do not apply to the lands withdrawn and reserved for use by the Secretary under subsection (a). This Act does not apply to any other lands withdrawn for use by the Department of Defense under subtitle A of title XXX of the Military Lands Withdrawal Act of 1999.
(e) Management responsibilities.—
(1) GENERAL AUTHORITY.—The Secretary shall manage the lands withdrawn by subsection (a) consistent with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), this section, and other applicable law. The Secretary shall consult with the Secretary concerned in discharging that responsibility.
(2) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—
(A) DEVELOPMENT.—The Secretary, after consulting with the Secretary concerned, shall develop a management plan for the use of the withdrawal. Within 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit the management plan to the Congress and the State of Nevada.
(B) PRIORITY OF YUCCA MOUNTAIN PROJECT-RELATED ISSUES.—Subject to subparagraphs (C) and (D), any use of the withdrawal for activities not associated with the Project is subject to conditions and restrictions that the Secretary considers necessary or desirable to permit the conduct of Project-related activities.
(C) DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE USES.—The management plan may provide for the continued use by the Department of the Air Force of the portion of the withdrawal within the Nellis Air Force Base Test and Training Range under terms and conditions on which the Secretary and the Secretary of the Air Force agree concerning Air Force activities.
(D) OTHER NON-YUCCA-MOUNTAIN-PROJECT USES.—The management plan shall provide for the maintenance of wildlife habitat and shall provide that the Secretary may permit non-Project-related uses that the Secretary considers appropriate, including domestic livestock grazing and hunting and trapping in accordance with the following requirements:
(i) GRAZING.—The Secretary may permit grazing to continue where established before the effective date described in subsection (j)(1), subject to regulations, policies, and practices that the Secretary, after consulting with the Secretary of the Interior, determines to be necessary or appropriate. The management of grazing shall be conducted in accordance with applicable grazing laws and policies, including—
(I) the Act commonly known as the “Taylor Grazing Act” (43 U.S.C. 315 et seq.);
(II) title IV of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.); and
(III) the Public Rangelands Improvement Act of 1978 (43 U.S.C. 1901 et seq.).
(ii) HUNTING AND TRAPPING.—The Secretary may permit hunting and trapping within the withdrawal where established before the effective date described in subsection (k)(1), except that the Secretary, after consulting with the Secretary of the Interior and the State of Nevada, may designate zones where, and establish periods when, no hunting or trapping is permitted for reasons of public safety, national security, administration, or public use and enjoyment.
(E) MINING.—
(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in clause (ii), surface or subsurface mining or oil or gas production, including slant drilling from outside the boundaries of the withdrawal, is not permitted at any time on lands on or under the withdrawal. The Secretary of the Interior shall evaluate and adjudicate the validity of all unpatented mining claims on the portion of the withdrawal that, on the date of enactment of this Act, was under the control of the Bureau of Land Management. The Secretary shall provide just compensation for the acquisition of any valid property right.
(F) LIMITED PUBLIC ACCESS.—The management plan may provide for limited public access to the portion of the withdrawal under Bureau of Land Management control on the effective date described in subsection (j)(1). Permitted uses may include continuation of the Nye County Early Warning Drilling Program, utility corridors, and other uses the Secretary, after consulting with the Secretary of the Interior, considers consistent with the purposes of the withdrawal.
(3) CLOSURE.—If the Secretary, after consulting with the Secretary concerned, determines that the health and safety of the public or the common defense and security require the closure of a road, trail, or other portion of the withdrawal, or the airspace above the withdrawal, the Secretary may effect and maintain the closure and shall provide notice of the closure.
(f) Immunity.—The United States and its departments and agencies shall be held harmless and shall not be liable for damages to persons or property suffered in the course of any mining, mineral leasing, or geothermal leasing activity conducted on the withdrawal.
(g) Land acquisition.—The Secretary may acquire lands and interests in lands within the withdrawal. Those lands and interests in lands may be acquired by donation, purchase, lease, exchange, easement, rights-of-way, or other appropriate methods using donated or appropriated funds. The Secretary of the Interior shall conduct any exchange of lands within the withdrawal for Federal lands outside the withdrawal.
(h) Material requirements.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no Federal, State, Interstate, or local requirement, either substantive or procedural, that is referred to in section 6001(a) of the Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 U.S.C. 6961(a)) applies with respect to any material—
(i) Definitions.—
(1) NUCLEAR WASTE POLICY ACT OF 1982 DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section, the terms “disposal”, “high-level radioactive waste”, “repository”, “Secretary”, and “spent nuclear fuel” have the meaning given those terms in section 2 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10101).
(j) Effective date.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in paragraph (2), this section shall take effect on the date on which the Nuclear Regulatory Commission issues a final decision approving the issuance of a construction authorization for a repository under section 114(d)(1) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10134(d)) (as so designated by this Act).
(a) Status report on application.—Section 114(c) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10134(c)) is amended by striking “the date on which such authorization is granted” and inserting “the date on which the Commission issues a final decision approving or disapproving such application”.
(b) Application procedures and infrastructure activities.—Section 114(d) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10134(d)) is amended—
(2) by striking “the expiration of 3 years after the date of the submission of such application” and inserting “30 months after the date of enactment of the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2017”;
(4) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
“(2) APPLICATIONS TO AMEND.—If the Commission issues a construction authorization for a repository pursuant to paragraph (1) and the Secretary submits an application to amend such authorization, the Commission shall consider the application to amend using expedited, informal procedures, including discovery procedures that minimize the burden on the parties to produce documents. The Commission shall issue a final decision on such application to amend within 1 year after the date of submission of such application, except that the Commission may extend such deadline by not more than 6 months if, not less than 30 days before such deadline, the Commission complies with the reporting requirements established in subsection (e)(2).
“(3) INFRASTRUCTURE ACTIVITIES.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—At any time before or after the Commission issues a final decision approving or disapproving the issuance of a construction authorization for a repository pursuant to paragraph (1), the Secretary may undertake infrastructure activities that the Secretary considers necessary or appropriate to support construction or operation of a repository at the Yucca Mountain site or transportation to such site of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Infrastructure activities include safety upgrades, site preparation, the construction of a rail line to connect the Yucca Mountain site with the national rail network (including any facilities to facilitate rail operations), and construction, upgrade, acquisition, or operation of electrical grids or facilities, other utilities, communication facilities, access roads, and nonnuclear support facilities.
“(B) ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS.—If the Secretary determines that an environmental analysis is required under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 with respect to an infrastructure activity undertaken under this paragraph, the Secretary need not consider alternative actions or a no-action alternative. To the extent any other Federal agency must consider the potential environmental impact of such an infrastructure activity, the agency shall adopt, to the extent practicable, any environmental analysis prepared by the Secretary under this subparagraph without further action. Such adoption satisfies the responsibilities of the adopting agency under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and no further action is required by the agency.
(c) Connected actions.—Section 114(f)(6) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10134(f)(6)) is amended by striking “or nongeologic alternatives to such site” and inserting “nongeologic alternatives to such site, or an action connected or otherwise related to the repository to the extent the action is undertaken outside the geologic repository operations area and does not require a license from the Commission”.
Nothing in this Act or the amendments made by this Act shall be construed to require the Secretary to amend or otherwise modify an application for a construction authorization described in section 114(d) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10134(d)) pending as of the date of enactment of this Act.
(a) Limitation.—The Secretary of Energy may not take any action relating to the planning, development, or construction of a defense waste repository until the date on which the Nuclear Regulatory Commission issues a final decision approving or disapproving the issuance of a construction authorization for a repository under section 114(d)(1) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10134(d)) (as so designated by this Act).
(b) Definitions.—In this section—
(1) the terms “atomic energy defense activity”, “high-level radioactive waste”, “repository”, and “spent nuclear fuel” have the meanings given those terms in section 2 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10101); and
(2) the term “defense waste repository” means the repository for high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel derived from the atomic energy defense activities of the Department of Energy, as described in the draft plan of the Department titled “Draft Plan for a Defense Waste Repository” published on December 16, 2016.
It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Energy should consider routes for the transportation of spent nuclear fuel or high-level radioactive waste transported by or for the Secretary under subtitle A of title I of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10131 et seq.) to the Yucca Mountain site that, to the extent practicable, avoid Las Vegas, Nevada.
Section 123 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10143) is amended—
(2) by striking “repository constructed under this subtitle” and inserting “repository or monitored retrievable storage facility”; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
“(b) Contract modification.—The Secretary may enter into new contracts or negotiate modifications to existing contracts, with any person who generates or holds title to high-level radioactive waste or spent nuclear fuel of domestic origin, for acceptance of title, subsequent transportation, and storage of such high-level radioactive waste or spent nuclear fuel (including to expedite such acceptance of title, transportation, and storage of such waste or fuel from facilities that have ceased commercial operation) at a monitored retrievable storage facility authorized under subtitle C.”.
Section 170 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10173) is amended—
(a) Benefits schedule.—The table in section 171(a)(1) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10173a(a)(1)) is amended to read as follows:
Event | MRS | Repository |
(A) Annual payments prior to first spent fuel receipt | $5,000,000 | $15,000,000 |
(B) Upon first spent fuel receipt | $10,000,000 | The amount described in section 302(f)(1)(B) |
(C) Annual payments after first spent fuel receipt until closure of the facility | $10,000,000 | The amounts described in section 302(f)(1)(C)”. |
(b) Restrictions on use.—Section 171(a) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10173a(a)) is amended—
(2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
(c) Contents.—Section 171(b) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10173a(b)) is amended—
(d) Payments from the Waste Fund.—Section 171(c) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10173a(c)) is amended by striking the first sentence and inserting the following: “The Secretary shall make payments to the State of Nevada under a benefits agreement concerning a repository under section 170 from the Waste Fund.”.
(a) In general.—The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10101 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 172 the following new section:
“SEC. 172A. Covered units of local government.
“(a) Benefits agreement.—Not earlier than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary may enter into a benefits agreement with any covered unit of local government concerning a repository for the acceptance of high-level radioactive waste or spent nuclear fuel in the State of Nevada.
“(b) Content of agreements.—In addition to any benefits to which a covered unit of local government is entitled under this Act, the Secretary shall make payments to such covered unit of local government that is a party to a benefits agreement under subsection (a) to mitigate impacts described in section 175(b).
“(c) Payments from Waste Fund.—The Secretary shall make payments to a covered unit of local government under a benefits agreement under this section from the Waste Fund.
“(d) Restriction on use.—None of the payments made pursuant to a benefits agreement under this section may be used—
(b) Conforming amendments.—
(1) BENEFITS AGREEMENT.—Section 170(a)(4) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10173(a)(4)) is amended—
(2) LIMITATION.—Section 170(e) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10173(e)) is further amended by inserting “under this section” after “may be in effect”.
(3) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10101 note) is amended by adding after the item relating to section 172, the following:
“Sec. 172A. Covered units of local government.”.
Section 173 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10173c) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(B) in paragraph (1), by inserting “concerning a repository or a monitored retrievable storage facility, if” before “the site under consideration”; and
(C) in paragraph (2), by striking “the Secretary determines that the Commission cannot license the facility within a reasonable time” and inserting “concerning a repository, if the Commission issues a final decision disapproving the issuance of a construction authorization for a repository under section 114(d)(1)”; and
(2) by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:
“(b) Termination by State or Indian Tribe.—A State, covered unit of local government (as defined in section 172A), or Indian tribe may only terminate a benefits agreement under this title—
(a) In general.—Subtitle G of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10174 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
“SEC. 176. Priority funding for certain institutions of higher education.
“(a) In general.—In providing any funding to institutions of higher education from the Waste Fund, the Secretary shall prioritize institutions of higher education that are located in the State of Nevada.
“(b) Definition.—In this section, the term ‘institution of higher education’ has the meaning given that term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001).”.
(b) Conforming amendment.—The table of contents for the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10101 note) is amended by adding after the item relating to section 175, the following:
“Sec. 176. Priority funding for certain institutions of higher education.”.
Section 122 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10142) is amended by adding at the end the following: “Any economic benefits derived from the retrieval of spent nuclear fuel pursuant to this section shall be shared with the State in which the repository is located, affected units of local government, and affected Indian tribes.”.
Section 175(a) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10174a(a)) is amended by striking “Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987” and inserting “Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2017”.
(a) In general.—Section 302(a)(4) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10222(a)(4)) is amended—
(1) in the first sentence—
(3) in the third sentence, by striking “are being collected” and inserting “will result from such amounts”;
(4) in the fifth sentence, by striking “a period of 90 days of continuous session” and all that follows through the period at the end and inserting “the date that is 180 days after the date of such transmittal.”; and
(5) by adding at the end the following:
“(B) COLLECTION AND PAYMENT OF FEES.—
“(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2017, the Secretary shall establish procedures for the collection and payment of the fees established by paragraph (2) and paragraph (3), or adjusted pursuant to subparagraph (A).
“(ii) LIMITATION ON COLLECTION.—The Secretary may not collect a fee established under paragraph (2), including a fee established under paragraph (2) and adjusted pursuant to subparagraph (A)—
“(iii) PAYMENT OF FULL AMOUNTS.—Notwithstanding the noncollection of a fee by the Secretary pursuant to clause (ii) in any fiscal year, a person who has entered into a contract with the Secretary under this subsection shall pay any uncollected amounts when determined necessary by the Secretary, subject to clause (ii), for purposes described in subsection (d).”.
(b) Authority To modify contracts.—The Secretary of Energy may seek to modify a contract entered into under section 302(a) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10222(a)) before the date of enactment of this Act to ensure that the contract complies with the provisions of such section, as amended by this Act.
(c) Technical and conforming amendments.—Section 302(a) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10222(a)) is amended—
(a) In general.—Section 302(d) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10222(d)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking “maintenance and monitoring” and all that follows through the semicolon at the end and inserting “maintenance and monitoring of any repository or test and evaluation facility constructed under this Act;”;
(2) in paragraph (4), by striking “to be disposed of” and all that follows through the semicolon at the end and inserting “to be disposed of in a repository or to be used in a test and evaluation facility;”;
(b) Conforming amendments.—Section 117(d) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10137(d)) is amended by inserting “designated with respect to a repository” after “such representatives”.
Section 302(e)(2) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10222(e)(2)) is amended by striking “triennially” and inserting “annually”.
Section 302 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10222) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(f) Availability of certain amounts.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, for the purposes described in subsection (d) that are specified in subparagraphs (A) through (E) of this paragraph, the following amounts from the Waste Fund shall be available to the Secretary without further appropriation:
“(A) An amount equal to 1 percent of 2017 Waste Fund amounts, on the date on which high-level radioactive waste or spent nuclear fuel is received at the Yucca Mountain site, and in each of the 25 years thereafter, for costs associated with construction and operation of a repository or facilities at the Yucca Mountain site.
“(B) An amount equal to 1 percent of 2017 Waste Fund amounts, on the date on which high-level radioactive waste or spent nuclear fuel is received at the Yucca Mountain site, to make payments under a benefits agreement entered into under section 170 with the State of Nevada concerning a repository.
“(C) An amount equal to 0.1 percent of 2017 Waste Fund amounts, on the date that is one year after the date on which high-level radioactive waste or spent nuclear fuel is received at the Yucca Mountain site, and in each year thereafter until closure of the repository, to make payments under a benefits agreement entered into under section 170 with the State of Nevada concerning a repository.
“(D) An amount equal to 20 percent of 2017 Waste Fund amounts, on the date on which monitoring of the repository during the decommissioning period commences, for waste package and drip shield fabrication activities.
“(E) An amount equal to the amount of any fee collected pursuant to subsection (a)(3) after the date of enactment of the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 2017, on the date on which such fee is collected, for costs associated with construction and operation of a repository or facilities at the Yucca Mountain site.
(a) Generally applicable standards and criteria.—
(1) ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY STANDARDS.—
(A) DETERMINATION AND REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a final decision approving or disapproving the issuance of a construction authorization for a repository under section 114(d)(1) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10134(d)) (as so designated by this Act), the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall—
(i) determine if the generally applicable standards promulgated under section 121(a) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10141(a)) should be updated; and
(B) RULE.—If the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency determines, under subparagraph (A), that the generally applicable standards promulgated under section 121(a) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10141(a)) should be updated, the Administrator, not later than 2 years after submission of the report under subparagraph (A)(ii), shall, by rule, promulgate updated generally applicable standards under such section.
(2) COMMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND CRITERIA.—Not later than 2 years after the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency promulgates updated generally applicable standards pursuant to paragraph (1)(B), the Commission shall, by rule, promulgate updated technical requirements and criteria under section 121(b) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10141(b)) as necessary to be consistent with such updated generally applicable standards.
(b) Site-Specific standards and criteria.—Nothing in this section shall affect the standards, technical requirements, and criteria promulgated by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the Yucca Mountain site under section 801 of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 10141 note).
Section 135 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10155) is amended by striking subsection (h) and redesignating subsection (i) as subsection (h).
Section 180(c) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10175(c)) is amended—
(2) by striking “The Waste Fund” and inserting the following:
“(2) ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall, subject to the availability of appropriations, provide in-kind, financial, technical, and other appropriate assistance, for safety activities related to the transportation of high-level radioactive waste or spent nuclear fuel, to any entity receiving technical assistance or funds under paragraph (1).
(a) Amendment to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982.—Subsection (b) of section 304 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10224(b)) is amended to read as follows:
“(b) Director.—
“(1) FUNCTIONS.—The Director of the Office shall be responsible for carrying out the functions of the Secretary under this Act. The Director of the Office shall report directly to the Secretary.
“(2) QUALIFICATIONS.—The Director of the Office shall be appointed from among persons who have extensive expertise and experience in organizational and project management.
(b) Transfer of functions.—
(1) AMENDMENT.—Section 203(a) of the Department of Energy Organization Act (42 U.S.C. 7133(a)) is amended by striking paragraph (8).
(2) TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS.—The functions described in the paragraph (8) stricken by the amendment made by paragraph (1) shall be transferred to and performed by the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, as provided in section 304 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10224).
(c) Technical amendment.—Section 2(17) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10101(17)) is amended by striking “section 305” and inserting “section 304”.
Not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall submit to Congress a report containing the final remedy to be implemented at the West Lake Landfill and the expected timeline for implementation of such final remedy.
(a) Prohibition.—Section 5 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10104) is amended—
Union Calendar No. 259 | |||||
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[Report No. 115–355, Part I] | |||||
A BILL | |||||
To amend the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, and for other purposes. | |||||
October 19, 2017 | |||||
Reported from the Committee on Energy and Commerce with an amendment | |||||
October 19, 2017 | |||||
The Committees on Natural Resources and Armed Services discharged; committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed |