42 U.S.C. § 16271
Section 16271 · Nuclear energy
Current version, with additions and removals from the August 8, 2005 version.
The Secretary shall conduct programs of civilian nuclear energy research, development, demonstration, and commercial application, including activities described in this part. Programs under this part shall take into consideration the following objectives:
(1) Enhancing nuclear power's viability as part of the United States energy portfolio.
(2) Providing the technical means to reduce the likelihood of nuclear proliferation.
(3) Maintaining a cadre of nuclear scientists and engineers.
(4) Maintaining National Laboratory and university nuclear programs, including their infrastructure.
(5) Supporting both individual researchers and multidisciplinary teams of researchers to pioneer new approaches in nuclear energy, science, and technology.
(6) Developing, planning, constructing, acquiring, and operating special equipment and facilities for the use of researchers.
(7) Supporting technology transfer and other appropriate activities to assist the nuclear energy industry, and other users of nuclear science and engineering, including activities addressing reliability, availability, productivity, component aging, safety, and security of nuclear power plants.
(8) Reducing the environmental impact of nuclear energy-related activities.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out nuclear energy research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities, including activities authorized under this part, other than those described in subsection (c)—
(1) $330,000,000 for fiscal year 2007;
(2) $355,000,000 for fiscal year 2008; and
(3) $495,000,000 for fiscal year 2009.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out activities under section 16275 of this title—
(1) $135,000,000 for fiscal year 2007;
(2) $140,000,000 for fiscal year 2008; and
(3) $145,000,000 for fiscal year 2009.
From amounts authorized under subsection (a), the following sums are authorized:
(1) For activities under section 16273 of this title—
(A) $150,000,000 for fiscal year 2007;
(B) $155,000,000 for fiscal year 2008; and
(C) $275,000,000 for fiscal year 2009.
(2) For activities under section 16274 of this title—
(A) $43,600,000 for fiscal year 2007;
(B) $50,100,000 for fiscal year 2008; and
(C) $56,000,000 for fiscal year 2009.
(3) For activities under section 16277 of this title, $6,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2009.
None of the funds authorized under this section may be used to decommission the Fast Flux Test Facility.
The Secretary shall carry out programs of civilian nuclear research, development, demonstration, and commercial application, including activities under this part.
The programs carried out under paragraph (1) shall take into consideration the following objectives:
Providing research infrastructure to promote scientific progress and enable users from academia, the National Laboratories, and the private sector to make scientific discoveries relevant for nuclear, chemical, and materials science engineering.
Maintaining nuclear energy research and development programs at the National Laboratories and institutions of higher education, including infrastructure at the National Laboratories and institutions of higher education.
Providing the technical means to reduce the likelihood of nuclear proliferation.
Increasing confidence margins for public safety of nuclear energy systems.
Reducing the environmental impact of activities relating to nuclear energy.
Supporting technology transfer from the National Laboratories to the private sector.
Enabling the private sector to partner with the National Laboratories to demonstrate novel reactor concepts for the purpose of resolving technical uncertainty associated with the objectives described in subparagraphs (A) through (F).
In this part:
The term “advanced nuclear reactor” means—
a nuclear fission reactor, including a prototype plant (as defined in sections 50.2 and 52.1 of title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations)), with significant improvements compared to reactors operating on December 27, 2020, including improvements such as—
additional inherent safety features;
lower waste yields;
improved fuel and material performance;
increased tolerance to loss of fuel cooling;
enhanced reliability or improved resilience;
increased proliferation resistance;
increased thermal efficiency;
reduced consumption of cooling water and other environmental impacts;
the ability to integrate into electric applications and nonelectric applications;
modular sizes to allow for deployment that corresponds with the demand for electricity or process heat; and
operational flexibility to respond to changes in demand for electricity or process heat and to complement integration with intermittent renewable energy or energy storage;
a fusion reactor; and
a radioisotope power system that utilizes heat from radioactive decay to generate energy.
The term “Commission” means the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The term “fast neutron” means a neutron with kinetic energy above 100 kiloelectron volts.
Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the term “National Laboratory” has the meaning given the term in section 15801 of this title.
With respect to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the Sandia National Laboratories, the term “National Laboratory” means only the civilian activities of the laboratory.
The term “neutron flux” means the intensity of neutron radiation measured as a rate of flow of neutrons applied over an area.
The term “neutron source” means a research machine that provides neutron irradiation services for—
research on materials sciences and nuclear physics; and
testing of advanced materials, nuclear fuels, and other related components for reactor systems.