10 U.S.C. § 6155 — Acceleration of removal or security of fissile materials, radiological materials, and related equipment at vulnerable sites worldwide

submitted 1 year ago by Pub. L. 119-60 to r/title-10-ARMED-FORCES · 1,237 words · no verdicts yet

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Congress identifies worldwide security or rapid removal of high-risk fissile and radiological materials as a national-security priority. The Secretary of Energy may run a worldwide program to reduce theft, diversion, and proliferation risks.

(a) Congress considers security, including rapid removal or secure storage, of high-risk, proliferation-attractive fissile materials, radiological materials, and related equipment at vulnerable sites worldwide a top national-security priority. Congress also considers that the President may create a Department of Energy Task Force on Nuclear Materials to carry out subsection (b). (b) The Secretary of Energy may run an accelerated worldwide program to reduce threats from those materials and equipment at sites vulnerable to theft or diversion. (c)(1) Activities may include: (A) securing, removing, or eliminating such materials in reactors and other facilities worldwide; (B) arranging secure shipment to willing countries, or to the United States if none can be identified, and secure storage or disposal afterward; (C) transporting them from risky sites to secure facilities abroad or in the United States; (D) processing and packaging them to required transport, storage, and disposal standards; (E) temporary security improvements pending removal; (F) improving security and accounting where materials remain for a long time; (G) managing them at secure facilities; (H) ensuring security continues to work as intended; (I) technical support to the International Atomic Energy Agency, countries, and other entities; (J) developing low-enriched-uranium fuels and irradiation targets and converting highly-enriched-uranium reactors and targets; (K) rapidly blending highly enriched uranium down to low enriched uranium; (L) helping close and decommission risky sites; and (M) helping displaced employees find non-proliferation-threatening work and converting risky sites, including through alternative technologies, to non-threatening uses as needed. (2) The Secretary must coordinate with the Secretary of State and consult and receive assistance from appropriate United States departments, agencies, and entities. (3) With the Secretary of State’s agreement, the Secretary may collaborate with appropriate foreign governments, nongovernmental organizations, and international entities. (d) Defense nuclear nonproliferation appropriations may fund this program. (e)(1) With the Secretary of State’s agreement, the Secretary may accept contributions from foreign governments, international organizations, or other persons for programs in the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation. (3) Contributions may be kept in a separate Treasury fund and used without further appropriation or fiscal-year limit, despite 31 U.S.C. 3302. (4) A contribution not used within five years must be returned. (5) By October 31 each year, the Secretary must report to the congressional defense committees on the preceding fiscal year, listing received amounts and contributors, used amounts and purposes, and retained unused amounts and intended purposes if known. (f) Definitions. (1) “Fissile materials” means plutonium, highly-enriched uranium, or other material able to sustain an explosive nuclear chain reaction, including irradiated items unless their radiation prevents theft or misuse. (2) “Radiological materials” includes Americium-241, Californium-252, Cesium-137, Cobalt-60, Iridium-192, Plutonium-238, Radium-226, Strontium-90, Curium-244, irradiated items containing them, and other materials the Secretary designates. (3) “Related equipment” includes equipment useful for uranium-235 enrichment, extracting fissile material from irradiated fuel rods, and other equipment the Secretary designates. (4) “Highly-enriched uranium” is uranium at or above 20 percent uranium-235. (5) “Low-enriched uranium” is uranium below 20 percent uranium-235. (6) “Proliferation-attractive” means quantities and types the Secretary determines pose a significant United States national-security risk if diverted for proliferation. (7) “Alternative technologies” means technologies such as accelerator equipment that do not use radiological materials.

the actual law source: uscode.house.gov ↗public domain

(a)Sense of Congress.—

(1)

It is the sense of Congress that the security, including the rapid removal or secure storage, of high-risk, proliferation-attractive fissile materials, radiological materials, and related equipment at vulnerable sites worldwide should be a top priority among the activities to achieve the national security of the United States.

(2)

It is the sense of Congress that the President may establish in the Department of Energy a task force to be known as the Task Force on Nuclear Materials to carry out the program authorized by subsection (b).

(b)Program Authorized.—

The Secretary of Energy may carry out a program to undertake an accelerated, comprehensive worldwide effort to mitigate the threats posed by high-risk, proliferation-attractive fissile materials, radiological materials, and related equipment located at sites potentially vulnerable to theft or diversion.

(c)Program Elements.—

(1)

Activities under the program under subsection (b) may include the following:

(A)

Accelerated efforts to secure, remove, or eliminate proliferation-attractive fissile materials or radiological materials in research reactors, other reactors, and other facilities worldwide.

(B)

Arrangements for the secure shipment of proliferation-attractive fissile materials, radiological materials, and related equipment to other countries willing to accept such materials and equipment, or to the United States if such countries cannot be identified, and the provision of secure storage or disposition of such materials and equipment following shipment.

(C)

The transportation of proliferation-attractive fissile materials, radiological materials, and related equipment from sites identified as proliferation risks to secure facilities in other countries or in the United States.

(D)

The processing and packaging of proliferation-attractive fissile materials, radiological materials, and related equipment in accordance with required standards for transport, storage, and disposition.

(E)

The provision of interim security upgrades for vulnerable, proliferation-attractive fissile materials, radiological materials, and related equipment pending their removal from their current sites.

(F)

The utilization of funds to upgrade security and accounting at sites where proliferation-attractive fissile materials or radiological materials will remain for an extended period of time in order to ensure that such materials are secure against plausible potential threats and will remain so in the future.

(G)

The management of proliferation-attractive fissile materials, radiological materials, and related equipment at secure facilities.

(H)

Actions to ensure that security, including security upgrades at sites and facilities for the storage or disposition of proliferation-attractive fissile materials, radiological materials, and related equipment, continues to function as intended.

(I)

The provision of technical support to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), other countries, and other entities to facilitate removal of, and security upgrades to facilities that contain, proliferation-attractive fissile materials, radiological materials, and related equipment worldwide.

(J)

The development of alternative fuels and irradiation targets based on low-enriched uranium to convert research or other reactors fueled by highly-enriched uranium to such alternative fuels, as well as the conversion of reactors and irradiation targets employing highly-enriched uranium to employment of such alternative fuels and targets.

(K)

Accelerated actions for the blend down of highly-enriched uranium to low-enriched uranium.

(L)

The provision of assistance in the closure and decommissioning of sites identified as presenting risks of proliferation of proliferation-attractive fissile materials, radiological materials, and related equipment.

(M)

Programs to—

(i)

assist in the placement of employees displaced as a result of actions pursuant to the program in enterprises not representing a proliferation threat; and

(ii)

convert (including through the use of alternative technologies) sites identified as presenting risks of proliferation regarding proliferation-attractive fissile materials, radiological materials, and related equipment to purposes not representing a proliferation threat to the extent necessary to eliminate the proliferation threat.

(2)

The Secretary of Energy shall, in coordination with the Secretary of State, carry out the program in consultation with, and with the assistance of, appropriate departments, agencies, and other entities of the United States Government.

(3)

The Secretary of Energy shall, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, carry out activities under the program in collaboration with such foreign governments, non-governmental organizations, and other international entities as the Secretary of Energy considers appropriate for the program.

(d)Funding.—

Amounts authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Energy for defense nuclear nonproliferation activities shall be available for purposes of the program under this section.

(e)Participation by Other Governments and Organizations.—

(1)

The Secretary of Energy may, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, enter into one or more agreements with any person (including a foreign government, international organization, or multinational entity) that the Secretary of Energy considers appropriate under which the person contributes funds for purposes of the programs described in paragraph (2).

(2)

The programs described in this paragraph are any programs within the Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation of the National Nuclear Security Administration.

(3)

Notwithstanding section 3302 of title 31, the Secretary of Energy may retain and use amounts contributed under an agreement under paragraph (1) for purposes of the programs described in paragraph (2). Amounts so contributed shall be retained in a separate fund established in the Treasury for such purposes and shall be available for use without further appropriation and without fiscal year limitation.

(4)

If an amount contributed under an agreement under paragraph (1) is not used under this subsection within 5 years after it was contributed, the Secretary of Energy shall return that amount to the person who contributed it.

(5)

Not later than October 31 of each year, the Secretary of Energy shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the receipt and use of amounts under this subsection during the preceding fiscal year. Each report for a fiscal year shall set forth—

(A)

a statement of any amounts received under this subsection, including, for each such amount, the value of the contribution and the person who contributed it;

(B)

a statement of any amounts used under this subsection, including, for each such amount, the purposes for which the amount was used; and

(C)

a statement of the amounts retained but not used under this subsection, including, for each such amount, the purposes (if known) for which the Secretary intends to use the amount.

(f)Definitions.—

In this section:

(1)

The term “fissile materials” means plutonium, highly-enriched uranium, or other material capable of sustaining an explosive nuclear chain reaction, including irradiated items containing such materials if the radiation field from such items is not sufficient to prevent the theft or misuse of such items.

(2)

The term “radiological materials” includes Americium-241, Californium-252, Cesium-137, Cobalt-60, Iridium-192, Plutonium-238, Radium-226, Strontium-90, Curium-244, and irradiated items containing such materials, or other materials designated by the Secretary of Energy for purposes of this paragraph.

(3)

The term “related equipment” includes equipment useful for enrichment of uranium in the isotope 235 and for extraction of fissile materials from irradiated fuel rods and other equipment designated by the Secretary of Energy for purposes of this section.

(4)

The term “highly-enriched uranium” means uranium enriched to or above 20 percent in the isotope 235.

(5)

The term “low-enriched uranium” means uranium enriched below 20 percent in the isotope 235.

(6)

The term “proliferation-attractive”, in the case of fissile materials and radiological materials, means quantities and types of such materials that are determined by the Secretary of Energy to present a significant risk to the national security of the United States if diverted to a use relating to proliferation.

(7)

The term “alternative technologies” means technologies, such as accelerator-based equipment, that do not use radiological materials.

Source credit: (Added and amended Pub. L. 119–60, div. C, title XXXI, § 3111(a), (d)(2), Dec. 18, 2025, 139 Stat. 1377, 1462.)

history & why it existsrecord from the source credit

2025Enacted · Pub. L. 119-60 · 139 Stat. 1377, 1462

A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 119-60 on 2025-12-18.

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