22 U.S.C. § 5961a — Requirement for on-site managers

(a) On-site manager requirement. Before committing any defense nuclear nonproliferation funds to a project covered by subsection (b), the Secretary of Energy must appoint one on-site manager. The manager must be a Federal Government employee.
(b) Projects covered. Subsection (a) applies to a project that (1) will be located in a state of the former Soviet Union; (2) involves dismantlement, destruction, or storage facilities, or construction of a facility; and (3) is expected to receive more than $50,000,000 in total Department of Energy contributions.
(c) Duties of on-site manager. The manager must (1) work with representatives of participating countries’ governments to list the steps or activities critical to the project’s disarmament or nonproliferation goals; (2) set a schedule for completing them; (3) meet with all participants to seek assurances that they are on schedule; and (4) suspend United States participation when a non-United States participant misses a scheduled step or activity, unless the Secretary of Energy directs the manager to resume participation.
(d) Authority to manage more than one project. (1) Subject to paragraph (2), a Federal employee may manage more than one project, including projects in different locations. (2) If the employee manages more than one project in a fiscal year, the projects’ total cost for that year may not exceed $150,000,000.
(e) Steps or activities. The steps or activities in subsection (c)(1) are activities that, if not completed, would prevent the project from meeting its disarmament or nonproliferation goals. At a minimum, they include (1) identifying and obtaining permits, as subsection (g) defines that term; (2) verifying that the items, substances, or capabilities to be dismantled, secured, or otherwise changed are available for that work; and (3) providing financial, personnel, management, transportation, and other resources on time.
(f) Notification to Congress. When the Secretary directs the manager to resume United States participation under subsection (c)(4), the Secretary must notify Congress at the same time.
(g) Permit defined. In this section, “permit” means any local or national permit for development, general construction, environmental, land-use, or other purposes required in the former Soviet state where the project is being or is proposed to be carried out.
(h) Effective date. This section takes effect six months after November 24, 2003.