[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1001 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1001

  To authorize appropriations for the Reduced Enrichment Research and 
           Test Reactors Program of the Department of Energy.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 18, 1993

 Mr. Schumer introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
               Committee on Science, Space and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize appropriations for the Reduced Enrichment Research and 
           Test Reactors Program of the Department of Energy.

    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 ``Bomb-Grade Uranium Export 
Substitution Act of 1993''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Highly enriched (or ``bomb-grade'') uranium exported to 
        civilian nuclear research reactors can be used to make nuclear 
        weapons, if diverted for such purposes or intercepted by 
        terrorists.
            (2) Since 1978, it has been the stated policy of the United 
        States to reduce exports of highly enriched uranium to the 
        maximum extent possible in order to reduce the risk that highly 
        enriched uranium exported to civilian nuclear research reactors 
        will be used to make nuclear weapons.
            (3) The Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.), 
        as amended by section 903 of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 
        (P.L. 102-486; 106 Stat. 2776), authorizes the export of highly 
        enriched uranium only if--
                    (A) there is no alternative (or ``low-enriched 
                uranium'') nuclear reactor fuel or target that can be 
                used in the reactor;
                    (B) the proposed recipient of the highly enriched 
                uranium provides assurances that, whenever an 
                alternative nuclear reactor fuel or target can be used 
                in the reactor, the recipient will use such fuel or 
                target; and
                    (C) the United States Government is actively 
                developing an alternative nuclear reactor fuel or 
                target that can be used in the reactor.
            (4) In 1990, the United States terminated the fuel 
        development portion of the Reduced Enrichment Research and Test 
        Reactors Program of the Department of Energy.
            (5) Several overseas reactors cannot use the alternative 
        nuclear reactor fuels that have already been developed.
            (6) If the fuel development portion of the Reduced 
        Enrichment Research and Test Reactors Program of the Department 
        of Energy is not restarted, the United States will be required 
        under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) to 
        withhold exports of highly enriched uranium even to reactors 
        that cannot use any of the alternative fuels that so far have 
        been developed.
            (7) If the Reduced Enrichment Research and Test Reactors 
        Program of the Department of Energy is adequately funded, it 
        would likely be able to develop, within approximately five 
        years, low-enriched uranium fuels and targets capable of being 
        used by all reactors that now depend on United States exports 
        of highly enriched uranium.
            (8) It would be preferable to phase out remaining exports 
        of highly enriched uranium as alternative nuclear reactor fuels 
        are developed.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Energy 
for the Reduced Enrichment Research and Test Reactors Program for fuel 
development and technical assistance not more than $6,000,000 for each 
of fiscal years 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998, of which not more 
than $3,000,000 for any such fiscal year may be used for technical 
assistance.

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