[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6298 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6298

   To restrict nuclear cooperation with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 18, 2008

Mr. Markey (for himself, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Cantor, Mr. 
McGovern, Mr. Stearns, Mr. Hinchey, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Burton of Indiana, 
    Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, and Mr. Fortenberry) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To restrict nuclear cooperation with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) On May 16, 2008, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice 
        and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
        Saud al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz al-Saud signed a Memorandum of 
        Understanding between the Government of the United States of 
        America and the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
        Concerning Cooperation in Nuclear Energy and Other Energy 
        Fields.
            (2) This Memorandum of Understanding declared an intent to 
        cooperate in developing ``appropriately-sized light water 
        reactors and fuel service arrangements for the Kingdom of Saudi 
        Arabia'' as well as ``civilian nuclear energy training, 
        infrastructure and human resource development''.
            (3) Saudi Arabia possesses vast energy resources, including 
        the world's largest proven reserves of oil.
            (4) Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in a national natural 
        gas distribution pipeline which will serve as the backbone of 
        Saudi Arabia's national electricity generation system for 
        decades to come.
            (5) Questions about the need for oil-rich nations in the 
        Middle East to acquire the equipment and expertise to generate 
        nuclear power have been raised in the past, notably in 2004, 
        when Vice President Dick Cheney said, ``[Iran is] already 
        sitting on an awful lot of oil and gas. No one can figure out 
        why they need nuclear, as well, to generate energy''.
            (6) Saudi Arabia possesses even greater petroleum resources 
        than does Iran.
            (7) The development of nuclear energy technologies by the 
        Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not appear to have a compelling 
        economic rationale, particularly because Saudi Arabia has 
        additional indigenous energy advantages besides petroleum 
        reserves, such as an average of more than 300 days of exposure 
        to full sunlight every year, giving it a rich solar electricity 
        generation potential.
            (8) The proliferation of nuclear technology in the Middle 
        East will increase that region's instability, and prevent the 
        establishment of a durable and lasting security framework.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    Congress--
            (1) affirms the strong and historic ties between the 
        Government of the United States of America and the Government 
        of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia;
            (2) disapproves of the Memorandum of Understanding between 
        the Government of the United States of America and the 
        Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Concerning 
        Cooperation in Nuclear Energy and Other Energy Fields signed by 
        Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Minister of Foreign 
        Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Saud al-Faisal bin 
        Abdulaziz al-Saud on May 16, 2008, at Riyadh;
            (3) encourages the Government of the United States of 
        America and the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to 
        enter into full cooperation in the development of renewable 
        energy sources in Saudi Arabia, including a solar energy 
        program that takes advantage of that country's strong solar 
        energy potential; and
            (4) reiterates that the United States is committed to the 
        nonproliferation of nuclear weapons and to preventing the 
        acquisition of nuclear weapons by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

SEC. 3. RESTRICTION ON NUCLEAR COOPERATION WITH THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI 
              ARABIA.

    (a) Restriction on Nuclear Cooperation Agreement.--Notwithstanding 
any other provision of law or any international agreement, no agreement 
for cooperation between the United States of America and the Kingdom of 
Saudi Arabia pursuant to section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 
(42 U.S.C. 2153) may enter into force on or after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.
    (b) Restriction on Exports of Nuclear Materials, Equipment, or 
Technology.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, including 
specifically section 121 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 
2151), no nuclear materials and equipment or sensitive nuclear 
technology, including items and assistance authorized by section 57 b. 
of such Act (42 U.S.C. 2077(b)) and regulated under part 810 of title 
10, Code of Federal Regulations, and nuclear-related items on the 
Commerce Control List maintained under part 774 of title 15, Code of 
Federal Regulations, shall be exported or reexported, or transferred or 
retransferred, whether directly or indirectly, and no Federal agency 
shall issue any license, approval, or authorization for the export or 
reexport, or transfer or retransfer, whether directly or indirectly, of 
these items or assistance (as defined in this subsection) to the 
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia if the end user is a nuclear production or 
utilization facility, or if the President determines that the material, 
equipment, technology, or item may be diverted for use in such a 
facility.
                                 <all>