[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4678 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4678

   To direct the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the 
     Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, and the 
 Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to establish 
  procedures for the deployment of microreactors at airports, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 17, 2023

 Mr. Donalds introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the 
   Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To direct the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the 
     Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, and the 
 Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to establish 
  procedures for the deployment of microreactors at airports, and for 
                            other purposes.

    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 ``Provide Logistical Aid to airports 
via advanced Nuclear Energy Act'' or the ``PLANE Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Airports generally have diesel generators on site as a 
        backup power source in the event a natural disaster disrupts 
        the primary power source of the airport.
            (2) Backup diesel generators are subject to potential fuel 
        supply chain disruptions, especially in the event of a natural 
        disaster, which may negatively impact public safety and may 
        severely disrupt the airport's operating procedures if the 
        backup diesel generators aren't available during a primary 
        power source disruption event.
            (3) Generally speaking, airports store enough diesel fuel 
        on-site to power their backup diesel generators for 
        approximately 72 hours after the primary power source 
        disruption event occurs.
            (4) Electricity is fundamental to aviation operations and 
        the operation of many essential systems, equipment, technology, 
        and tools of the airport, therefore maintaining a sufficient 
        backup power capacity should be a priority.
            (5) Back-up power sources, such as diesel generators or 
        microreactors, are critical to an airport's operational 
        continuity and may drive key airport functions in the event of 
        a primary power source disruption event stemming from a natural 
        disaster, including lights critical to illuminating runways, 
        all electronics within the airport, airplane refueling 
        stations, ticketing, signage, security checkpoints, retail and 
        commercial concessions, and elevators and escalators.
            (6) Microreactors have the inherent benefit of avoiding 
        diesel-related supply chain constraints, and have the potential 
        to provide consistent, reliable, and clean electricity to power 
        the airport during a primary power source disruption event.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) Federal Aviation Administration-certified airports 
        should consider utilizing microreactors as an alternative to 
        diesel backup generators in the event of a primary power source 
        disruption;
            (2) the Federal Government should initiate discussions to 
        deploy microreactors to respond to a primary power source 
        disruption event stemming from a natural disaster; and
            (3) the Nuclear Regulatory Commission should collaborate 
        with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal 
        Emergency Management Agency to consider expedited licensing of 
        microreactors to deploy in the event of primary power source 
        disruption.

SEC. 4. MICROREACTOR DEPLOYMENT AT AIRPORTS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 270 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, 
the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the 
Secretary of Energy, or the designees thereof, shall collaborate to 
establish procedures to, as soon as practicable, deploy microreactors 
at airports to respond to a primary power source disruption event 
stemming from a natural disaster.
    (b) Considerations.--In establishing procedures under subsection 
(a), the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the 
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, the Administrator 
of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Secretary of Energy 
shall consider, if the Chairman, Administrators, and Secretary 
determine appropriate--
            (1) expediting the Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing 
        process associated with deploying microreactors in the event of 
        a natural disaster;
            (2) pre-deployment strategies of microreactors, including--
                    (A) where airports currently store backup diesel 
                generators and an overview of the process, including 
                pros and cons, of utilizing backup diesel generators;
                    (B) the inherent benefits of utilizing 
                microreactors instead of a backup diesel generator and 
                when a backup diesel generator will suffice;
                    (C) how a microreactor would be transported to an 
                airport and transportation-related processes associated 
                with deploying the microreactor via plane, boat, rail, 
                or truck, depending on the location of the airport;
                    (D) any associated environmental considerations 
                that would have to be alleviated to do so;
                    (E) how to integrate microreactors into existing 
                electrical grids in primary power source disruption 
                events, including grid connection points, site load 
                limits, and existing infrastructure; and
                    (F) the timeliness of deploying the microreactor, 
                including--
                            (i) how long it would take to deploy the 
                        microreactor;
                            (ii) how long it would take to set up the 
                        microreactor to get the microreactor 
                        operational; and
                            (iii) how long it would take to disconnect 
                        the microreactor after the operational use;
            (3) deployment strategies of microreactors, including--
                    (A) operating the microreactor in the deployment 
                event, including considerations relating to--
                            (i) personnel and labor and any associated 
                        training; and
                            (ii) qualifications and considerations for 
                        who should be responsible for oversight of such 
                        personnel described in clause (i) and the 
                        deployment of the microreactor;
                    (B) whether the operation of a microreactor would 
                inhibit normal airport operations, in the event of a 
                primary power source distribution, in comparison to a 
                diesel generator; and
                    (C) what facilities the microreactor would provide 
                electricity to;
            (4) post-deployment strategies of microreactors, including 
        potential public-private partnerships that could be used to 
        assist with maintenance, replacement, storage, and disposal; 
        and
            (5) other considerations, including--
                    (A) what entity would own the microreactor and any 
                contractual agreements or leases necessary for the 
                operation of the reactor, including potential contracts 
                with local utilities, the armed forces, or industry 
                stakeholders to deliver the microreactor when 
                necessary;
                    (B) how the Nuclear Regulatory Commission can 
                leverage ongoing and existing licensing procedures to 
                maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of 
                establishing procedures to deploy microreactors at 
                airports; and
                    (C) any other considerations that would be 
                necessary to carry out the objective of this Act.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 120 days after a determination on 
appropriateness of the considerations described in subsection (b) is 
made, the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the 
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, the Administrator 
of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Secretary of Energy 
shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Committee on Homeland 
Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources and the Committee on Environment and Public Works 
of the Senate a report outlining the reasoning, findings, and any 
recommended procedures found in making such considerations.
    (d) FAA Guidance Update.--Not later than 180 days after the 
procedures under subsection (b) are finalized, the Administrator of the 
Federal Aviation Administration shall update guidance from the 
Administration to consider the use of microreactors in airport 
emergency plans.
    (e) Airport Emergency Plan Update.--Not later than 270 days after 
the procedures under subsection (b) are finalized, the Administrator of 
the Federal Aviation Administration shall issue such regulations as are 
necessary to update section 139.325 of title 14, Code of Federal 
Regulations, to encourage certified airports to consider utilizing 
microreactors to provide backup power in the case of a primary power 
source disruption event as a result of an incident under subsection (b) 
of such section.
    (f) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) Microreactor.--The term ``microreactor'' means an 
        advanced nuclear reactor (as such term is defined in section 3 
        of the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act (42 
        U.S.C. 2215 note)), including a portable nuclear reactor, that 
        has an electricity generating capacity of not more than 20 
        megawatts of electricity and not more than 100 megawatts of 
        thermal energy.
            (2) Natural disaster.--The term ``natural disaster'' has 
        the meaning given the term ``major disaster'' in section 102 of 
        the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
        Act (42 U.S.C. 5122).
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