[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5706 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5706

  To direct the Architect of the Capitol, using existing funding, to 
   study the feasibility of retrofitting the Capitol Power Plant to 
                incorporate an advanced nuclear reactor.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 26, 2023

 Mr. Donalds introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To direct the Architect of the Capitol, using existing funding, to 
   study the feasibility of retrofitting the Capitol Power Plant to 
                incorporate an advanced nuclear reactor.

    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 ``U.S. Capitol Power Plant Retrofit 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Capitol Power Plant was originally built in 1910 to 
        provide electricity for the United States Capitol Complex, and 
        continued to provide electricity for the Complex until 1951.
            (2) In 1951, the Plant diverted its electricity 
        responsibilities to a local utility, but instead utilized the 
        Plant to provide steam and chilled water for building heating 
        and cooling systems throughout the Complex.
            (3) In 2018, the Architect of the Capitol competed 
        installation of a new combined heat and power natural gas-fired 
        co-generation system, which has a natural gas-fired turbine 
        that has the potential to generate 7.5 MWe and be paired with a 
        heat recovery steam generator to produce steam.
            (4) The electricity that the Plant generates today is used 
        to power certain internal operations in the Complex and to 
        supply some of the demands of the chilled water system.
            (5) On average, two-thirds of electricity for the chilled 
        water needs of the Complex is supplied by the Plant, with the 
        rest of the required electricity purchased from a local 
        utility.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the Architect of the Capitol should be encouraged to 
        collaborate with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the 
        Department of Energy to determine the feasibility of 
        retrofitting the Capitol Power Plant to incorporate an advanced 
        nuclear reactor;
            (2) the Architect of the Capitol should recognize the 
        inherent benefits that an advanced nuclear power plant can 
        provide, including zero-emissions steam and chilled water 
        production, grid resiliency, and energy independence; and
            (3) Congress understands that evaluating the feasibility of 
        retrofitting the Capitol Power Plant to incorporate an advanced 
        nuclear reactor will ultimately assist with improving public 
        support for advanced nuclear energy.

SEC. 3. STUDY OF FEASIBILITY OF RETROFITTING CAPITOL POWER PLANT TO 
              INCORPORATE ADVANCED NUCLEAR REACTOR.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Architect of the Capitol shall begin 
consultation with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department 
of Energy about developing and conducting a study of the feasibility of 
retrofitting the Capitol Power Plant to incorporate an advanced nuclear 
reactor.
    (b) Specifics of Study.--
            (1) In general.--The feasibility study conducted under this 
        section shall include, at a minimum, a general description of 
        the background and objective of the feasibility study, and may 
        also include any of the following:
                    (A) Organizational responsibilities for the 
                preparation of the study preparation.
                    (B) Potential project stakeholders.
                    (C) An analysis of the following:
                            (i) The demand for electricity in the 
                        region of the Capitol Power Plant.
                            (ii) The transmission capacity and 
                        transmission facilities and systems in such 
                        region.
                            (iii) The structure of the market for 
                        electricity.
                            (iv) How the construction and operation of 
                        the advanced nuclear reactor at the Plant would 
                        affect the issues described in clauses (i), 
                        (ii), and (iii).
                            (v) The potential for the advanced nuclear 
                        reactor to produce electricity to not only 
                        provide power for the Capitol Complex but to 
                        produce chilled water and steam.
                            (vi) Whether the piping capacity of the 
                        Plant is sufficient to produce and distribute 
                        heat through the Capitol Complex.
                            (vii) Site analysis, including preliminary 
                        site layout and site preparation and potential 
                        effects of the advanced nuclear reactor and 
                        supporting facilities on the applicable region, 
                        including population distribution and current 
                        uses of land and water.
                            (viii) Environmental analysis of 
                        constructing and operating the advanced nuclear 
                        reactor, including--
                                    (I) a comparison of similar 
                                characteristics in the applicable 
                                region; and
                                    (II) an overview of environmental 
                                protection requirements in the region.
                            (ix) How to approach the licensing process 
                        and authorization for the siting, construction, 
                        and operation of the advanced nuclear reactor.
                            (x) Potential contractual approaches, 
                        procurement plans, project schedules, project 
                        management, and risk management plans.
                            (xi) Organizational requirements and 
                        responsibilities for each phase of retrofitting 
                        the Plant with an advanced nuclear reactor, 
                        including requirements and responsibilities 
                        relating to human resources and training, 
                        workforce logistics and staffing requirements, 
                        and maintenance of the advanced nuclear 
                        reactor.
                            (xii) Economic feasibility of retrofitting 
                        the Plant with an advanced nuclear reactor, 
                        including a cost-benefit analysis.
                            (xiii) Plans for emergency preparedness and 
                        coordination, including on-site emergency 
                        planning and coordination with off-site 
                        emergency response organizations.
                            (xiv) Co-generation opportunities which may 
                        arise after the Plant is retrofitted with an 
                        advanced nuclear reactor.
                            (xv) Safety and performance analysis, 
                        including--
                                    (I) fuel cycle evaluation and 
                                impact assessment;
                                    (II) radioactive and conventional 
                                waste management assessment; and
                                    (III) interim waste storage and 
                                related issues.
                            (xvi) Decommissioning analysis for the 
                        advanced nuclear reactor, including the cost of 
                        decommissioning the advanced nuclear reactor, 
                        and the environmental impact of decommissioning 
                        the advanced nuclear reactor.
            (2) Other considerations.--The Architect of the Capitol may 
        incorporate in the study the following additional 
        considerations:
                    (A) How retrofitting the Capitol Power Plant would 
                affect other Federal and District of Columbia laws, 
                including the Clean Air Act, and what would be needed 
                in terms of regulatory clarity and licensing to 
                retrofit the Plant with an advanced nuclear reactor.
                    (B) Economic considerations relating to how the 
                retrofitted power plant compares with the current 
                combined heat and power natural gas-fired co-generation 
                system, as well as how the retrofitted Plant compares 
                with Plant when it was powered by coal and an analysis 
                of how much retrofitting the plant with an advanced 
                nuclear reactor would save the Federal Government and 
                the American taxpayer annually.
                    (C) How such feasibility would impact the utility 
                energy service contract between the Architect of the 
                Capitol and the local utility, including potential 
                Federal funding opportunities to pay off the utility 
                energy service contract before the May 2037 anticipated 
                timeline.
                    (D) How local power outages currently affect the 
                Plant, and how the power outage impacts could be 
                alleviated from retrofitting the Plant with an advanced 
                nuclear reactor.
                    (E) The potential for the retrofitted Plant to once 
                again provide electricity, along with steam and chilled 
                water, to the Capitol Complex, and how this would 
                benefit the Complex in terms of grid security and 
                protection against cyberattacks and digital data 
                infiltration efforts.
                    (F) How retrofitting the Plant to incorporate an 
                advanced nuclear reactor would fit within the 
                ``Greening the Capitol Initiative'', which was created 
                in March 2007 to ``provide an environmentally 
                responsible and healthy working environment for 
                employees''.
                    (G) How the retrofitted Plant can take advantage of 
                the high-energy waste heat and other biproducts of 
                operating an advanced nuclear reactor.
                    (H) The extent to which there is an opportunity to 
                keep the existing combined heat and power natural gas-
                fired co-generation system infrastructure, and the 
                extent to which there is a possibility for the advanced 
                nuclear reactor to provide electricity, chilled water, 
                and steam (or any combination thereof).
                    (I) The role of thermal combustion resources and 
                infrastructure in the Plant's existing operational 
                capacity, and what the role of such resources and 
                infrastructure would be if the Plant was retrofitted 
                with an advanced nuclear reactor.
                    (J) How to incorporate a consent-based, community-
                focused approach for conducting this feasibility study, 
                including sharing the facts with surrounding 
                businesses, residents, and the general public, 
                including tourists and other individuals that visit the 
                Capitol Complex for business purposes, and how to 
                alleviate concerns relating to the feasibility of 
                retrofitting the Plant with an advanced nuclear 
                reactor.
                    (K) Whether energy savings performance contracts 
                available to the Architect of the Capitol, and which 
                are currently used mostly for building improvements, 
                can be utilized to retrofit the Plant with an advanced 
                nuclear reactor.
                    (L) Whether the Plant can continue operations 
                during the process of retrofitting the plant with an 
                advanced nuclear reactor, and related concerns.
                    (M) How to secure the Plant from sabotage and other 
                forms of attack, including physical and cyber attack.
                    (N) How to ensure that the emergency planning zone 
                surrounding the advanced nuclear reactor, as required 
                under regulations of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
                is small enough to ensure the safety of the Plant.
    (c) Public Sessions.--During the course of conducting the 
feasibility study under this section, the Architect of the Capitol, in 
conjunction with the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, shall hold at least two in-person public sessions to give 
members of the public the opportunity to learn about the study, and 
shall provide the public with notice of such sessions to the greatest 
extent possible.
    (d) Deadline for Completion.--The Architect of the Capitol shall 
complete the feasibility study under this section not later than 2 
years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (e) Advanced Nuclear Reactor Defined.--The term ``advanced nuclear 
reactor'' means--
            (1) a nuclear fission reactor, including a prototype plant 
        (as defined in sections 50.2 and 52.1 of title 10, Code of 
        Federal Regulations (or successor regulations)), with 
        significant improvements compared to reactors operating on 
        October 19, 2016, including improvements such as--
                    (A) additional inherent safety features, including 
                features designed to prevent the release of radioactive 
                material;
                    (B) lower waste yields;
                    (C) improved fuel and material performance;
                    (D) increased tolerance to loss of fuel cooling;
                    (E) enhanced reliability or improved resilience;
                    (F) increased proliferation resistance;
                    (G) increased thermal efficiency;
                    (H) reduced consumption of cooling water and other 
                environmental impacts;
                    (I) the ability to integrate into electric 
                applications and nonelectric applications;
                    (J) modular sizes to allow for deployment that 
                corresponds with the demand for electricity or process 
                heat; and
                    (K) operational flexibility to respond to changes 
                in demand for electricity or process heat and to 
                complement integration with intermittent renewable 
                energy or energy storage;
            (2) a fusion reactor; and
            (3) a radioisotope power system that utilizes heat from 
        radioactive decay to generate energy.

SEC. 4. REPORT.

    (a) Report.--Not later than 60 days after completing the 
feasibility study under section 3, the Architect of the Capitol shall 
submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that 
outlines the findings of the feasibility study, along with the 
Architect's final determination as to the whether it is feasible to 
retrofit the current Capitol Power Plant to encompass an advanced 
nuclear reactor.
    (b) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--The term 
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
            (1) the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee 
        on House Administration of the House of Representatives; and
            (2) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, the 
        Committee on Environment and Public Works, and the Committee on 
        Rules and Administration of the Senate.

SEC. 5. USE OF EXISTING FUNDS.

     The Architect of the Capitol shall carry out this Act using funds 
appropriated for the Office of the Architect of the Capitol prior to 
the date of the enactment of this Act which remain unobligated as of 
such date.
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