[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4495 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4495
To require reports on the dangers posed by nuclear reactors in areas
that might experience armed conflict.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 12, 2026
Mr. Markey (for himself and Mr. Merkley) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require reports on the dangers posed by nuclear reactors in areas
that might experience armed conflict.
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 ``Reactors at Risk Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. REPORT ON DANGERS POSED BY NUCLEAR REACTORS IN AREAS THAT MIGHT
EXPERIENCE ARMED CONFLICT.
(a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense and the Under Secretary
of Energy for Nuclear Security shall jointly submit to the appropriate
committees of Congress a report assessing the following:
(1) The dangers posed to the national security of the
United States, to the interests of allies and partners of the
United States, and to the safety and security of civilian
populations, by nuclear reactors in existence as of such date
of enactment or scheduled to be completed during the 10-year
period beginning on such date of enactment and located in the
following areas:
(A) Regions that have experienced armed conflict in
the 25 years preceding such date of enactment,
including the following conflicts:
(i) Attacks by the Russian Federation on
Ukraine.
(ii) Conflict in the Middle East, including
between Israel and Iran.
(B) Areas that are contested or likely to
experience armed conflict during the life span of those
reactors.
(C) Areas that would be involved in any of the
following possible conflicts:
(i) An attack by the Russian Federation on
the eastern European countries of Estonia,
Latvia, Belarus, Lithuania, or Poland.
(ii) A conflict between India and Pakistan.
(iii) A conflict over Taiwan.
(iv) An attack by North Korea on South
Korea.
(2) Steps the United States or allies and partners of the
United States can take to prevent, prepare for, and mitigate
the risks to the national security of the United States, to the
interests of allies and partners of the United States, and to
the safety and security of civilian populations, posed by
nuclear reactors in places that may experience armed conflict.
(b) Form of Report.--The report required by subsection (a) shall be
submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified annex.
(c) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this section,
the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(1) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on
Foreign Relations, and the Committee on Environment and Public
Works of the Senate; and
(2) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on
Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of
the House of Representatives.
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