[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 29, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7812-S7813]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. AKAKA (for himself, Mr. Carper, and Mr. Voinovich):
  S. 3922. A bill to underscore the importance of international nuclear 
safety cooperation for operating power reactors, encouraging the 
efforts of the Convention on Nuclear Safety, supporting progress in 
improving nuclear safety, and enhancing the public availability of 
nuclear safety information; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Furthering 
International Nuclear Safety Act of 2010. This bipartisan legislation, 
which is cosponsored by Senators Carper and Voinovich, will enhance the 
implementation of the Convention on Nuclear Safety by taking a more 
systematic approach to improving civilian nuclear power safety.
  The Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine in 1986 was the worst nuclear power 
accident in history and made clear the need for international nuclear 
safety norms. According to a report commissioned by United Nations 
agencies, millions of people were exposed to high doses of radiation 
and approximately 350,000 people were displaced from their homes. On 
top of this, the countries most directly impacted by the disaster were 
estimated to have suffered economic damages on the order of hundreds of 
billions of dollars, while thousands of square miles of agricultural 
and forest lands were removed from service.
  In the aftermath of this accident, over 50 countries, led by the 
United States, worked together to develop the Convention on Nuclear 
Safety. This convention was formally established in 1994, and the 
United States joined in 1999. Through the cooperative nature of the 
convention, which relies on peer-reviewed national reports and the 
sharing of best practices, countries that are party to the treaty have 
been able to improve their nuclear safety.
  Although civilian nuclear power programs have become safer, we must 
not be complacent. As history has shown, a nuclear accident in one 
country can have devastating effects across several countries. 
Currently there are over 400 civilian nuclear power reactors operating 
in 29 countries around the world, and at least 56 more are under 
construction. Countries such as Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, 
Indonesia, Libya, Thailand, and Vietnam are interested in starting 
civilian nuclear power programs. The construction of new nuclear power 
facilities, along with an increasing number of countries readying to 
build nuclear power plants, should be accompanied by greater attention 
to nuclear safety.
  Earlier this year, the Government Accountability Office, GAO, 
completed a review of the Convention in which GAO obtained the views of 
40 parties to the Convention, while carefully protecting individual 
respondent information. GAO found that the Convention has been very 
successful in improving nuclear safety, but made recommendations to the 
United States Government that would enhance the Convention's 
effectiveness.
  The bill I am introducing today will implement GAO's recommendations 
and additional steps to improve safety. This bill requires the United 
States delegate to the Convention to take certain actions to enhance 
international nuclear safety. This includes the United States 
advocating that parties to the Convention more systematically assess 
their own progress in improving nuclear safety through the broader use 
of performance metrics. Additionally, to increase access to information 
about nuclear safety and implementation of the Convention, the delegate 
to the Convention will encourage parties to post their annual reports 
and answers to questions from other parties on the International Atomic 
Energy Agency's, IAEA, public website. IAEA will be encouraged to offer 
additional support, such as providing assistance as needed for the 
production of parties' national reports; support for Convention 
meetings, including language translation services; and providing 
additional technical support to improve civilian nuclear power program 
safety. Further, the United States delegate will encourage all 
countries that have or are considering establishing a civilian nuclear 
power program to join the Convention. Finally, this bill calls for the 
Secretary of State to lead the development

[[Page S7813]]

of a United States Government strategic plan for international nuclear 
safety cooperation for operating power reactors, and to report on the 
plan's implementation and the progress on implementing this bill.
  International nuclear safety deserves our Nation's ongoing attention. 
As we approach the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, we 
should be mindful that the use and expansion of nuclear power needs to 
be combined with supreme vigilance and concern for safety.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 3922

       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 ``Furthering International 
     Nuclear Safety Act of 2010''.

     SEC. 2. PURPOSES.

       The purposes of this Act are as follows:
       (1) To recognize the paramount importance of international 
     nuclear safety cooperation for operating power reactors.
       (2) To further the efforts of the Convention on Nuclear 
     Safety as a vital international forum on nuclear safety.
       (3) To support progress in improving nuclear safety for 
     countries that currently have or are considering the 
     development of a civilian nuclear power program.
       (4) To enhance the public availability of nuclear safety 
     information.

     SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
     ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
       (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
       (B) the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the 
     Senate;
       (C) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
     Affairs of the Senate;
       (D) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives;
       (E) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
     Representatives; and
       (F) the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the 
     House of Representatives.
       (2) Convention.--The term ``Convention'' means the 
     Convention on Nuclear Safety, done at Vienna September 20, 
     1994, and ratified by the United States April 11, 1999.
       (3) Meeting.--The term ``meeting'' means a meeting as 
     described under Article 20, 21, or 23 of the Convention.
       (4) National report.--The term ``national report'' means a 
     report as described under Article 5 of the Convention.
       (5) Party.--The term ``party'' means a nation that has 
     formally joined the Convention through ratification or other 
     means.
       (6) Summary report.--The term ``summary report'' means a 
     report as described under Article 25 of the Convention.

     SEC. 4. UNITED STATES EFFORTS TO FURTHER INTERNATIONAL 
                   NUCLEAR SAFETY.

       The President shall instruct the United States official 
     serving as the delegate to the meetings of the Convention on 
     Nuclear Safety pursuant to Article 24 of the Convention to 
     use the voice, vote, and influence of the United States, 
     while recognizing that these efforts by parties are 
     voluntary, to encourage, where appropriate--
       (1) parties to more systematically assess where and how 
     they have made progress in improving safety, including where 
     applicable through the incorporation of performance metric 
     tools;
       (2) parties to increase the number of national reports they 
     make available to the public by posting them to a publicly 
     available Internet Web site of the International Atomic 
     Energy Agency (IAEA);
       (3) parties to expand public dissemination of written 
     answers to questions raised by other parties about national 
     reports by posting the information to a publicly available 
     Internet Web site of the IAEA;
       (4) the IAEA to further its support of the Convention, upon 
     request by a party and where funding is available, by--
       (A) providing assistance to parties preparing national 
     reports;
       (B) providing additional assistance to help prepare for and 
     support meetings, including language translation services; 
     and
       (C) providing additional technical support to improve the 
     safety of civilian nuclear power programs; and
       (5) all countries that currently have or are considering 
     the establishment of a civilian nuclear power program to 
     formally join the Convention.

     SEC. 5. STRATEGIC PLAN.

       Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the Secretary of State, in cooperation with the 
     heads of other relevant United States Government agencies, 
     shall develop the United States Government's strategic plan 
     and goals for international nuclear safety cooperation for 
     operating power reactors and shall submit them to the 
     appropriate congressional committees.

     SEC. 6. REPORTS.

       Not later than 180 days after the issuance of each of the 
     first two summary reports of the Convention issued after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act--
       (1) the Secretary of State, in cooperation with the heads 
     of other relevant United States Government agencies, shall 
     submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 
     that describes the status of implementing the strategic plan 
     and achieving the goals set forth in section 5; and
       (2) the United States official serving as the delegate to 
     the meetings of the Convention shall submit to the 
     appropriate congressional committees a report providing the 
     status of achieving the actions set forth in section 4.
                                 ______