[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 13, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H1094-H1095]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           NUCLEAR ENERGY RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE ACT OF 2018

  Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 4378) to direct the Secretary of Energy to carry out the 
construction of a versatile reactor-based fast neutron source, and for 
other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4378

       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 ``Nuclear Energy Research 
     Infrastructure Act of 2018''.

     SEC. 2. VERSATILE NEUTRON SOURCE.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Energy shall provide for 
     a versatile reactor-based fast neutron source, which shall 
     operate as a national user facility. The Secretary shall 
     consult with the private sector, universities, National 
     Laboratories, and relevant Federal agencies to ensure that 
     the versatile neutron source is capable of meeting Federal 
     research needs for neutron irradiation services.
       (b) Facility Capabilities.--
       (1) Capabilities.--The Secretary shall ensure that the 
     facility described in subsection (a) will provide, at a 
     minimum, the following capabilities:
       (A) Fast neutron spectrum irradiation capability.
       (B) Capacity for upgrades to accommodate new or expanded 
     research needs.
       (2) Considerations.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the 
     Secretary shall consider the following:
       (A) Capabilities that support experimental high-temperature 
     testing.
       (B) Providing a source of fast neutrons at a neutron flux 
     higher than that at which existing research facilities 
     operate, sufficient to enable research for an optimal base of 
     prospective users.
       (C) Maximizing irradiation flexibility and irradiation 
     volume to accommodate as many concurrent users as possible.
       (D) Capabilities for irradiation with neutrons of a lower 
     energy spectrum.
       (E) Multiple loops for fuels and materials testing of 
     different coolants.
       (F) Capabilities that support irradiating and processing 
     targets for isotope production.
       (G) Additional pre-irradiation and post-irradiation 
     examination capabilities.
       (H) Lifetime operating costs and lifecycle costs.
       (c) Start of Operations.--The Secretary shall, to the 
     maximum extent practicable, ensure that the start of full 
     operations of the facility under this section occurs before 
     December 31, 2025.
       (d) Funding.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
     the Secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy to carry out 
     to completion the construction of the facility under this 
     section--
       (1) $35,000,000 for fiscal year 2018;
       (2) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2019;
       (3) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2020;
       (4) $260,000,000 for fiscal year 2021;
       (5) $340,000,000 for fiscal year 2022;
       (6) $350,000,000 for fiscal year 2023;
       (7) $350,000,000 for fiscal year 2024; and
       (8) $350,000,000 for fiscal year 2025.

     SEC. 3. SPENDING LIMITATION.

       No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to 
     carry out this Act and the amendments made by this Act, and 
     this Act and such amendments shall be carried out using 
     amounts otherwise available for such purpose.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Weber) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice 
Johnson) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 4378, the bill 
now under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4378, the Nuclear Energy 
Research Infrastructure Act of 2018.
  Over the past 3 years, the Science, Space, and Technology Committee 
has held hearings, met with stakeholders, and worked extensively with 
our colleagues in the Senate to draft the Nuclear Energy Innovation 
Capabilities Act, the precursor to today's bill.
  This comprehensive, bipartisan authorization bill directed the 
Department of Energy--DOE--to invest in supercomputing capabilities, 
created a framework for DOE to partner with the private sector to host 
prototype development for advanced reactors, and laid out a clear 
timeline and parameters for the DOE to build that research reactor.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill passed the House three times last Congress, 
and passed the House again in January as a part of H.R. 589, known as 
the DOE Research and Innovation Act.
  The research reactor, or Versatile Neutron Source, authorized in that 
bill, Mr. Speaker, is crucial for the development of advanced reactor 
designs, materials, and nuclear fuels. This type of research requires 
access to fast neutrons, which are currently only available for 
civilian research in Russia.

                              {time}  1700

  While modeling and simulation can accelerate R&D, nuclear energy 
research must be validated through a physical source, Mr. Speaker, like 
a reactor. The bill which we will consider today, H.R. 4378, the 
Nuclear Energy Research Infrastructure Act, authorizes specific funding 
from within the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy for the construction of 
that versatile neutron source.

[[Page H1095]]

  Building this open-access user facility in the DOE national lab 
system will facilitate nuclear energy research in the United States. 
The access to fast neutrons that this reactor provides can support 
private sector development of the next generation materials and fuels 
needed for advanced nuclear reactor technology.
  The versatile neutron source will also enable the Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission to verify data on new fuels, materials, and designs more 
efficiently, which will expedite regulatory approval for those advanced 
nuclear reactors. Without this user facility, Mr. Speaker, this 
research simply will not take place, and we cannot afford to lose the 
ability to develop an innovative nuclear technology right here at home.
  This bill will also help maintain America's capability to influence 
security and proliferation standards around the world by maintaining 
cutting-edge nuclear science.
  Mr. Speaker, as more developing nations look to nuclear energy to 
grow their economies, our role in protecting nuclear technology grows. 
By building this user facility, we will fortify the U.S. commitment to 
safely advancing nuclear energy. H.R. 4378 is a commonsense bill. It 
will maintain American leadership in nuclear power.
  I want to thank Ranking Member Johnson and Chairman Smith for 
cosponsoring this important legislation and for their leadership in 
advocating for nuclear energy research and development. I am very 
grateful for the opportunity to work with my fellow Texans to guide 
research that will keep America not only safe, but globally 
competitive.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4378, the Nuclear Energy 
Research Infrastructure Act, and I am pleased to cosponsor this bill. 
Mr. Speaker, this legislation marks another accomplishment in our 
committee's strong bipartisan effort to support the development of 
advanced nuclear energy technologies.
  Today, nuclear power plays a vital role in providing our country with 
clean, reliable energy; but there are currently technical, economic, 
and policy challenges that prevent this resource from playing a larger 
role in enabling our clean energy future. This bill, the Nuclear Energy 
Research Infrastructure Act, would help address these challenges.
  It expands on a provision included in another bill that I cosponsored 
with Mr. Weber and the chairman, H.R. 431, the Nuclear Energy 
Innovation Capabilities Act, which passed the House early last year on 
a voice vote as part of yet another bill that I cosponsored with these 
two gentlemen, H.R. 589, the Department of Energy Research and 
Innovation Act.
  The bill before us today would provide the Department of Energy with 
the direction and funding it needs to create a national user facility 
with critical capabilities to enable the development of a wide range of 
advanced nuclear energy concepts here in the United States.
  I am hopeful that, if we provide our scientists and industry leaders 
with the right tools, they can fulfill the promise of clean nuclear 
energy that is significantly safer, less expensive, more efficient, and 
produces less waste than the current fleet of reactors.
  Mr. Speaker, I also strongly support the inclusion of explicit 
funding levels as part of this authorization. Providing the Department 
and congressional appropriators with a funding profile for research 
activities and projects is a crucial responsibility in our role as the 
authorizing committee.
  In particular, it helps ensure that the construction of cutting-edge 
research facilities like this one have the resources they need to be 
completed on time and on budget, thus, making sure that the U.S. 
taxpayers who are footing these bills are getting the most value of 
their hard-earned dollars.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan 
bill, and I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on 
both sides of the aisle as we strive to strengthen America's research 
enterprise across the board.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct honor to yield 3 
minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith), the chairman of the 
full Science, Space, and Technology Committee.
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me thank the 
gentleman from Texas, the chairman of the Energy Subcommittee, 
Representative Randy Weber, for yielding me time on his bill, which is 
H.R. 4378, the Nuclear Energy Research Infrastructure Act.
  H.R. 4378, cosponsored by full committee Ranking Member Eddie Bernice 
Johnson, Energy Subcommittee Vice Chairman Steve Knight, Representative 
Dan Lipinski, and Representative Randy Hultgren, authorizes funds 
within the DOE Nuclear Energy budget to construct their versatile 
neutron source, a DOE fast neutron user facility that will facilitate 
the development of the next generation of nuclear reactors by the 
private sector.
  This legislation builds on and implements Chairman Weber's Nuclear 
Energy Innovation Capabilities Act, which passed the House three times 
with bipartisan support in the last Congress.
  Advanced nuclear reactor technology provides the best opportunity to 
make reliable, emission-free electricity available throughout the 
industrial and developing world. This user facility will ensure that 
U.S. companies develop critical advanced reactor technology here in the 
United States.
  Today, the only source of fast neutrons available for civilian 
research is in Russia, making it impossible for American entrepreneurs 
to conduct the testing and validation needed to deploy commercial 
advanced reactors.
  America must also maintain our edge in nuclear science in order to 
influence global nonproliferation standards. The user facility 
authorized in this legislation will ensure the next generation of 
nuclear technology is safely developed here at home. This allows 
America to export nuclear technology which helps prevent civilian 
nuclear energy technology from being misused for weapons development 
overseas.
  I want to thank this bill's cosponsors, Chairman Weber and Ranking 
Member Johnson, for their longstanding support of nuclear energy 
innovation and commitment to ensure that we have the best nuclear 
research facilities.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. It is 
a bipartisan piece of legislation.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of 
the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4378 is vital to ensuring America's leadership in 
nuclear innovation. By harnessing the unique expertise of our Nation's 
national labs, the private sector can take the lead in developing 
groundbreaking advanced nuclear technology.
  I especially want to thank my colleagues on the Science, Space, and 
Technology Committee who have cosponsored H.R. 4378, including Chairman 
Lamar Smith, Representative Dan Lipinski, Representative Steve Knight, 
and Representative Randy Hultgren. I also want to thank the dozens of 
researchers and stakeholders who have provided feedback as we developed 
this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this commonsense, bipartisan 
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Tipton). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Weber) that the House suspend 
the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4378, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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