[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 94 (Thursday, June 7, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S3308]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2386. Mr. HEINRICH (for himself and Mr. Udall) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 2282 submitted by Mr. 
Inhofe (for himself and Mr. McCain) and intended to be proposed to the 
bill H.R. 5515, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2019 for 
military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle B of title XXXI, add the following:

     SEC. 3119. PLUTONIUM PIT PRODUCTION.

       (a) In General.--The Administrator for Nuclear Security 
     shall continue the design of the facility described in 
     subsection (b) to 90 percent design completion with an 
     independent cost estimate described in subsection (c) before 
     approval of a combined critical decision-2 and critical 
     decision-3 under Department of Energy Order 413.3B (relating 
     to program management and project management for the 
     acquisition of capital assets), or a successor order, in 
     order to ensure the suitability of the facility for plutonium 
     pit production.
       (b) Facility Described.--The facility described in this 
     subsection is a plutonium pit production facility--
       (1) authorized pursuant to section 3114(c)(2) of the 
     National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (50 
     U.S.C. 2535 note);
       (2) described in the document entitled the ``Engineering 
     Assessment Report--Pu Pit Production Engineering 
     Assessment'', dated April 13, 2018; and
       (3) capable of producing an additional 31 to 80 pits 
     annually, as required by section 4219 of the Atomic Energy 
     Defense Act (50 U.S.C. 2538a).
       (c) Independent Cost Estimates Described.--An independent 
     cost estimate described in this subsection shall include an 
     evaluation of the suitability of the facility described in 
     subsection (b) for plutonium pit production, including an 
     evaluation of the following:
       (1) Life cycle costs.
       (2) Program acquisition unit costs for pit production.
       (3) Average program unit costs for pit production.
       (4) The costs of start up to full operations capable of 
     producing 31 to 80 pits annually, as required by section 4219 
     of the Atomic Energy Defense Act (50 U.S.C. 2538a).
       (5) A quantitative risk assessment of pit production.
       (d) Report Required.--Combined critical decision-2 and 
     critical decision-3 for the facility described in subsection 
     (b) may not commence until the date that is 30 days after the 
     Administrator submits to the congressional defense committees 
     a report on the independent cost estimate conducted under 
     subsection (c).
       (e) Plan for Oversight of Pit Production.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Nuclear Weapons Council 
     established under section 179 of title 10, United States 
     Code, shall--
       (A) establish a plan for oversight of current and future 
     plutonium pit production capabilities to meet the 
     requirements of the Department of Defense, including the 
     development of a future plutonium pit production facility; 
     and
       (B) submit the plan to the congressional defense 
     committees.
       (2) Signatures.--The plan required by paragraph (1) shall 
     be signed by all members of the Nuclear Weapons Council.
       (f) Briefing on Plutonium Strategy.--Not later than March 
     1, 2019, the Chairman of the Nuclear Weapons Council and the 
     Administrator for Nuclear Security shall jointly provide to 
     the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House 
     of Representatives, and to any other congressional defense 
     committee upon request, a briefing detailing the 
     implementation plan for the plutonium strategy of the 
     National Nuclear Security Administration, including 
     milestones, accountable personnel for such milestones, and 
     mechanisms for ensuring transparency into the progress of the 
     strategy for the Department of Defense and the congressional 
     defense committees.
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