[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3365-S3366]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 6171. Ms. LUMMIS (for herself and Mr. Kelly) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill S. 4784, to 
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 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 appropriate place, insert the following:

[[Page S3366]]

  


     SEC. ___. DEFENSE-RELATED URANIUM MINE SITES.

       (a) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) DRUM site.--
       (A) In general.--The term ``DRUM site'' means an abandoned, 
     inactive defense-related uranium mine site that--
       (i) supplied uranium ore to the Atomic Energy Commission 
     for defense-related activities between 1947 and 1970; and
       (ii) has legacy uranium mine waste, including waste rock, 
     tailings, overburden, stockpiled material, and other residual 
     materials, that were generated by uranium mining and 
     processing activities and located on abandoned or active 
     patented or unpatented mining claims on Federal land open or 
     closed to mineral entry.
       (B) Inclusions.--The term ``DRUM site'' includes, with 
     respect to a mine site described in subparagraph (A), adits, 
     portals, vents, waste-rock piles, structures, highwalls, and 
     surface pits.
       (2) Federal land.--The term ``Federal land'' means land--
       (A) the title to which is held by the United States; and
       (B) under the jurisdiction of--
       (i) the Secretary of the Interior; or
       (ii) the Chief of the Forest Service.
       (3) NRC service provider.--The term ``NRC service 
     provider'' means an entity that holds a valid license from 
     the Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued under part 40 of 
     title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor 
     regulation), authorizing the possession and treatment of 
     radioactive materials solely for the purposes of remediation, 
     stabilization, and cleanup of DRUM sites.
       (4) Remediation.--
       (A) In general.--The term ``remediation'' means an action--
       (i) undertaken to eliminate, stabilize, or substantially 
     reduce the release, mobility, toxicity, or volume of 
     hazardous or radioactive substances from DRUM sites, 
     including the recovery of uranium, in order to protect human 
     health and the environment; and
       (ii) that utilizes a technology that the Nuclear Regulatory 
     Commission has approved for use through a multi-site license 
     after having issued a finding of no significant impact with 
     respect to the technology.
       (B) Exclusion.--The term ``remediation'' does not include 
     the extraction of new ore or the development of new mining or 
     milling operations.
       (5) Secretary of the interior.--The term ``Secretary of the 
     Interior'' means the Secretary of the Interior, acting 
     through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management.
       (b) Remediation and Recovery of Legacy Uranium Waste on 
     Federal Land.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 9 months after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Chief of the Forest Service and 
     the Secretary of the Interior, each in conjunction with the 
     Secretary of Energy, shall revise section 228.4(a)(1) of 
     title 36 and section 3809.5(1) of title 43, Code of Federal 
     Regulations, respectively, to authorize NRC service providers 
     to access DRUM sites on Federal land for the purpose of 
     remediation and recovery of uranium.
       (2) Regulatory frameworks.--In carrying out the revisions 
     required under paragraph (1), the Chief of the Forest Service 
     and the Secretary of the Interior shall use existing 
     regulatory frameworks applicable to activities resulting in 
     no or negligible disturbance and not requiring a notice of 
     intent to operate or plan of operations pursuant to part 228 
     of title 36 and part 3809 of title 43, Code of Federal 
     Regulations (or successor regulations), respectively.
       (3) No or negligible surface disturbance.--Activity carried 
     out by a NRC service provider within a DRUM site pursuant to 
     a revision required under paragraph (1) shall be deemed to 
     result in no or negligible surface disturbance, subject to 
     the condition that the activity does not involve the 
     expansion of existing mine pits or the creation of new mine 
     workings.
       (4) Applicability of other law.--Notwithstanding any 
     requirement under the National Environmental Policy Act of 
     1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), if activity carried out within 
     a DRUM site pursuant to a revision required under paragraph 
     (1) is carried out by an NRC service provider, no site-
     specific environmental assessment (as defined in section 111 
     of that Act (42 U.S.C. 4336e)) with respect to that activity 
     shall be required.
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