Board Enabling Legislation
CONTENTS
- Establishment of the Board
- Membership, Chairman and Vice Chairman, Terms,
Quorum
- Functions of the Board
Standards, Investigations, Analysis, Facility Design and Construction, Recommendations, Excluded Functions
- Powers of the Board
Hearings, Staff,
Regulations, Reporting Requirements
- Responsibilities of the Secretary of Energy
Cooperation, Access to Information
- Board Recommendations
Secretary's Response,
Final Decision, Implementation Plan, Implementation, Imminent or Severe Threat
- Reports
Board Report, DOE Report
- Miscellaneous
- Related Legislation: Resumption of Plutonium Operations at Rocky Flats
- Legislative History
The Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) is amended to
include the following:
"CHAPTER 21. DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES SAFETY BOARD
"SEC. 311. ESTABLISHMENT. [42 USC 2286]
"(a) ESTABLISHMENT.__There is hereby established an independent
establishment in the executive branch, to be known as the 'Defense Nuclear Facilities
Safety Board' (hereafter in this chapter referred to as the 'Board').
"(b) MEMBERSHIP.__
"(1) The Board shall be composed of five
members appointed from civilian life by the President, by and with the advice and consent
of the Senate, from among United States citizens who are respected experts in the field of
nuclear safety with a demonstrated competence and knowledge relevant to the independent
investigative and oversight functions of the Board. Not more than three members of the
Board shall be of the same political party.
"(2) Any vacancy in the membership of
the Board shall be filled in the same manner in which the original appointment was made.
"(3) No member of the Board may be an
employee of, or have any significant financial relationship with, the Department of Energy
or any contractor of the Department of Energy.
"(4) Not later than 180 days after the
date of the enactment of this chapter, the President shall submit to the Senate
nominations for appointment to the Board. In the event that the President is unable to
submit the nominations within such 180 day period, the President shall submit to the
Committees on Armed Services and on Appropriations of the Senate and to the Speaker of the
House of Representatives a report describing the reasons for such inability and a plan for
submitting the nominations within the next 90 days. If the President is unable to submit
the nominations within that 90 day period, the President shall again submit to such
committees and the Speaker such a report and plan. The President shall continue to submit
to such committees and the Speaker such a report and plan every 90 days until the
nominations are submitted.
"(c) CHAIRMAN AND VICE CHAIRMAN.__
"(1) The President shall designate a
Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Board from among members of the Board.
"(2) The Chairman shall be the chief
executive officer of the Board and, subject to such policies as the Board may establish,
shall exercise the functions of the Board with respect to__
"(A) the
appointment and supervision of employees of the Board;
"(B) the
organization of any administrative units established by the Board; and
"(C) the use and
expenditure of funds.
"(3) The Chairman may delegate any of
the functions under this paragraph to any other member or to any appropriate officer of
the Board.
"(4) The Vice Chairman shall act as
Chairman in the event of the absence or incapacity of the Chairman or in case of a vacancy
in the office of Chairman.
"(d) TERMS.__
"(1) Except as provided under paragraph
(2), the members of the Board shall serve for terms of five years. Members of the Board
may be reappointed.
"(2) Of the members first appointed__
"(A) one shall
be appointed for a term of one year;
"(B) one shall
be appointed for a term of two years;
"(C) one shall
be appointed for a term of three years;
"(D) one shall
be appointed for a term of four years; and
"(E) one shall
be appointed for a term of five years, as designated by the President at the time of
appointment.
"(3) Any member appointed to fill a
vacancy occurring before the expiration of the term of office for which such member's
predecessor was appointed shall be appointed only for the remainder of such term. A member
may serve after the expiration of that member's term until a successor has taken office.
"(e) QUORUM.__Three members of the Board
shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number may hold hearings.
"SEC. 312. FUNCTIONS OF THE BOARD. [42 USC 2286a]
"(a) IN GENERAL.__The Board shall perform the following
functions:
"(1) REVIEW AND
EVALUATION OF STANDARDS.__The Board shall review and evaluate the content and
implementation of the standards relating to the design, construction, operation, and
decommissioning of defense nuclear facilities of the Department of Energy (including all
applicable Department of Energy orders, regulations, and requirements) at each Department
of Energy defense nuclear facility. The Board shall recommend to the Secretary of Energy
those specific measures that should be adopted to ensure that public health and safety are
adequately protected. The Board shall include in its recommendations necessary changes in
the content and implementation of such standards, as well as matters on which additional
data or additional research is needed.
"(2)
INVESTIGATIONS.__
"(A) The Board shall investigate
any event or practice at a Department of Energy defense nuclear facility which the Board
determines has adversely affected, or may adversely affect, public health and safety.
"(B) The purpose of any Board
investigation under subparagraph (A) shall be__
"(i) to
determine whether the Secretary of Energy is adequately implementing the standards
described in paragraph (1) of the Department of Energy (including all applicable
Department of Energy orders, regulations, and requirements) at the facility;
"(ii) to
ascertain information concerning the circumstances of such event or practice and its
implications for such standards;
"(iii) to
determine whether such event or practice is related to other events or practices at other
Department of Energy defense nuclear facilities; and
"(iv) to
provide to the Secretary of Energy such recommendations for changes in such standards or
the implementation of such standards (including Department of Energy orders, regulations,
and requirements) and such recommendations relating to data or research needs as may be
prudent or necessary.
"(3) ANALYSIS OF
DESIGN AND OPERATIONAL DATA.__The Board shall have access to and may systematically
analyze design and operational data, including safety analysis reports, from any
Department of Energy defense nuclear facility.
"(4) REVIEW OF
FACILITY DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION.__The Board shall review the design of a new Department
of Energy defense nuclear facility before construction of such facility begins and shall
recommend to the Secretary, within a reasonable time, such modifications of the design as
the Board considers necessary to ensure adequate protection of public health and safety.
During the construction of any such facility, the Board shall periodically review and
monitor the construction and shall submit to the Secretary, within a reasonable time, such
recommendations relating to the construction of that facility as the Board considers
necessary to ensure adequate protection of public health and safety. An action of the
Board, or a failure to act, under this paragraph may not delay or prevent the Secretary of
Energy from carrying out the construction of such a facility.
"(5)
RECOMMENDATIONS.__The Board shall make such recommendations to the Secretary of Energy
with respect to Department of Energy defense nuclear facilities, including operations of
such facilities, standards, and research needs, as the Board determines are necessary to
ensure adequate protection of public health and safety. In making its recommendations the
Board shall consider the technical and economic feasibility of implementing the
recommended measures.
"(b) EXCLUDED FUNCTIONS.__The functions of
the Board under this chapter do not include functions relating to the safety of atomic
weapons. However, the Board shall have access to any information on atomic weapons that is
within the Department of Energy and is necessary to carry out the functions of the Board.
"SEC. 313. POWERS OF BOARD. [42 USC 2286b]
"(a) HEARINGS.__
"(1) The Board or a member authorized by
the Board may, for the purpose of carrying out this chapter, hold such hearings and sit
and act at such times and places, and require, by subpoena or otherwise, the attendance
and testimony of such witnesses and the production of such evidence as the Board or an
authorized member may find advisable.
"(2)(A) Subpoenas may be issued only
under the signature of the Chairman or any member of the Board designated by him and shall
be served by any person designated by the Chairman, any member, or any person as otherwise
provided by law. The attendance of witnesses and the production of evidence may be
required from any place in the United States at any designated place of hearing in the
United States.
"(B) Any member
of the Board may administer oaths or affirmations to witnesses appearing before the Board.
"(C) If a person
issued a subpoena under paragraph (1) refuses to obey such subpoena or is guilty of
contumacy, any court of the United States within the judicial district within which the
hearing is conducted or within the judicial district within which such person is found or
resides or transacts business may (upon application by the Board) order such person to
appear before the Board to produce evidence or to give testimony relating to the matter
under investigation. Any failure to obey such order of the court may be punished by such
court as a contempt of the court.
"(D) The
subpoenas of the Board shall be served in the manner provided for subpoenas issued by a
United States district court under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure for the United
States district courts.
"(E) All process
of any court to which application may be made under this section may be served in the
judicial district in which the person required to be served resides or may be found.
"(b) STAFF.__
"(1) The Board may, for the purpose of
performing its responsibilities under this chapter__
"(A) hire such
staff as it considers necessary to perform the functions of the Board, including such
scientific and technical personnel as the Board may determine necessary, but not more than
the equivalent of 150 full time employees; and
"(B) procure the
temporary and intermittent services of experts and consultants to the extent authorized by
section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, at rates the Board determines to be
reasonable.
"(2) The authority and requirements
provided in section 161 d. with respect to officers and employees of the Commission shall
apply with respect to scientific and technical personnel hired under paragraph (1)(A).
"(c) REGULATIONS.__The Board may prescribe
regulations to carry out the responsibilities of the Board under this chapter.
"(d) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.__The Board
may establish reporting requirements for the Secretary of Energy which shall be binding
upon the Secretary. The information which the Board may require the Secretary of Energy to
report under this subsection may include any information designated as classified
information, or any information designated as safeguards information and protected from
disclosure under section 147 or 148 of this Act.
"(e) USE OF GOVERNMENT FACILITIES, ETC.__The Board may, for the
purpose of carrying out its responsibilities under this chapter, use any facility,
contractor, or employee of any other department or agency of the Federal Government with
the consent of and under appropriate support arrangements with the head of such department
or agency and, in the case of a contractor, with the consent of the contractor.
"(f) ASSISTANCE FROM CERTAIN AGENCIES OF THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT.__With the consent of and underappropriate support arrangements with the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Board may obtain the advice and recommendations of the
staff of the Commission on matters relating to the Board's responsibilities and may obtain
the advice and recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards on such
matters.
"(g) ASSISTANCE FROM ORGANIZATIONS OUTSIDE THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT.__Notwithstanding any other provision of law relating to the use of competitive
procedures, the Board may enter into an agreement with the National Research Council of
the National Academy of Sciences or any other appropriate group or organization of experts
outside the Federal Government chosen by the Board to assist the Board in carrying out its
responsibilities under this chapter.
"(h) RESIDENT INSPECTORS.__The Board may assign staff to be
stationed at any Department of Energy defense nuclear facility to carry out the functions
of the Board.
"(i) SPECIAL STUDIES.__The Board may conduct special studies
pertaining to adequate protection of public health and safety at any Department of Energy
defense nuclear facility.
"(j) EVALUATION OF INFORMATION.__The Board may evaluate
information received from the scientific and industrial communities, and from the
interested public, with respect to__
"(1) events or practices at any
Department of Energy defense nuclear facility; or
"(2) suggestions for specific measures
to improve the content of standards described in section 312(1), the implementation of
such standards, or research relating to such standards at Department of Energy defense
nuclear facilities.
"SEC. 314. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY. [42 USC
2286c]
"(a) COOPERATION.__The Secretary of Energy
shall fully cooperate with the Board and provide the Board with ready access to such
facilities, personnel, and information as the Board considers necessary to carry out its
responsibilities under this chapter. Each contractor operating a Department of Energy
defense nuclear facility under a contract awarded by the Secretary shall, to the extent
provided in such contract or otherwise with the contractor's consent, fully cooperate with
the Board and provide the Board with ready access to such facilities, personnel, and
information of the contractor as the Board considers necessary to carry out its
responsibilities under this chapter.
"(b) ACCESS TO INFORMATION.__The Secretary
of Energy may deny access to information provided to the Board to any person who__
"(1) has not been granted an appropriate
security clearance or access authorization by the Secretary of Energy; or
"(2) does not need such access in
connection with the duties of such person.
"SEC. 315. BOARD RECOMMENDATIONS. [42 USC 2286d]
"(a) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY AND COMMENT.__Subject to subsections
(g) and (h) and after receipt by the Secretary of Energy of any recommendations from the
Board under section 312, the Board promptly shall make such recommendations available to
the public in the Department of Energy's regional public reading rooms and shall publish
in the Federal Register such recommendations and a request for the submission to the Board
of public comments on such recommendations. Interested persons shall have 30 days after
the date of the publication of such notice in which to submit comments, data, views, or
arguments to the Board concerning the recommendations.
"(b) RESPONSE BY SECRETARY.__
"(1) The Secretary of Energy shall
transmit to the Board, in writing, a statement on whether the Secretary accepts or
rejects, in whole or in part, the recommendations submitted to him by the Board under
section 312, a description of the actions to be taken in response to the recommendations,
and his views on such recommendations. The Secretary of Energy shall transmit his response
to the Board within 45 days after the date of the publication, under subsection (a), of
the notice with respect to such recommendations or within such additional period, not to
exceed 45 days, as the Board may grant.
"(2) At the same time as the Secretary
of Energy transmits his response to the Board under paragraph (1), the Secretary, subject
to subsection (h), shall publish such response, together with a request for public comment
on his response, in the Federal Register.
"(3) Interested persons shall have 30
days after the date of the publication of the Secretary of Energy's response in which to
submit comments, data, views, or arguments to the Board concerning the Secretary's
response.
"(4) The Board may hold hearings for the
purpose of obtaining public comments on its recommendations and the Secretary of Energy's
response.
"(c) PROVISION OF INFORMATION TO SECRETARY.__The Board shall
furnish the Secretary of Energy with copies of all comments, data, views, and arguments
submitted to it under subsection (a) or (b).
"(d) FINAL DECISION.__If the Secretary of
Energy, in a response under subsection (b)(1), rejects (in whole or part) any
recommendation made by the Board under section 312, the Board shall either reaffirm its
original recommendation or make a revised recommendation and shall notify the Secretary of
its action. Within 30 days after receiving the notice of the Board's action under this
subsection, the Secretary shall consider the Board's action and make a final decision on
whether to implement all or part of the Board's recommendations. Reports to subsection
(h), the Secretary shall publish the final decision and the reasoning for such decision in
the Federal Register and shall transmit to the Committees on Armed Services and on
Appropriations of the Senate and to Speaker of the House of Representatives a written
report containing that decision and reasoning.
"(e) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.__The Secretary of
Energy shall prepare a plan for the implementation of each Board recommendation, or part
of a recommendation, that is accepted by the Secretary in his final decision. The
Secretary shall transmit the implementation plan to the Board within 90 days after the
date of the publication of the Secretary's final decision on such recommendation in the
Federal Register. The Secretary may have an additional 45 days to transmit the plan if the
Secretary submits to the Board and to the Committees on Armed Services and on
Appropriations of the Senate and to the Speaker of the House of Representatives a
notification setting forth the reasons for the delay and describing the actions the
Secretary is taking to prepare an implementation plan under this subsection. The Secretary
may implement any such recommendation (or part of any such recommendation) before, on, or
after the date on which the Secretary transmits the implementation plan to the Board under
this subsection.
"(f) IMPLEMENTATION.__
"(1) Subject to paragraph (2), not later
than one year after the date on which the Secretary of Energy transmits an implementation
plan with respect to a recommendation (or part thereof) under subsection (e), the
Secretary shall carry out and complete the implementation plan. If complete implementation
of the plan takes more than 1 year, the Secretary of Energy shall submit a report to the
Committees on Armed Services and on Appropriations of the Senate and to the Speaker of the
House of Representatives setting forth the reasons for the delay and when implementation
will be completed.
"(2) If the Secretary of Energy
determines that the implementation of a Board recommendation (or part thereof) is
impracticable because of budgetary considerations, or that the implementation would affect
the Secretary's ability to meet the annual nuclear weapons stockpile requirements
established pursuant to section 91 of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the
President, to the Committees on Armed Services and on Appropriations of the Senate, and to
the Speaker of the House of Representatives a report containing the recommendation and the
Secretary's determination.Public health and safety.
"(g) IMMINENT OR SEVERE THREAT.__
"(1) In any case in which the Board
determines that a recommendation submitted to the Secretary of Energy under section 312
relates to an imminent or severe threat to public health and safety, the Board and the
Secretary of Energy shall proceed under this subsection in lieu of subsections (a) through
(d).
"(2) At the same time that the Board
transmits a recommendation relating to an imminent or severe threat to the Secretary of
Energy, the Board shall also transmit the recommendation to the President and for
information purposes to the Secretary of Defense. The Secretary of Energy shall President
of U.S. submit his recommendation to the President. The President shall review the
Secretary of Energy's recommendation and shall make the decision concerning acceptance or
rejection of the Board's recommendation.
"(3) After receipt by the President of
the recommendation from the Board under this subsection, the Board promptly shall make
such recommendation available to the public and shall transmit such recommendation to the
Committees on Armed Services and on Appropriations of the Senate and to the
SpeakerPresident of U.S. of the House of Representatives. The President shall promptly
notify such committees and the Speaker of his decision and the reasons for that
decision.42 USC 2286d.
"(h) LIMITATION.__Notwithstanding any other provision of this
section, the requirements to make information available to the public under this section__
"(1) shall not apply in the case of
information that is classified; and
"(2) shall be subject to the orders and
regulations issued by the Secretary of Energy under sections 147 and 148 of this Act to
prohibit dissemination of certain information.
"SEC. 316. REPORTS. [42 USC 2286e]
"(a) BOARD REPORT.__
"(1) The Board shall submit to the
Committees on Armed Services and on Appropriations of the Senate and to the Speaker of the
House of Representatives each year, at the same time that the President submits the budget
to Congress pursuant to section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, a written report
concerning its activities under this chapter, including all recommendations made by the
Board, during the year preceding the year in which the report is submitted. The Board may
also issue periodic unclassified reports on matters within the Board's responsibilities.
"(2) The annual report under paragraph
(1) shall include an assessment of__
"(A) the
improvements in the safety of Department of Energy defense nuclear facilities during the
period covered by the report;
"(B) the
improvements in the safety of Department of Energy defense nuclear facilities resulting
from actions taken by the Board or taken on the basis of the activities of the Board; and
"(C) the
outstanding safety problems, if any, of Department of Energy defense nuclear facilities.
"(b) DOE REPORT.__The Secretary of Energy
shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services and on Appropriations of the Senate and
to the Speaker of the House of Representatives each year, at the same time that the
President submits the budget to Congress pursuant to section 1105(a) of title 31, United
States Code, a written report concerning the activities of the Department of Energy under
this chapter during the year preceding the year in which the report is submitted.
"SEC. 317. JUDICIAL REVIEW. [42 USC 2286f]
"Chapter 7 of title 5, United States Code, shall apply to the activities of the
Board under this chapter.
"SEC. 318. DEFINITION. [42 USC 2286g]
"As used in this chapter, the term 'Department of Energy defense nuclear facility'
means any of the following:
"(1) A production facility or utilization facility (as defined
in section 11 of this Act) that is under the control or jurisdiction of the Secretary of
Energy and that is operated for national security purposes, but the term does not
include__
"(A) any facility or activity covered by
Executive Order No. 12344, dated February 1, 1982, pertaining to the Naval nuclear
propulsion program;
"(B) any facility or activity involved
with the transportation of nuclear explosives or nuclear material;
"(C) any facility that does not conduct
atomic energy defense activities; or
"(D) any facility owned by the United
States Enrichment Corporation.
"(2) A nuclear waste storage facility under the control or
jurisdiction of the Secretary of Energy, but the term does not include a facility
developed pursuant to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10101 et seq.) and
licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
"SEC. 319. CONTRACT AUTHORITY SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATIONS. [42 USC 2286h]
"The authority of the Board to enter into contracts under this chapter is
effective only to the extent that appropriations (including transfers of appropriations)
are provided in advance for such purpose.
"SEC. 320. TRANSMITTAL OF CERTAIN INFORMATION TO CONGRESS.
"Whenever the Board submits or transmits to the President or the Director of
Management and Budget any legislative recommendation, or any statement or information in
preparation of a report to be submitted to the Congress pursuant to section 316(a), the
Board shall submit at the same time a copy thereof to the Congress."
"SEC. 321. ANNUAL AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. [42 USC 2286i]
"Authorizations of appropriations for the Board for fiscal years beginning after
fiscal year 1989 shall be provided annually in authorization Acts."
"(a) The table of contents at the beginning of the Atomic Energy
Act of 1954 is amended by adding at the end the following: "CHAPTER 21. DEFENSE
NUCLEAR FACILITIES SAFETY BOARD
"Sec. 311. Establishment.
"Sec. 312. Functions of the Board.
"Sec. 313. Powers of Board.
"Sec. 314. Responsibilities of the Secretary of Energy.
"Sec. 315. Board recommendations.
"Sec. 316. Reports.
"Sec. 317. Judicial review.
"Sec. 318. Definition.
"Sec. 319. Contract authority subject to appropriations.
"Sec. 320. Transmittal of certain information to Congress.
"Sec. 321. Annual authorization of appropriations."
(b) SALARY FOR BOARD MEMBERS AT EXECUTIVE SCHEDULE LEVEL
III.__Section 5314 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by inserting after
"Members, Nuclear Regulatory Commission." the following: "Members, Defense
Nuclear Facilities Safety Board."
(c) REQUIREMENTS FOR FIRST ANNUAL REPORT.__ [42 USC 2286e note.1]
(1) Before submission of the first annual
report by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board under section 316(a) of the Atomic
Energy Act of 1954 (as added by subsection (a)), the Board shall conduct a study on
whether nuclear facilities of the Department of Energy that are excluded from the
definition of "Department of Energy defense nuclear facility" in section
318(1)(C) of such Act (hereafter in this subsection referred to as "non defense
nuclear facilities") should be subject to independent external oversight. The Board
shall include in such first annual report the results of such study and the recommendation
of the Board on whether non defense nuclear facilities should be subjectto independent
external oversight.
(2) If the Board recommends in the report
that non defense nuclear facilities should be subject to such oversight, the report shall
include a discussion of alternative mechanisms for implementing such oversight, including
mechanisms such as a separate executive agency and oversight as a part of the Board's
responsibilities. The discussion of alternative mechanisms of oversight also shall include
considerations of budgetary costs, protection of the security of sensitive nuclear weapons
information, and the similarities and differences in the design, construction, operation,
and decommissioning of defense and non defense nuclear facilities of the Department of
Energy.
(d) REQUIREMENTS FOR FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT.__The fifth annual report
submitted by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board under section 316(a) of the
Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (as added by subsection (a)) shall include__
(1) an assessment of the degree to which the
overall administration of the Board's activities are believed to meet the objectives of
Congress in establishing the Board;
(2) recommendations for continuation,
termination, or modification of the Board's functions and programs, including
recommendations for transition to some other independent oversight arrangementif it is
advisable; and
(3) recommendations for appropriate
transition requirements in the event that modifications are recommended.
Note 1: [Office of General Counsel Note] Sections 1441(c) and (d) of the National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1989, P.L. 100 456, did not constitute
amendments to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (42 USC 2011 et seq.), and were
not incorporated into the United States Code. Those sections nevertheless have the full
force and effect of law, and are shown in the note to 42 USC § 2286e.
Related Legislation (Sec. 3133 of Public Law 102 190, 105 Stat.
1574 75):
SEC. 3133. RESUMPTION OF PLUTONIUM OPERATIONS IN BUILDINGS AT ROCKY FLATS.
(a) RESUMPTION OF PLUTONIUM OPERATIONS.__The Secretary of Energy may
not resume plutonium operations in a plutonium operations building at the Rocky Flats
Plant, Golden, Colorado, until the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board determines, to
the satisfaction of the Board, that the Secretary's response to the Board's
recommendations numbered 90 2, 90 5, and 91 1 adequately protects public health and safety
with respect to the operation of such building.
(b) RESUMPTION OF PRODUCTION OF PLUTONIUM WARHEAD COMPONENTS.__The
production of plutonium warhead components for any particular type of warhead may not be
resumed at the Rocky Flats Plant until the later of__
(1) April 1, 1992; or
(2) 30 days after the date on which the
Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Energy certify to Congress that the production
of that type of warhead is necessary in the interest of the national security of the
United States.
(c) REPORTS ON WARHEAD PIT REUSE.__
"(1) The Defense Science Board shall
prepare and submit to Congress a report on each type of warhead proposed to be produced at
the Rocky Flats Plant. The report shall contain the following information:
(A) Whether the reuse
of existing plutonium pits in the production of that type of warhead is feasible.
(B) If such reuse is
feasible, the approximate cost and date on which it is feasible to begin the production of
warheads of that type using such pits.
(C) What
modifications (if any) to the warhead, the weapon system for the warhead, or production
facilities are necessary to permit the reuse of plutonium pits for the production of
warheads of that type, and where (in the case of the warhead or the weapon system) such
modifications would be made.
(D) Whether and how
the performance of the warheads would be diminished or altered, if at all, by reason of
the reuse of such pits for the production of those warheads.
(E) The impact of pit
reuse on worker exposure rates, and the amount of waste generated by pit reuse in
comparison to new pit production.
(F) Such other
matters as the Defense Science Board finds appropriate.
(2) In each instance that the Defense Science
Board prepares a report under this subsection, the Board shall submit such report to the
Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Energy at least 30 days before submitting such
report to Congress.
(3) In each instance that the Defense Science
Board submits a report under this subsection to Congress, the Secretary of Defense and the
Secretary of Energy shall jointly submit a report to Congress containing comments on the
Board's report and any related matters.
(4) The Defense Science Board shall submit a
report to Congress under this subsection with respect to warhead type W 88 not later than
March 1, 1992.
(d) FORM OF REPORTS.__Each report submitted pursuant to this section
shall be submitted in an unclassified form. Classified information may be submitted in a
classified appendix.
(e) DEFINITION.__For purposes of this section, the term
"plutonium operations building" means the building numbered 371, 559, 707, 771,
776, 777, or 779 at the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant, Golden, Colorado, or any other
building at such Plant in which plutonium operations are conducted.
Legislative History.
The enabling legislation for the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board appears in 42
U.S.C. § 2286 et seq. This portion of the U.S. Code was formed by the following public
laws:
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1989 (P.L. 100 456__Sept. 29, 1988),
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1991 (P.L. 101 510__Nov. 5, 1990),
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1992 and 1993 (P.L. 102 190__Dec.
5, 1991),
Energy Policy Act of 1992 (P.L. 102 486__Oct. 24, 1992), and
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994 (P.L. 103 160__Nov. 30, 1993)
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