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Title 42 — The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73

§2074 Foreign distribution of special nuclear material

Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 23— - DEVELOPMENT AND CONTROL OF ATOMIC ENERGY › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER V— - SPECIAL NUCLEAR MATERIAL › § 2074

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Commission can give or sell special nuclear material to other countries or groups under approved cooperation agreements. It must charge at least its published domestic rates, but it may give small amounts free for peaceful research or medical therapy up to $10,000 value to one nation or $50,000 to a group of nations in a calendar year. It may send material to the International Atomic Energy Agency only as Congress allows, except it is allowed to provide 5,000 kilograms of contained uranium-235, 500 grams of uranium-233, and 3 kilograms of plutonium, plus amounts matching what other Agency members provided up to June 1, 1960. The Commission can propose other amounts and time limits, but must send those proposals to the congressional Energy Committees and wait 60 days while Congress is in session (not counting days when either House is adjourned more than three days). Congress can block a proposal by a joint statement of both Houses during that 60-day period. The Energy Committees must give their views and a proposed joint statement within the first 30 days. The Commission may agree to buy back unused material at a price no higher than its sale price at delivery. It may also buy material produced abroad from material it sold or leased, but only when a guaranteed purchase price for the same domestic material is in effect, and it must pay that price. It may send plutonium that is 80 percent or more plutonium-238 and other exempted special nuclear material outside the United States, but only if it does not harm U.S. defense or security and it may require reports on how the material is used. The Commission can license others to distribute material abroad under the same conditions (except charge rules). Without an export license, distribution is limited to small amounts (no more than 500 grams per year of U-233, U-235, or plutonium to any recipient) when in lab samples, medical devices, instruments, or to meet a time‑critical emergency. Commitments of U.S. funds under related arrangements must follow the requirements of section 2160.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §2074

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Commission is authorized to cooperate with any nation or group of nations by distributing special nuclear material and to distribute such special nuclear material, pursuant to the terms of an agreement for cooperation to which such nation or group of nations is a party and which is made in accordance with section 2153 of this title. Unless hereafter otherwise authorized by law the Commission shall be compensated for special nuclear material so distributed at not less than the Commission’s published charges applicable to the domestic distribution of such material, except that the Commission to assist and encourage research on peaceful uses or for medical therapy may so distribute without charge during any calendar year only a quantity of such material which at the time of transfer does not exceed in value $10,000 in the case of one nation or $50,000 in the case of any group of nations. The Commission may distribute to the International Atomic Energy Agency, or to any group of nations, only such amounts of special nuclear materials and for such period of time as are authorized by Congress: Provided, however, That, (i) notwithstanding this provision, the Commission is hereby authorized, subject to the provisions of section 2153 of this title, to distribute to the Agency five thousand kilograms of contained uranium-235, five hundred grams of uranium-233, and three kilograms of plutonium, together with the amounts of special nuclear material which will match in amount the sum of all quantities of special nuclear materials made available by all other members of the Agency to June 1, 1960; and (ii) notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this subsection, the Commission may distribute to the International Atomic Energy Agency, or to any group of nations, such other amounts of special nuclear materials and for such other periods of time as are established in writing by the Commission: Provided, however, That before they are established by the Commission pursuant to this subdivision (ii), such proposed amounts and periods shall be submitted to the Congress and referred to the Energy Committees and a period of sixty days shall elapse while Congress is in session (in computing such sixty days, there shall be excluded the days on which either House is not in session because of an adjournment of more than three days): And provided further, That any such proposed amounts and periods shall not become effective if during such sixty-day period the Congress passes a concurrent resolution stating in substance that it does not favor the proposed action: And provided further, That prior to the elapse of the first thirty days of any such sixty-day period the Energy Committees shall submit to their respective houses reports of their views and recommendations respecting the proposed amounts and periods and an accompanying proposed concurrent resolution stating in substance that the Congress favors, or does not favor, as the case may be, the proposed amounts or periods. The Commission may agree to repurchase any special nuclear material distributed under a sale arrangement pursuant to this subsection which is not consumed in the course of the activities conducted in accordance with the agreement for cooperation, or any uranium remaining after irradiation of such special nuclear material, at repurchase price not to exceed the Commission’s sale price for comparable special nuclear material or uranium in effect at the time of delivery of such material to the Commission. The Commission may also agree to purchase, consistent with and within the period of the agreement for cooperation, special nuclear material produced in a nuclear reactor located outside the United States through the use of special nuclear material which was leased or sold pursuant to this subsection. Under any such agreement the Commission shall purchase only such material as is delivered to the Commission during any period when there is in effect a guaranteed purchase price for the same material produced in a nuclear reactor by a person licensed under section 2134 of this title, established by the Commission pursuant to section 2076 of this title, and the price to be paid shall be the price so established by the Commission and in effect for the same material delivered to the Commission.
(b)Notwithstanding the provisions of section 2153 and 2154 of this title and section 125 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, the Commission is authorized to distribute to any person outside the United States (1) plutonium containing 80 per centum or more by weight of plutonium-238, and (2) other special nuclear material when it has, in accordance with subsection 2077(d) of this title, exempted certain classes or quantities of such other special nuclear material or kinds of uses or users thereof from the requirements for a license set forth in this subchapter. Unless hereafter otherwise authorized by law, the Commission shall be compensated for special nuclear material so distributed at not less than the Commission’s published charges applicable to the domestic distribution of such material. The Commission shall not distribute any plutonium containing 80 per centum or more by weight of plutonium-238 to any person under this subsection if, in its opinion, such distribution would be inimical to the common defense and security. The Commission may require such reports regarding the use of material distributed pursuant to the provisions of this subsection as it deems necessary.
(c)The Commission is authorized to license or otherwise permit others to distribute special nuclear material to any person outside the United States under the same conditions, except as to charges, as would be applicable if the material were distributed by the Commission.
(d)The authority to distribute special nuclear material under this section other than under an export license granted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission shall extend only to the following small quantities of special nuclear material (in no event more than five hundred grams per year of the uranium isotope 233, the uranium isotope 235, or plutonium contained in special nuclear material to any recipient):
(1)which are contained in laboratory samples, medical devices, or monitoring or other instruments; or
(2)the distribution of which is needed to deal with an emergency situation in which time is of the essence.
(e)The authority in this section to commit United States funds for any activities pursuant to any subsequent arrangement under section 2160(a)(2)(E) of this title shall be subject to the requirements of section 2160 of this title.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 125 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, referred to in subsec. (b), is section 125 of act Aug. 1, 1946, ch. 724, as added by Pub. L. 85–14, Apr. 12, 1957, 71 Stat. 11, and is set out as a note under section 2153 of this title.

Amendments

1994—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103–437 substituted “Energy Committees and a period” for “Joint Committee and a period” and “Energy Committees shall submit to their respective houses reports of their views” for “Joint Committee shall submit a report to the Congress of its views”. 1978—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 95–242, § 301(a), added subsec. (d). Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 95–242, § 303(b)(1), added subsec. (e). 1974—Pub. L. 93–377 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), designated initial proviso as cl. (i), added cl. (ii) and references to groups of nations, and substituted references to this subsection for references to this section, and added subsecs. (b) and (c). 1964—Pub. L. 88–489 authorized repurchase of unconsumed special nuclear materials, or any uranium remaining after irradiation of such materials, at a price not exceeding Commission’s sale price for comparable material in effect at time of delivery to Commission, and purchase of special nuclear material produced outside United States through use of material leased or sold under this section, during any period when there is a guaranteed purchase price for same material as produced under section 2134 of this title, for such price as established by the Commission. 1961—Pub. L. 87–206 inserted “five hundred grams of uranium 233 and three kilograms of plutonium” after “five thousand kilograms of contained uranium 235”. 1957—Pub. L. 85–177 inserted provisions requiring compensation at domestic charges for materials distributed abroad except for peaceful or medical therapy uses, and required Commission to obtain authorization of Congress for materials to be contributed to Agency beyond amount made available by all other members of Agency to July 1, 1960.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1978 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 95–242 effective Mar. 10, 1978, except as otherwise provided and regardless of any requirement for the promulgation of implementing

Regulations

, see section 603(c) of Pub. L. 95–242, set out as an

Effective Date

note under section 3201 of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 2074

Title 42 — The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73