§7259a Activities of Department of Energy facilities

Summary

The Secretary of Energy may allow other federal agencies, state and local governments, and private groups to use DOE facilities for research and related work. The work must be the kind the Secretary is already allowed to do by law, including research under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, and the Federal Nonnuclear Energy Research and Development Act of 1974. The Secretary must charge whoever gets the work for direct costs and overhead, including site-wide indirect costs. The Secretary may also add a federal administrative fee up to 3 percent of the full cost, which can include depreciation and imputed interest. That 3 percent fee can be waived for small businesses, colleges and universities, nonprofits, and state or local governments. Not later than 2 years after October 17, 1998, the Secretary must end any earlier waivers under section 33 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 unless kept. The Secretary may run a pilot program with contractor-run facilities to lower overhead charges, after a joint review with the contractor. The pilot must start by October 1, 1999, end on September 30, 2003, and the Secretary must send an interim report to Congress by January 31, 2003 with any recommendations. This does not apply to DOE user fees at its facilities.