10 U.S.C. § 6155: Acceleration of removal or…

Summary

Allows the Secretary of Energy to run a fast, worldwide program to secure, remove, or safely store high‑risk nuclear materials, radioactive materials, and related equipment at sites that could be stolen from or misused. The work can include securing or removing materials from reactors and labs, shipping them to other countries or the United States, packing and transporting them safely, doing short‑term and long‑term security upgrades, managing materials at secure facilities, helping the IAEA and other partners, converting reactors from highly‑enriched uranium to low‑enriched fuel, blending down highly‑enriched uranium, closing risky sites, and helping displaced workers and sites switch to safe uses. The Secretary should work with the Secretary of State and other U.S. agencies and may work with foreign governments and organizations with State Department approval. Congress also says the President may set up a Task Force on Nuclear Materials inside the Department of Energy to help run the program. Money for the program can come from defense nuclear nonproliferation funds. The Secretary of Energy may accept contributions from foreign governments or groups, keep them in a separate Treasury fund to use without more approval and without a fiscal‑year limit, return unused contributions after 5 years, and must report to the congressional defense committees by October 31 each year on amounts received, used, and held. Definitions (one line each): fissile materials — plutonium, highly‑enriched uranium, or other materials that can sustain a nuclear explosion; radiological materials — certain listed radioactive isotopes and similar irradiated items; related equipment — gear for uranium enrichment or extracting fissile material; highly‑enriched uranium — 20% or more U‑235; low‑enriched uranium — under 20% U‑235; proliferation‑attractive — materials the Secretary finds pose a serious proliferation risk; alternative technologies — non‑radioactive options (for example, accelerator‑based equipment).

Title 10, §6155

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(a)Sense of Congress.—

(1)It is the sense of Congress that the security, including the rapid removal or secure storage, of high-risk, proliferation-attractive fissile materials, radiological materials, and related equipment at vulnerable sites worldwide should be a top priority among the activities to achieve the national security of the United States.

(2)It is the sense of Congress that the President may establish in the Department of Energy a task force to be known as the Task Force on Nuclear Materials to carry out the program authorized by subsection (b).

(b)Program Authorized.—

The Secretary of Energy may carry out a program to undertake an accelerated, comprehensive worldwide effort to mitigate the threats posed by high-risk, proliferation-attractive fissile materials, radiological materials, and related equipment located at sites potentially vulnerable to theft or diversion.

(c)Program Elements.—

(1)Activities under the program under subsection (b) may include the following:

(A)Accelerated efforts to secure, remove, or eliminate proliferation-attractive fissile materials or radiological materials in research reactors, other reactors, and other facilities worldwide.

(B)Arrangements for the secure shipment of proliferation-attractive fissile materials, radiological materials, and related equipment to other countries willing to accept such materials and equipment, or to the United States if such countries cannot be identified, and the provision of secure storage or disposition of such materials and equipment following shipment.

(C)The transportation of proliferation-attractive fissile materials, radiological materials, and related equipment from sites identified as proliferation risks to secure facilities in other countries or in the United States.

(D)The processing and packaging of proliferation-attractive fissile materials, radiological materials, and related equipment in accordance with required standards for transport, storage, and disposition.

(E)The provision of interim security upgrades for vulnerable, proliferation-attractive fissile materials, radiological materials, and related equipment pending their removal from their current sites.

(F)The utilization of funds to upgrade security and accounting at sites where proliferation-attractive fissile materials or radiological materials will remain for an extended period of time in order to ensure that such materials are secure against plausible potential threats and will remain so in the future.

(G)The management of proliferation-attractive fissile materials, radiological materials, and related equipment at secure facilities.

(H)Actions to ensure that security, including security upgrades at sites and facilities for the storage or disposition of proliferation-attractive fissile materials, radiological materials, and related equipment, continues to function as intended.

(I)The provision of technical support to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), other countries, and other entities to facilitate removal of, and security upgrades to facilities that contain, proliferation-attractive fissile materials, radiological materials, and related equipment worldwide.

(J)The development of alternative fuels and irradiation targets based on low-enriched uranium to convert research or other reactors fueled by highly-enriched uranium to such alternative fuels, as well as the conversion of reactors and irradiation targets employing highly-enriched uranium to employment of such alternative fuels and targets.

(K)Accelerated actions for the blend down of highly-enriched uranium to low-enriched uranium.

(L)The provision of assistance in the closure and decommissioning of sites identified as presenting risks of proliferation of proliferation-attractive fissile materials, radiological materials, and related equipment.

(M)Programs to—

(i)assist in the placement of employees displaced as a result of actions pursuant to the program in enterprises not representing a proliferation threat; and

(ii)convert (including through the use of alternative technologies) sites identified as presenting risks of proliferation regarding proliferation-attractive fissile materials, radiological materials, and related equipment to purposes not representing a proliferation threat to the extent necessary to eliminate the proliferation threat.

(2)The Secretary of Energy shall, in coordination with the Secretary of State, carry out the program in consultation with, and with the assistance of, appropriate departments, agencies, and other entities of the United States Government.

(3)The Secretary of Energy shall, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, carry out activities under the program in collaboration with such foreign governments, non-governmental organizations, and other international entities as the Secretary of Energy considers appropriate for the program.

(d)Funding.—

Amounts authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Energy for defense nuclear nonproliferation activities shall be available for purposes of the program under this section.

(e)Participation by Other Governments and Organizations.—

(1)The Secretary of Energy may, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, enter into one or more agreements with any person (including a foreign government, international organization, or multinational entity) that the Secretary of Energy considers appropriate under which the person contributes funds for purposes of the programs described in paragraph (2).

(2)The programs described in this paragraph are any programs within the Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation of the National Nuclear Security Administration.

(3)Notwithstanding section 3302 of title 31, the Secretary of Energy may retain and use amounts contributed under an agreement under paragraph (1) for purposes of the programs described in paragraph (2). Amounts so contributed shall be retained in a separate fund established in the Treasury for such purposes and shall be available for use without further appropriation and without fiscal year limitation.

(4)If an amount contributed under an agreement under paragraph (1) is not used under this subsection within 5 years after it was contributed, the Secretary of Energy shall return that amount to the person who contributed it.

(5)Not later than October 31 of each year, the Secretary of Energy shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the receipt and use of amounts under this subsection during the preceding fiscal year. Each report for a fiscal year shall set forth—

(A)a statement of any amounts received under this subsection, including, for each such amount, the value of the contribution and the person who contributed it;

(B)a statement of any amounts used under this subsection, including, for each such amount, the purposes for which the amount was used; and

(C)a statement of the amounts retained but not used under this subsection, including, for each such amount, the purposes (if known) for which the Secretary intends to use the amount.

(f)Definitions.—

In this section: (1)

(2)The term “radiological materials” includes Americium-241, Californium-252, Cesium-137, Cobalt-60, Iridium-192, Plutonium-238, Radium-226, Strontium-90, Curium-244, and irradiated items containing such materials, or other materials designated by the Secretary of Energy for purposes of this paragraph.

(3)The term “related equipment” includes equipment useful for enrichment of uranium in the isotope 235 and for extraction of fissile materials from irradiated fuel rods and other equipment designated by the Secretary of Energy for purposes of this section.

(4)The term “highly-enriched uranium” means uranium enriched to or above 20 percent in the isotope 235.

(5)The term “low-enriched uranium” means uranium enriched below 20 percent in the isotope 235.

(6)The term “proliferation-attractive”, in the case of fissile materials and radiological materials, means quantities and types of such materials that are determined by the Secretary of Energy to present a significant risk to the national security of the United States if diverted to a use relating to proliferation.

(7)The term “alternative technologies” means technologies, such as accelerator-based equipment, that do not use radiological materials.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 6155 was renumbered section 8266 of this title. Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in section 2569 of Title 50, War and National Defense, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 119–60, § 3111(b)(1).

Amendments

2025—Pub. L. 119–60, § 3111(d)(2)(B), realigned margins. Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 119–60, § 3111(d)(2)(A), struck out pars. (1) to (5) headings which read as follows: “In general”, “Programs covered”, “Retention and use of amounts”, “Return of amounts not used within 5 years”, and “Annual report”, respectively.

§6155 Acceleration of Removal or Security of Fissile Materials, Radiological Materials, and Related Equipment at Vulnerable Sites Worldwide