42 U.S.C. § 2210b: Uranium supply

Summary

The Secretary of Energy must monitor the U.S. uranium mining and milling industry and report each year to the President and Congress from 1983 through 1992. The Secretary must make rules within 9 months after January 4, 1983, about what to check and may gather the information needed. If a person shows the information is proprietary, the Secretary must keep it private; unlawful disclosure is punishable under section 1905 of title 18. The reports must use specific criteria, covering things like 10-year projections of uranium needs and inventories, the amount and effects of foreign imports, whether domestic reserves and production can meet 10-year needs, exploration spending, jobs and investment, production capacity, and price forecasts. If monitoring shows foreign uranium imports are causing serious injury to the U.S. industry, the U.S. Trade Representative will ask the International Trade Commission to investigate. If, during 1982–1992, contracts or options for foreign uranium would supply more than 37½ percent of domestic needs for any two-consecutive-year period, or if those contracts may threaten national security, the Secretary of Energy must ask the Secretary of Commerce to investigate national security effects under section 1862 of title 19. Commerce must consider Energy’s information. If Commerce completes an investigation and makes no trade-adjustment recommendation, Energy may ask for another investigation no sooner than 3 years later.

Title 42, §2210b

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

(a)Assessment of domestic uranium industry viability; monitoring and reporting requirements; criteria; implementation by rules and regulations

The Secretary of Energy shall monitor and for the years 1983 to 1992 report annually to the Congress and to the President a determination of the viability of the domestic uranium mining and milling industry and shall establish by rule, after public notice and in accordance with the requirements of section 2231 of this title, within 9 months of January 4, 1983, specific criteria which shall be assessed in the annual reports on the domestic uranium industry’s viability. The Secretary of Energy is authorized to issue regulations providing for the collection of such information as the Secretary of Energy deems necessary to carry out the monitoring and reporting requirements of this section.

(b)Disclosure of information

Upon a satisfactory showing to the Secretary of Energy by any person that any information, or portion thereof obtained under this section, would, if made public, divulge proprietary information of such person, the Secretary shall not disclose such information and disclosure thereof shall be punishable under section 1905 of title 18.

(c)Criteria for monitoring and reporting requirements

The criteria referred to in subsection (a) shall also include, but not be limited to—

(1)an assessment of whether executed contracts or options for source material or special nuclear material will result in greater than 37½ percent of actual or projected domestic uranium requirements for any two-consecutive-year period being supplied by source material or special nuclear material from foreign sources;

(2)projections of uranium requirements and inventories of domestic utilities for a 10 year period;

(3)present and probable future use of the domestic market by foreign imports;

(4)whether domestic economic reserves can supply all future needs for a future 10 year period;

(5)present and projected domestic uranium exploration expenditures and plans;

(6)present and projected employment and capital investment in the uranium industry;

(7)the level of domestic uranium production capacity sufficient to meet projected domestic nuclear power needs for a 10 year period; and

(8)a projection of domestic uranium production and uranium price levels which will be in effect under various assumptions with respect to imports.

(d)Excessive imports; investigation by United States International Trade Commission

The Secretary or Energy, at any time, may determine on the basis of the monitoring and annual reports required under this section that source material or special nuclear material from foreign sources is being imported in such increased quantities as to be a substantial cause of serious injury, or threat thereof, to the United States uranium mining and milling industry. Based on that determination, the United States Trade Representative shall request that the United States International Trade Commission initiate an investigation under section 2251 of title 19.

(e)Excessive imports for contracts or options as threatening national security; investigation by Secretary of Commerce; recommendation for further investigation

(1)If, during the period 1982 to 1992, the Secretary of Energy determines that executed contracts or options for source material or special nuclear material from foreign sources for use in utilization facilities within or under the jurisdiction of the United States represent greater than 37½ percent of actual or projected domestic uranium requirements for any two-consecutive-year period, or if the Secretary of Energy determines the level of contracts or options involving source material and special nuclear material from foreign sources may threaten to impair the national security, the Secretary of Energy shall request the Secretary of Commerce to initiate under section 1862 of title 19 an investigation to determine the effects on the national security of imports of source material and special nuclear material. The Secretary of Energy shall cooperate fully with the Secretary of Commerce in carrying out such an investigation and shall make available to the Secretary of Commerce the findings that lead to this request and such other information that will assist the Secretary of Commerce in the conduct of the investigation.

(2)The Secretary of Commerce shall, in the conduct of any investigation requested by the Secretary of Energy pursuant to this section, take into account any information made available by the Secretary of Energy, including information regarding the impact on national security of projected or executed contracts or options for source material or special nuclear material from foreign sources or whether domestic production capacity is sufficient to supply projected national security requirements.

(3)No sooner than 3 years following completion of any investigation by the Secretary of Commerce under paragraph (1), if no recommendation has been made pursuant to such study for trade adjustments to assist or protect domestic uranium production, the Secretary of Energy may initiate a request for another such investigation by the Secretary of Commerce.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Section 2251 of title 19, referred to in subsec. (d), was amended generally by Pub. L. 100–418, title I, § 1401(a), Aug. 23, 1988, 102 Stat. 1225, and as so amended does not relate to investigations. See section 2252 of Title 19, Customs Duties.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Review of Status of Domestic Uranium Mining and Milling Industry; Availability to Congressional Committees; Scope of Review Pub. L. 97–415, § 23(a), Jan. 4, 1983, 96 Stat. 2080, directed the President to prepare and submit to Congress a comprehensive review of the status of the domestic uranium mining and milling industry by no later than 12 months after Jan. 4, 1983.

§2210b Uranium Supply