Title 50 — War and National DefenseRelease 119-73not60
§2585 Accelerated Schedule for Defense Environmental Cleanup Activities
Title 50 › Chapter 42— ATOMIC ENERGY DEFENSE PROVISIONS › Subchapter IV— DEFENSE ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP MATTERS › Part A— Defense Environmental Cleanup › § 2585
Summary
The Secretary of Energy must speed up cleanup and disposal work at DOE defense nuclear sites when doing so would help update or replace facilities that support the nuclear weapons stockpile, save the federal government significant long-term money, or free up land for local reuse without hurting national security. In deciding, the Secretary must think about how much it helps modernization, the cost savings, reuse potential, local health and safety risks, and how close the site is to people. Nothing here changes or removes any existing law or rule that requires cleanup or protects public health and the environment.
Full Legal Text
Title 50, §2585
War and National Defense — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)The Secretary of Energy shall accelerate the schedule for defense environmental cleanup activities and disposition projects for a site at a Department of Energy defense nuclear facility if the Secretary determines that such an accelerated schedule will accelerate the recapitalization, modernization, or replacement of National Nuclear Security Administration facilities supporting the nuclear weapons stockpile, achieve meaningful, long-term cost savings to the Federal Government, or could substantially accelerate the release of land for local reuse without undermining national security objectives.
(b)In making a determination under subsection (a), the Secretary shall consider the following:
(1)The extent to which accelerated cleanup schedules can contribute to a more rapid modernization of National Nuclear Security Administration facilities.
(2)The cost savings achievable by the Federal Government.
(3)The potential for reuse of the site.
(4)The risks that the site poses to local health and safety.
(5)The proximity of the site to populated areas.
(c)Nothing in this section may be construed to affect a specific statutory requirement for a specific defense environmental cleanup activity or project or to modify or otherwise affect applicable statutory or regulatory defense environmental cleanup requirements, including substantive standards intended to protect public health and the environment.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Codification Section was formerly set out as a note under section 7274k of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, prior to renumbering by Pub. L. 108–136.
Amendments
2024—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 118–159, § 3111(c)(6)(A), amended subsec. (a) generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “The Secretary of Energy shall accelerate the schedule for defense environmental cleanup activities and projects for a site at a Department of Energy defense nuclear facility if the Secretary determines that such an accelerated schedule will achieve meaningful, long-term cost savings to the Federal Government and could substantially accelerate the release of land for local reuse.” Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 118–159, § 3111(c)(6)(B), added par. (1) and redesignated former pars. (1) to (4) as (2) to (5), respectively. 2013—Pub. L. 113–66, § 3146(e)(6)(A), substituted “defense environmental cleanup” for “environmental restoration and waste management” in section catchline. Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 113–66, § 3146(e)(6)(B), substituted “defense environmental cleanup” for “environmental restoration and waste management”. Subsec. (b)(2) to (5). Pub. L. 113–66, § 3146(e)(6)(C), redesignated pars. (3) to (5) as (2) to (4), respectively, and struck out former par. (2), which read as follows: “The amount of time for completion of environmental restoration and waste management activities and projects at the site that can be reduced from the time specified for completion of such activities and projects in the baseline environmental management report required to be submitted for 1995 under section 3153 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994 (42 U.S.C. 7274k), the predecessor provision to section 2584 of this title.” Subsecs. (c), (d). Pub. L. 113–66, § 3146(e)(6)(D)–(F), redesignated subsec. (d) as (c), substituted “specific defense environmental cleanup” for “specific environmental restoration or waste management” and “regulatory defense environmental cleanup” for “regulatory environmental restoration and waste management”, and struck out former subsec. (c) which required Secretary to report on each site for which schedule for environmental restoration and waste management activities had been accelerated. 2003—Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 108–136, § 3141(g)(6)(D), inserted “, the predecessor provision to section 2584 of this title” before period at end.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
50 U.S.C. § 2585
Title 50 — War and National Defense
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60