Nuclear Waste Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1980
Latest action. Reported to House from the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, H. Rept. 96-1156 (Part IV).
(Reported to House from Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce with amendment, H. Rept. 96-1156 (Part III)) Nuclear Waste, Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1980 - Directs the Secretary of Energy, within 60 days of the enactment of this Act, to establish a research, development, and demonstration program for the disposal of high level radioactive waste (spent nuclear fuel and the highly radioactive wastes resulting from the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, including liquid wastes and dry solid material derived from such liquid waste). Requires the Secretary to identify four potential repository sites located in different geologic media, and to the extent practicable, in different regions of the continental United States. Directs the Secretary to undertake site characterization activities (exploration and study of the geologic conditions of a particular site) to determine the suitability of such sites as demonstration repositories. Requires the Secretary to conduct at such sites tests to provide the data necessary for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and to report thereon to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Directs the Secretary to make the final site selections as soon as possible and set up the demonstration repositories at such sites. Requires that the first demonstration repository be in operation by the end of fiscal year 1986, the second repository be in operation by the end of fiscal year 1987, and the third and fourth repositories be in operation at a time prescribed by subsequent legislation. Sets forth design requirements for such repositories. Prohibits the disposal of high level radioactive waste in a demonstration repository unless: (1) such waste is owned by the Federal Government and is the result of unlicensed activities; (2) such waste is retrievable; and (3) a place has been identified to receive such waste after the termination of the demonstration program. Prohibits the operation of any demonstration repository beyond the year 2000. Authorizes the Secretary to place in such repositories solidified high level radioactive waste in canisters contained in engineered barriers. Directs the Secretary to consult with the NRC on the development of such barriers. Directs the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the NRC to arrange for review and consultation concerning the demonstration program by the NRC, within one year of the date of enactment of this Act. Directs the Secretary to submit to the NRC information which the NRC requires to identify any danger to public health and safety from such program. Prohibits the Secretary from excavating any site for a demonstration repository without NRC approval. Directs the Secretary to afford the NRC access to the demonstration repositories to assure the public health and safety. Directs the Secretary to consult and coordinate on a continuing basis with the officials of each State in which the Secretary intends to locate a demonstration repository. Requires the Secretary to hold public hearings on the demonstration program near all potential repository sites. Requires that all demonstration facilities authorized by this Act be constructed and operated as research, development, and demonstration facilities pursuant to the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974. Directs the NRC to issue an order to the Secretary to cease any activity which presents a danger to public health and safety. Requires the NRC to publish such order in the Federal Register and give notice of and hold a public hearing on such order. Directs the NRC to affirm, revise, or rescind such order upon completion of such hearing. Prohibits the Secretary from conducting any activity prohibited by the NRC. Requires the Secretary to take such actions as may be required by an order by the NRC. Directs the Secretary, in consultation with the NRC, to submit to Congress an annual report on the demonstration program. Requires the Secretary to conduct a study on techniques for disposal of low level radioactive waste and report to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate by June 1, 1981.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Reported to House amended, Part III" stage on September 3, 1980. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on September 4, 1980: Reported to House from the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, H. Rept. 96-1156 (Part IV).
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
MIKE MCCORMACK (D-WA) introduced it on May 21, 1980, and 29 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 10 Democrats, 19 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 21, 1980, 16960 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 16854 days ago, on September 4, 1980.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers