Sec. 8. University Nuclear Leadership Program
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Congress finds that— nuclear power plants— generate billions of dollars in national economic activity through procurements throughout the United States; and provide tens of thousands of people in the United States with high-paying jobs, contributing substantially to the local economies of the communities in which the plants operate; the world market for the growth of commercial nuclear power was estimated by the Department of Commerce to be valued at up to $740,000,000,000 during the period of calendar years 2018 through 2028; the participation and leadership of the United States in the market described in paragraph
(2)will— increase economic activity in the United States through robust nuclear exports, leading to the enhanced economic security of the United States; and preserve and enhance the ability of the United States to positively influence international nuclear safety, security, and nonproliferation standards through commercial engagement with other nations; but require significant investment in United States-origin advanced nuclear technologies; in order to lead the world in the next generation of commercial nuclear power, the advanced nuclear industry in the United States should be positioned for accelerated growth, which requires public-private partnerships with— the Department of Energy; the National Nuclear Security Administration; and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; advanced reactors represent new challenges in reactor design, safeguards, and regulation; the challenges referred to in paragraph (5)— are directly relevant to the missions of— the Office of Nuclear Energy of the Department of Energy; the National Nuclear Security Administration; and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and require a highly skilled workforce in order to be met; and nuclear science and engineering programs at institutions of higher education in the United States— annually award degrees in nuclear engineering and related fields to more than 600 undergraduate students, and 500 graduate students, who are critical to maintaining United States leadership in the development of advanced nuclear systems; perform cutting-edge research and technology development activities that have made fundamental contributions to advancing United States nuclear technology; support workforce development critical to maintaining United States leadership in nuclear detection, nonproliferation, nuclear medicine, advanced manufacturing, and other non-energy areas; and generally do not receive support from Federal science agencies other than the Department of Energy. Section 313 of the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2009 ( 42 U.S.C. 16274a ), is amended to read as follows: In this section: The term advanced nuclear reactor means— a nuclear fission reactor, including a prototype plant (as defined in sections 50.2 and 52.1 of title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations)), with significant improvements compared to the most recent generation of fission reactors, including improvements such as— additional inherent safety features; lower waste yields; improved fuel performance; increased tolerance to loss of fuel cooling; enhanced reliability; increased proliferation resistance; increased thermal efficiency; reduced consumption of cooling water; the ability to integrate into electric applications and nonelectric applications; modular sizes to allow for deployment that corresponds with the demand for electricity; or operational flexibility to respond to changes in demand for electricity and to complement integration with intermittent renewable energy; and a fusion reactor. The term institution of higher education has the meaning given the term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1001(a) ). The term Program means the University Nuclear Leadership Program established under subsection (b). The Secretary of Energy, the Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, and the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission shall jointly establish a program, to be known as the University Nuclear Leadership Program . Except as provided in paragraph (2), amounts made available to carry out the Program shall be used to provide financial assistance for scholarships, fellowships, and research and development projects at institutions of higher education in areas relevant to the programmatic mission of the applicable Federal agency providing the financial assistance with respect to research, development, demonstration, and deployment activities for technologies relevant to advanced nuclear reactors, including relevant fuel cycle technologies. Notwithstanding paragraph (1), amounts made available to carry out the Program may be used to provide financial assistance for a scholarship, fellowship, or multiyear research and development project that does not align directly with a programmatic mission of the applicable Federal agency providing the financial assistance, if the activity for which assistance is provided would facilitate the maintenance of the discipline of nuclear science or nuclear engineering. There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out the Program. .
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