U.S. CODE

U.S. Code

§ 2541. Tritium production program

(a) Establishment of program

The Secretary of Energy shall establish a tritium production program that is capable of meeting the tritium requirements of the United States for nuclear weapons. In carrying out the tritium production program, the Secretary shall—

(1) complete the tritium supply and recycling environmental impact statement in preparation by the Secretary as of February 10, 1996; and

(2) assess alternative means for tritium production, including production through—

(A) types of new and existing reactors, including multipurpose reactors (such as advanced light water reactors and gas turbine gas-cooled reactors) capable of meeting both the tritium production requirements and the plutonium disposition requirements of the United States for nuclear weapons;

(B) an accelerator; and

(b) Funding

Of funds authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Energy pursuant to section 3101 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996 (Public Law 104–106), not more than $50,000,000 shall be available for the tritium production program established pursuant to subsection (a).

The Secretary shall locate any new tritium production facility of the Department of Energy at the Savannah River Site, South Carolina.

(d) Cost-benefit analysis

(1) The Secretary shall include in the statements referred to in paragraph (2) a comparison of the costs and benefits of carrying out two projects for the separate performance of the tritium production mission of the Department and the plutonium disposition mission of the Department with the costs and benefits of carrying out one multipurpose project for the performance of both such missions.

(2) The statements referred to in paragraph (1) are—

(A) the environmental impact statement referred to in subsection (a)(1);

(B) the plutonium disposition environmental impact statement in preparation by the Secretary as of February 10, 1996; and

(e) Report

Not later than 45 days after February 10, 1996, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on National Security of the House of Representatives a report on the tritium production program established pursuant to subsection (a). The report shall include a specification of—

(1) the planned expenditures of the Department during fiscal year 1996 for any of the alternative means for tritium production assessed under subsection (a)(2);

(2) the amount of funds required to be expended by the Department, and the program milestones (including feasibility demonstrations) required to be met, during fiscal years 1997 through 2001 to ensure tritium production beginning not later than 2005 that is adequate to meet the tritium requirements of the United States for nuclear weapons; and

(3) the amount of such funds to be expended and such program milestones to be met during such fiscal years to ensure such tritium production beginning not later than 2011.

(f) Tritium targets

Of the funds made available pursuant to subsection (b), not more than $5,000,000 shall be available for the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory for the test and development of nuclear reactor tritium targets for the types of reactors assessed under subsection (a)(2)(A).

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