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101st Congress > Senate > Vote 128
Clerk session vote number: 128
Sponsor: FORD, Wendell Hampton (D-KY)
Description: An Act to establish the United States Enrichment Corporation to operate the Federal uranium enrichment program on a profitable and efficient basis in order to maximize the long term assistance economic value to the United States, to provide assistance to the domestic uranium industry and to provide a Federal contribution for the reclamation of mill tailings generated pursuant to Federal defense contracts at active uranium and thorium processing sites.
Bill summary: Comprehensive Uranium Act of 1989 -
Title I: Uranium Enrichment Act of 1989
- Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to repeal the statutory pricing requirements applicable to uranium enrichment enterprises.
Establishes the United States Enrichment Corporation as a wholly-owned Government corporation to conduct uranium marketing and enrichment activities as a commercial, profitable, self-financing enterprise. Sets forth the Corporation's corporate office and powers and vests its management in
an Administrator (appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate). Grants the Secretary of Energy (the Secretary) general supervision over such Administrator only with respect to national security and health and environmental concerns. Establishes a Corporate Board whose members shall be appointed by the President, and who shall advise the Administrator and the Secretary regarding Corporation matters. Prescribes guidelines for: (1) Corporation personnel; (2) certain property transfers from the Department of Energy; (3) the Corporation's capital structure; and (4) Corporation pricing policies, including user charges for decommissioning, decontamination, and remedial activities.
Requires the Corporation to make annual status reports to certain congressional committees, the President, and the Secretary.
Prescribes licensing and taxation guidelines for the Corporation. Sets guidelines for payments in lieu of taxes by the Corporation to States and local governments. Requires the Administrator to make recommendations to the President and the Congress by specified dates regarding the transfer of the Corporation's functions and assets to private ownership.
Establishes the Uranium Enrichment Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund to cover the Corporation's decommissioning and decontamination expenses.
Applies Federal environmental and occupational safety and health law to the Corporation as though it were privately owned.
Eliminates the treatment of uranium enrichment facilities as production facilities under the Atomic Energy Act with respect to the importation of such facilities into the United States (thus subjecting them to less stringent licensing requirements). Exempts the Corporation from sequestration because the maximum deficit amount has been exceeded under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act).
Prohibits the Corporation's total FY 1990 expenditures from exceeding its total FY 1990 receipts.
Title II: Uranium - Subtitle A: Short Title, Finding and Purposes, Definitions
- Uranium Security and Tailings Reclamation Act of 1989 - Sets forth findings, purposes, and definitions of this title.
Subtitle B: Uranium Revitalization
- Directs the Corporation to establish for a minimum five-year period a voluntary overfeeding program to be made available to its enrichment services customers. ("Overfeeding" means the use of uranium in the enrichment process in excess of the amount required at the transactional tails assay, thus reducing customers' power costs). Provides that the resultant savings shall be credited to such customers.
Establishes the National Strategic Uranium Reserve, consisting of 50,000,000 pounds of natural uranium, to be restricted to military purposes and Government research under the control of the Secretary.
Confers continuing responsibility upon the Secretary for promotion of the domestic uranium industry, but without using any supervisory authority over the Corporation. Directs the Secretary to develop recommendations and implement Government programs promoting domestic uranium exports.
Restricts all uranium purchases by Federal entities to uranium purchased from domestic producers. Exempts the Tennessee Valley Authority from such restriction.
Subtitle C: Remedial Action for Active Processing Sites
- Provides that remedial action costs such as decontamination, decommissioning, and reclamation at an active uranium or thorium processing site shall be borne by specified licensees for any activity resulting in byproduct material. Sets forth a reimbursement schedule for: (1) individual active site uranium licensees; (2) all active site uranium licensees; and (3) thorium licensees. Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations governing such reimbursement.
Authorizes appropriations.
Bill titles: An Act to establish the United States Enrichment Corporation to operate the Federal uranium enrichment program on a profitable and efficient basis in order to maximize the long term assistance economic value to the United States, to provide assistance to the domestic uranium industry and to provide a Federal contribution for the reclamation of mill tailings generated pursuant to Federal defense contracts at active uranium and thorium processing sites.; A bill to establish the amount of costs of the Department of Energy's uranium enrichment program that have not previously been recovered from enrichment customers in the charges of the Department of Energy to its customers.
Original source documents: Digest of the Congressional Record vol. 135, p. 8326;
Links for more info on the vote: congress.gov
