,i #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #fgif ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,may #h1 #bjbj,mr4 ,weber of ,texas introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology ,a ,,bill ,to establish and support advanced nuclear research and development programs and infrastructure at the ,department of ,energy1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,nuclear ,energy for the ,future ,act4 #b4 ,nuclear ,energy ,research and ,development ,section #ieb of the ,energy ,policy ,act of #bjje 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #afbgb7 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7e7 ,advanced reactor technologies research and development program 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall carry out a program under which the ,secretary shall conduct research relating to the development of advanced nuclear energy technologies that may offer improved safety1 functionality1 and affordability4 7#b7 ,requirements ,the program under this subsection shall-- 7,a7 support efforts to reduce long-term technical barriers for advanced nuclear energy systems2 and 7,b7 be carried out in consultation with the ,nuclear ,regulatory ,commission to ensure identification of any relevant concerns4 7#c7 ,public-private partnerships 7,a7 ,in general ,in carrying out the program under this subsection1 the ,secretary shall1 to the maximum extent practicable and consistent with national security1 make available nuclear energy research infrastructure to industry partners in order to achieve faster and cost-effective development of advanced nuclear energy technologies toward commercial readiness4 ,the ,secretary shall make available-- 7i7 experimental capabilities and testing facilities2 7ii7 computational capabilities1 modeling1 and simulation tools2 7iii7 access to existing datasets and data validation tools2 and 7iv7 land use and site information for demonstration facilities4 7,b7 ,selection 7i7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall select industry partners for awards on a competitive merit-reviewed basis4 7ii7 ,considerations ,in selecting industry partners under clause 7i71 the ,secretary shall consider-- 7,i7 the information disclosed by the ,department as described in subparagraph 7,a72 and 7,,ii7 any existing facilities the ,department will provide for public-private partnership activities4 7,c7 ,term ,an award made to an industry partner under this subsection shall be for a period of not more than #e years1 subject to the availability of appropriations1 after which the award may be renewed1 subject to a rigorous merit review4 7#d7 ,definition of advanced nuclear energy ,in this subsection1 the term advanced nuclear energy means energy provided by-- 7,a7 a nuclear fission reactor1 including a prototype plant 7as defined in sections #ej4b and #eb4a of title #aj1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations 7or successor regulations771 with significant improvements compared to the most recent generation of fission reactors1 including improvements such as-- 7i7 additional inherent safety features2 7ii7 lower waste yields2 7iii7 improved fuel performance2 7iv7 increased tolerance to loss of fuel cooling2 7v7 enhanced reliability2 7vi7 increased proliferation resistance2 7vii7 increased thermal efficiency2 7viii7 reduced consumption of cooling water2 7ix7 the ability to integrate into electric applications and nonelectric applications2 7x7 modular sizes to allow for deployment that corresponds with the demand for electricity2 or 7xi7 operational flexibility to respond to changes in demand for electricity and to complement integration with intermittent renewable energy2 or 7,b7 a fusion reactor4 4 #c4 ,versatile neutron source ,section #iee7;c7 of the ,energy ,policy ,act of #bjje 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #afbge7;c77 is amended to read as follows3 7c7 ,versatile neutron source 7#a7 ,in general ,in order to advance the research and development of domestic advanced1 affordable1 secure1 and clean nuclear energy1 the ,secretary shall construct a versatile reactor-based fast neutron source1 which shall operate as a national user facility4 ,the ,secretary shall consult with the private sector1 universities1 ,national ,laboratories1 and relevant ,federal agencies to ensure that such facility is capable of meeting ,federal research needs for neutron irradiation services4 7#b7 ,facility capabilities 7,a7 ,capabilities ,the ,secretary shall ensure that the facility described in paragraph 7#a7 will provide1 at a minimum1 the following capabilities3 7i7 ,fast neutron spectrum irradiation capability4 7ii7 ,capacity for upgrades to accommodate new or expanded research needs4 7,b7 ,considerations ,in carrying out subparagraph 7,a71 the ,secretary shall consider the following3 7i7 ,capabilities that support experimental high-temperature testing4 7ii7 ,providing a source of fast neutrons1 at a neutron flux higher than that at which existing research facilities operate1 sufficient to enable research for an optimal base of prospective users4 7iii7 ,maximizing irradiation flexibility and irradiation volume to accommodate as many concurrent users as possible4 7iv7 ,capabilities for irradiation with neutrons of a lower energy spectrum4 7v7 ,multiple loops for fuels and materials testing of different coolants4 7vi7 ,additional pre-irradiation and post-irradiation examination capabilities4 7vii7 ,lifetime operating costs and lifecycle costs4 7#c7 ,start of operations ,the ,secretary shall1 to the maximum extent practicable1 ensure that the start of full operations of the facility described in paragraph 7#a7 occurs before ,december #ca1 #bjbf4 7#d7 ,reporting ,the ,secretary shall include in the annual budget request of the ,department an explanation for any delay in the process of the ,department in completing the facility described in paragraph 7#a7 by the deadline described in paragraph 7#c74 7#e7 ,coordination ,the ,secretary shall leverage the best practices for management1 construction1 and operation of national user facilities from the ,office of ,science4 7#f7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary for the ,office of ,nuclear ,energy to carry out to completion the construction of the facility under this subsection-- 7,a7 #cjj1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjba2 7,b7 #eej1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbb2 7,c7 #fch1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbc2 7,d7 #gfe1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbd2 and 7,e7 #gfc1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbe4 4 #d4 ,high-performance computation collaborative research program ,section #ieg of the ,energy ,policy ,act of #bjje 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #afbgg7 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7d7 ,duplication ,the ,secretary shall ensure the coordination of1 and avoid unnecessary duplication of1 the activities of the program under subsection 7a7 with the activities of-- 7#a7 other research entities of the ,department1 including the ,national ,laboratories1 the ,advanced ,research ,projects ,agency-,energy1 and the ,advanced ,scientific ,computing ,research program2 and 7#b7 industry4 4