Legislative Summary: Atomic Energy

1961

AEC Authorization 
H.R. 7576 — Public Law 87-315, approved September 26, 1961 
Authorizes total appropriations of $270,440,000 for the Atomic Energy Commission. An important item included in this authorization is $111 million for the linear electron accelerator at Stanford and the balance is new construction funds for 40 AEC projects.

AEC - Omnibus Amendments 
H.R. 8599 — Public Law 87-206, approved September 6, 1961 
This measure is considered as the AEC omnibus bill of 1961.

Amendments include (1) the transfer of 3 kilograms of plutonium and 500 grams of uranium 233 to the International Atomic Energy Agency to aid in the prestige of the IAEA as a center for distribution of special nuclear materials; (2) the transfer of 8 additional kilograms of plutonium and 30 kilograms of uranium 233 to EurAtom for research purposes and to help start an experimental plant for reprocessing fuel elements; (3) extends hearing times for the program, "Development, Growth, and State of the Atomic Energy Industry"; (4) makes regulations concerning patent rights of atomic inventions; (5) sanctions the AEC'S practice of not releasing all of the reports of an inventor's atomic inventions unless due to special circumstances; (6) transfers back to the State of California exclusive jurisdiction which the United States now exercises over portions of the AEC Livermore site; and (7) permits, at the discretion of the Commission, those persons having security clearance granted by another Government agency to fulfill security specifications of the AEC. 

1962

AEC Authorization for 1963 
H.R. 11974 — Public Law 87-701, approved September 26, 1962 
Authorized $242,695,000 for AEC construction projects; of the total $159,415,000 is for 42 new projects. Authorized AEC to contract with Washington State Public Power Supply System, under certain conditions, for sale of byproduct steam and construction by WPPSS of electric generating facilities to use steam from the atomic generating project at Hanford, Wash. Electricity generated will be made available to public and private users alike, without discrimination and without expenditure of $1 of Federal funds.

Authorized AEC to contract with Washington State Public Power Supply System, under certain conditions, for sale of byproduct steam and construction by WPPSS of electric generating facilities to use steam from the atomic generating project at Hanford, Wash. Electricity generated will be made available to public and private users alike, without discrimination and without expenditure of $1 of Federal funds.

Act stipulates that sale of the Hanford steam must provide a substantial financial return to the Treasury, any modification of the reactor for utilization of the steam must be paid by the purchaser of the steam and the Senate-House Atomic Energy Committee must be given an opportunity to review the contract before the Government signs it. If these and other conditions are not met, the steam cannot be sold.

On signing the bill, President Kennedy said:

One portion of this legislation - for which we have waited for quite some time - will make it possible for the steam produced by the Hanford new production reactor to be transformed into electricity and distributed to the homes and factories of the Pacific Northwest.

It is a source of great satisfaction to me that a way has now been opened for the efficient utilization of this energy resource for the benefit of this growing region. To have permitted this resource to be wasted would have been in conflict with all principles of resource conservation and utilization to which we are committed.

This project is for peacetime application and atomic heat for electricity which will produce a million kilowatts, approximately. It will be four times larger than any other project in the world. It will give the United States a freer margin for superiority in the peacetime use of atomic energy. I think that it will benefit, in that way, the entire country, North and South and West.

As I stated in my letter of July 13, 1962, to Chairman Holifield, of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, the proposal of the Washington Public Power Supply System to utilize the Hanford steam for the production of power presents an opportunity, clearly in the public interest, to obtain the maximum benefits from the public investment already committed for this facility and to demonstrate national leadership in resources development while furthering national defense objectives.

The arrangements contemplated by this legislation will provide assurance that the interests of taxpayers, consumers, and other producers of electric power will be adequately protected.

Enactment of this legislation is a highly significant achievement, and the Members of both Houses of Congress - in particular the members of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy - are to be congratulated on the success of their unremitting efforts to bring about the utilization of the major national resource represented by the byproduct energy of the Hanford reactor.

AEC Indemnity 
S. 3491 — Public Law 87-615, approved August 30, 1962 
Amended AEC act of 1954 by authorizing establishment of one or more Atomic Safety and Licensing Boards; provided Government indemnity coverage for overseas nuclear accidents involving contractors of subcontractors of AEC and limited oversea coverage to $100 million.

AEC Properties 
S. 3580 — Public Law 87-719, approved September 12, 1962 
Authorized Atomic Energy Commission to provide for sale of federally owned residential properties in Los Alamos, N. Mex. Net value is $39 million and it is expected that proceeds from the sales will total about $38 million. 

Southern Interstate Nuclear Compact 
H.R. 10618 — Public Law 87-563, approved July 31, 1962 
Grants congressional consent to southern interstate nuclear compact to establish a regional agency. The Southern Interstate Nuclear Board, to develop and control peaceful uses of nuclear energy throughout the compact are - comprised of Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

1963

AEC Construction 
S. 1745 — Public Law 88-72, approved July 22, 1963 
Authorized a total appropriation of $216,271,000 for the Atomic Energy Commission.

Authorizations are for:

New construction projects   $172,562,000
Cooperation with European Atomic Energy Community  $7,500,000

Cooperative power reactor demonstration program; fast breeder research and development  

 $709,000
Spectral hi-power reactor development, design, and construction  $30,000,000
Cooperative research and development program with West German authorities  $5,500,000
Total:   $216,271,000

 

AEC Supplemental Authorization 
S. 2267 — Public Law 88-189, approved November 29, 1963 
Authorizes an additional $17,945,000 for the construction of 12 new facilities for the nuclear weapons development program as outlined by the President in connection with the nuclear test ban treaty.