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Summary Provided by Congressional Research Service
The following analysis is based on draft bill text that was made available by the House of Representatives and may differ from the bill text as introduced.
Department of Energy Nuclear Transparency Act
This bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to report actions related to its authorization of DOE nuclear facilities and other related DOE actions on a public website within 72 hours of those authorizations or actions occurring.
Specifically, DOE must post information about agreements to authorize nuclear facilities that fall under Hazard Category 1, 2, or 3. Hazard categories are based on the radioactive material inventories of the facilities and the potential consequences to the public, workers, and the environment. Hazard Category 1 represents the highest potential consequence.
DOE must also post a summary of any actions it took to alter a directive or safety standard relating to such facilities.
Further, DOE must post any preliminary documented safety analysis or documented safety analysis that it issues for such facilities. A preliminary documented safety analysis means documentation prepared in connection with the design and construction of a new Hazard Category 1, 2, or 3 DOE nuclear facility or a major modification to such nuclear facility already in existence that provides a reasonable basis for the preliminary conclusion that the nuclear facility can be operated safely through the consideration of certain factors. A documented safety analysis means a documented analysis of the extent to which a nuclear facility can be operated safely with respect to workers, the public, and the environment.
DOE must also issue an annual report detailing any activities it took to authorize such DOE nuclear facilities during the previous year.
Latest available text
1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the "Department of Energy Nuclear Transparency Act".
2. Public announcement requirements for Department of Energy actions relating to certain nuclear facilities
(a) Alterations to directives and safety standards -
(1) Public announcement - Not later than 72 hours after altering a directive or safety standard relating to covered DOE nuclear facilities, the Secretary of Energy shall post, on a publicly accessible website of the Department of Energy, an announcement regarding such alteration.
(2) Inclusion - Each announcement under paragraph (1) shall include a summary of how the relevant directive or safety standard was altered.
(b) Documented safety analysis -
(1) Public announcement - Not later than 72 hours after issuing any preliminary documented safety analysis or documented safety analysis with respect to a covered DOE nuclear facility, the Secretary of Energy shall post, on a publicly accessible website of the Department of Energy, an announcement regarding the issuance of such preliminary documented safety analysis or documented safety analysis.
(2) Inclusion -
(A) Analysis - Subject to subparagraph (B), each announcement under paragraph (1) shall include the relevant preliminary documented safety analysis or documented safety analysis.
(B) Commercially sensitive or controlled information - The Secretary of Energy may modify a preliminary documented safety analysis or documented safety analysis included in an announcement under paragraph (1) only to ensure that such preliminary documented safety analysis or documented safety analysis does not include any commercially sensitive information, classified information, unclassified controlled nuclear information, or controlled unclassified information.
(c) Authorizations - Not later than 72 hours after entering into an agreement to authorize a covered DOE nuclear facility, the Secretary of Energy shall post, on a publicly accessible website of the Department of Energy, an announcement regarding such agreement, including information regarding any conditions applying to such agreement.
(d) Report - Not later than January 31 of each year, the Secretary of Energy shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report detailing any activities the Secretary of Energy took to authorize covered DOE nuclear facilities during the previous calendar year.
(e) Definitions - In this section:
(1) Covered DOE nuclear facility - The term "covered DOE nuclear facility" means any of the Hazard Category 1, 2, and 3 DOE nuclear facilities (as such term is defined in section 830.3(a) of title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of enactment of this section)) that the Secretary of Energy holds authority over pursuant to section 110 a. of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2140(a)).
(2) Documented safety analysis; preliminary documented safety analysis - The terms "documented safety analysis" and "preliminary documented safety analysis" have the meanings given such terms, respectively, in section 830.3(a) of title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of enactment of this section).
November 5, 2026Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed