Shelley Berkley: “Amendment No. 2 offered by Ms. Berkley: Page 36, after line 9, insert the following new section: SEC. 18. NUCLEAR WASTE…”

“Amendment No. 2 offered by Ms. Berkley: Page 36, after line 9, insert the following new section: SEC. 18. NUCLEAR WASTE TRANSMUTATION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall commence a program of research and development on the technology necessary to achieve onsite transmutation of nuclear waste into nonradioactive substances. (b) Grants, Contracts, Cooperative Agreements, Interagency Funds Transfer Agreements, and Field Work Proposals.-- (1) Assistance.--The Secretary may award grants or contracts to, or enter into cooperative agreements with, institutions of higher education and industrial enterprises to conduct a research, development, and demonstration program on the technology necessary to achieve onsite transmutation of nuclear waste into nonradioactive substances in a manner consistent with United States environmental and nonproliferation policy. The Secretary shall not support a technology under this section that involves the isolation of plutonium or uranium. (2) Peer review.--Funds made available under paragraph (1) for initiating contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, interagency funds transfer agreements, and field work proposals shall be made available based on a competitive selection process and a peer review of proposals.”