June 2, 2026
Ms. Castor of Florida introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
To increase transparency relating to the Department of Energy’s authorizations of certain nuclear facilities.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Department of Energy Nuclear Transparency Act
.
Sec. 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 24 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 24 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 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.
(c) Authorizations
Not later than 24 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).