Pub. L. 108-7, div. I, tit. III, sec. 334

Sec. 334. (a) The Secretary of Transportation shall enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences under which agreement the National Academy of Sciences shall conduct a study of the procedures by which the Department of Energy, together with the Department of Transportation and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, selects routes for the shipment of spent nuclear fuel from research nuclear reactors between or among existing Department of Energy facilities currently licensed to accept such spent nuclear fuel. (b) In conducting the study under subsection (a), the National Academy of Sciences shall analyze the manner in which the Department of Energy—(1) selects potential routes for the shipment of spent nuclear fuel from research nuclear reactors between or among existing Department facilities currently licensed to accept such spent nuclear fuel;(2) selects such a route for a specific shipment of such spent nuclear fuel; and (3) conducts assessments of the risks associated with shipments of such spent nuclear fuel along such a route.(c) The analysis under subsection (b) shall include a consideration whether, and to what extent, the procedures analyzed for purposes of that subsection take into account the following:(1) The proximity of the routes under consideration to major population centers and the risks associated with shipments of spent nuclear fuel from research nuclear reactors through densely populated areas.(2) Current traffic and accident data with respect to the routes under consideration.(3) The quality of the roads comprising the routes under consideration.(4) Emergency response capabilities along the routes under consideration.(5) The proximity of the routes under consideration to places or venues (including sports stadiums, convention centers, concert halls and theaters, and other venues) where large numbers of people gather.(d) In conducting the study under subsection (a), the National Academy of Sciences shall also make such recommendations regarding the matters studied as the National Academy of Sciences considers appropriate.(e) The Secretary shall disburse to the National Academy of Sciences the funds for the cost of the study required by subsection (a) not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.(f) Not later than 6 months after the date of the disbursal of funds under subsection (e), the National Academy of Sciences 117 STAT. 415 shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the study conducted under subsection (a), including the recommendations required by subsection (d).(g) In this section, the term “appropriate committees of Congress” means—(1) the Committees on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Energy and Natural Resources, and Environment and Public Works of the Senate;(2) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives; and(3) the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate.