WASHINGTON, DC - Subcommittee on Energy Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and committee member Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH) today sent a letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Rick Perry regarding the pace of international civil nuclear trade authorizations. The Atomic Energy Act requires the authorization of the export of civil nuclear energy technology known as - “Part 810"- and DOE is responsible for management of this authorization process.
Upton and Johnson write, “The purpose of this process is to identify potential national security implications before a domestic supplier can or cannot engage in negotiations with a potential customer and nation. However, the pace of the process may be inhibiting nuclear commerce." A just released report by the Nuclear Innovation Alliance, “states the process for specific Part 810 authorizations took an average of 130 days in the 1990s. In recent years, the average processing time for certain specific applications is nearly 400 days."
The members requested DOE fully implement ongoing Part 810 process reforms and identify further process efficiencies, specifically asking:
1. What steps is DOE currently taking to improve the efficiency and predictability of the Part 810 process?
2. What is the expected timeline to fully implement the pending reforms currently underway?
3. What additional reforms might DOE consider to promote participation of the U.S. nuclear industry in international civil nuclear commerce as part of DOE’s comprehensive nuclear energy policy?
4. What reforms may Congress address legislatively in order to improve this process?
