Text of Senate Amendment 6171

On 2026-06-24, Senator Cynthia M. Lummis (R-WY) delivered a floor speech titled "Text Of Senate Amendment 6171" in the Senate.

Text of Senate Amendment 6171

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S3365-S3366] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 6171. Ms. LUMMIS (for herself and Mr. Kelly) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows: At the appropriate place, insert the following: [[Page S3366]] SEC. ___. DEFENSE-RELATED URANIUM MINE SITES. (a) Definitions.--In this section: (1) DRUM site.-- (A) In general.--The term ``DRUM site'' means an abandoned, inactive defense-related uranium mine site that-- (i) supplied uranium ore to the Atomic Energy Commission for defense-related activities between 1947 and 1970; and (ii) has legacy uranium mine waste, including waste rock, tailings, overburden, stockpiled material, and other residual materials, that were generated by uranium mining and processing activities and located on abandoned or active patented or unpatented mining claims on Federal land open or closed to mineral entry. (B) Inclusions.--The term ``DRUM site'' includes, with respect to a mine site described in subparagraph (A), adits, portals, vents, waste-rock piles, structures, highwalls, and surface pits. (2) Federal land.--The term ``Federal land'' means land-- (A) the title to which is held by the United States; and (B) under the jurisdiction of-- (i) the Secretary of the Interior; or (ii) the Chief of the Forest Service. (3) NRC service provider.--The term ``NRC service provider'' means an entity that holds a valid license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued under part 40 of title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor regulation), authorizing the possession and treatment of radioactive materials solely for the purposes of remediation, stabilization, and cleanup of DRUM sites. (4) Remediation.-- (A) In general.--The term ``remediation'' means an action-- (i) undertaken to eliminate, stabilize, or substantially reduce the release, mobility, toxicity, or volume of hazardous or radioactive substances from DRUM sites, including the recovery of uranium, in order to protect human health and the environment; and (ii) that utilizes a technology that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved for use through a multi-site license after having issued a finding of no significant impact with respect to the technology. (B) Exclusion.--The term ``remediation'' does not include the extraction of new ore or the development of new mining or milling operations. (5) Secretary of the interior.--The term ``Secretary of the Interior'' means the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management. (b) Remediation and Recovery of Legacy Uranium Waste on Federal Land.-- (1) In general.--Not later than 9 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Chief of the Forest Service and the Secretary of the Interior, each in conjunction with the Secretary of Energy, shall revise section 228.4(a)(1) of title 36 and section 3809.5(1) of title 43, Code of Federal Regulations, respectively, to authorize NRC service providers to access DRUM sites on Federal land for the purpose of remediation and recovery of uranium. (2) Regulatory frameworks.--In carrying out the revisions required under paragraph (1), the Chief of the Forest Service and the Secretary of the Interior shall use existing regulatory frameworks applicable to activities resulting in no or negligible disturbance and not requiring a notice of intent to operate or plan of operations pursuant to part 228 of title 36 and part 3809 of title 43, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations), respectively. (3) No or negligible surface disturbance.--Activity carried out by a NRC service provider within a DRUM site pursuant to a revision required under paragraph (1) shall be deemed to result in no or negligible surface disturbance, subject to the condition that the activity does not involve the expansion of existing mine pits or the creation of new mine workings. (4) Applicability of other law.--Notwithstanding any requirement under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), if activity carried out within a DRUM site pursuant to a revision required under paragraph (1) is carried out by an NRC service provider, no site- specific environmental assessment (as defined in section 111 of that Act (42 U.S.C. 4336e)) with respect to that activity shall be required. ______