[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5706 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5706
To direct the Architect of the Capitol, using existing funding, to
study the feasibility of retrofitting the Capitol Power Plant to
incorporate an advanced nuclear reactor.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 26, 2023
Mr. Donalds introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Architect of the Capitol, using existing funding, to
study the feasibility of retrofitting the Capitol Power Plant to
incorporate an advanced nuclear reactor.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``U.S. Capitol Power Plant Retrofit
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) The Capitol Power Plant was originally built in 1910 to
provide electricity for the United States Capitol Complex, and
continued to provide electricity for the Complex until 1951.
(2) In 1951, the Plant diverted its electricity
responsibilities to a local utility, but instead utilized the
Plant to provide steam and chilled water for building heating
and cooling systems throughout the Complex.
(3) In 2018, the Architect of the Capitol competed
installation of a new combined heat and power natural gas-fired
co-generation system, which has a natural gas-fired turbine
that has the potential to generate 7.5 MWe and be paired with a
heat recovery steam generator to produce steam.
(4) The electricity that the Plant generates today is used
to power certain internal operations in the Complex and to
supply some of the demands of the chilled water system.
(5) On average, two-thirds of electricity for the chilled
water needs of the Complex is supplied by the Plant, with the
rest of the required electricity purchased from a local
utility.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the Architect of the Capitol should be encouraged to
collaborate with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the
Department of Energy to determine the feasibility of
retrofitting the Capitol Power Plant to incorporate an advanced
nuclear reactor;
(2) the Architect of the Capitol should recognize the
inherent benefits that an advanced nuclear power plant can
provide, including zero-emissions steam and chilled water
production, grid resiliency, and energy independence; and
(3) Congress understands that evaluating the feasibility of
retrofitting the Capitol Power Plant to incorporate an advanced
nuclear reactor will ultimately assist with improving public
support for advanced nuclear energy.
SEC. 3. STUDY OF FEASIBILITY OF RETROFITTING CAPITOL POWER PLANT TO
INCORPORATE ADVANCED NUCLEAR REACTOR.
(a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Architect of the Capitol shall begin
consultation with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department
of Energy about developing and conducting a study of the feasibility of
retrofitting the Capitol Power Plant to incorporate an advanced nuclear
reactor.
(b) Specifics of Study.--
(1) In general.--The feasibility study conducted under this
section shall include, at a minimum, a general description of
the background and objective of the feasibility study, and may
also include any of the following:
(A) Organizational responsibilities for the
preparation of the study preparation.
(B) Potential project stakeholders.
(C) An analysis of the following:
(i) The demand for electricity in the
region of the Capitol Power Plant.
(ii) The transmission capacity and
transmission facilities and systems in such
region.
(iii) The structure of the market for
electricity.
(iv) How the construction and operation of
the advanced nuclear reactor at the Plant would
affect the issues described in clauses (i),
(ii), and (iii).
(v) The potential for the advanced nuclear
reactor to produce electricity to not only
provide power for the Capitol Complex but to
produce chilled water and steam.
(vi) Whether the piping capacity of the
Plant is sufficient to produce and distribute
heat through the Capitol Complex.
(vii) Site analysis, including preliminary
site layout and site preparation and potential
effects of the advanced nuclear reactor and
supporting facilities on the applicable region,
including population distribution and current
uses of land and water.
(viii) Environmental analysis of
constructing and operating the advanced nuclear
reactor, including--
(I) a comparison of similar
characteristics in the applicable
region; and
(II) an overview of environmental
protection requirements in the region.
(ix) How to approach the licensing process
and authorization for the siting, construction,
and operation of the advanced nuclear reactor.
(x) Potential contractual approaches,
procurement plans, project schedules, project
management, and risk management plans.
(xi) Organizational requirements and
responsibilities for each phase of retrofitting
the Plant with an advanced nuclear reactor,
including requirements and responsibilities
relating to human resources and training,
workforce logistics and staffing requirements,
and maintenance of the advanced nuclear
reactor.
(xii) Economic feasibility of retrofitting
the Plant with an advanced nuclear reactor,
including a cost-benefit analysis.
(xiii) Plans for emergency preparedness and
coordination, including on-site emergency
planning and coordination with off-site
emergency response organizations.
(xiv) Co-generation opportunities which may
arise after the Plant is retrofitted with an
advanced nuclear reactor.
(xv) Safety and performance analysis,
including--
(I) fuel cycle evaluation and
impact assessment;
(II) radioactive and conventional
waste management assessment; and
(III) interim waste storage and
related issues.
(xvi) Decommissioning analysis for the
advanced nuclear reactor, including the cost of
decommissioning the advanced nuclear reactor,
and the environmental impact of decommissioning
the advanced nuclear reactor.
(2) Other considerations.--The Architect of the Capitol may
incorporate in the study the following additional
considerations:
(A) How retrofitting the Capitol Power Plant would
affect other Federal and District of Columbia laws,
including the Clean Air Act, and what would be needed
in terms of regulatory clarity and licensing to
retrofit the Plant with an advanced nuclear reactor.
(B) Economic considerations relating to how the
retrofitted power plant compares with the current
combined heat and power natural gas-fired co-generation
system, as well as how the retrofitted Plant compares
with Plant when it was powered by coal and an analysis
of how much retrofitting the plant with an advanced
nuclear reactor would save the Federal Government and
the American taxpayer annually.
(C) How such feasibility would impact the utility
energy service contract between the Architect of the
Capitol and the local utility, including potential
Federal funding opportunities to pay off the utility
energy service contract before the May 2037 anticipated
timeline.
(D) How local power outages currently affect the
Plant, and how the power outage impacts could be
alleviated from retrofitting the Plant with an advanced
nuclear reactor.
(E) The potential for the retrofitted Plant to once
again provide electricity, along with steam and chilled
water, to the Capitol Complex, and how this would
benefit the Complex in terms of grid security and
protection against cyberattacks and digital data
infiltration efforts.
(F) How retrofitting the Plant to incorporate an
advanced nuclear reactor would fit within the
``Greening the Capitol Initiative'', which was created
in March 2007 to ``provide an environmentally
responsible and healthy working environment for
employees''.
(G) How the retrofitted Plant can take advantage of
the high-energy waste heat and other biproducts of
operating an advanced nuclear reactor.
(H) The extent to which there is an opportunity to
keep the existing combined heat and power natural gas-
fired co-generation system infrastructure, and the
extent to which there is a possibility for the advanced
nuclear reactor to provide electricity, chilled water,
and steam (or any combination thereof).
(I) The role of thermal combustion resources and
infrastructure in the Plant's existing operational
capacity, and what the role of such resources and
infrastructure would be if the Plant was retrofitted
with an advanced nuclear reactor.
(J) How to incorporate a consent-based, community-
focused approach for conducting this feasibility study,
including sharing the facts with surrounding
businesses, residents, and the general public,
including tourists and other individuals that visit the
Capitol Complex for business purposes, and how to
alleviate concerns relating to the feasibility of
retrofitting the Plant with an advanced nuclear
reactor.
(K) Whether energy savings performance contracts
available to the Architect of the Capitol, and which
are currently used mostly for building improvements,
can be utilized to retrofit the Plant with an advanced
nuclear reactor.
(L) Whether the Plant can continue operations
during the process of retrofitting the plant with an
advanced nuclear reactor, and related concerns.
(M) How to secure the Plant from sabotage and other
forms of attack, including physical and cyber attack.
(N) How to ensure that the emergency planning zone
surrounding the advanced nuclear reactor, as required
under regulations of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
is small enough to ensure the safety of the Plant.
(c) Public Sessions.--During the course of conducting the
feasibility study under this section, the Architect of the Capitol, in
conjunction with the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, shall hold at least two in-person public sessions to give
members of the public the opportunity to learn about the study, and
shall provide the public with notice of such sessions to the greatest
extent possible.
(d) Deadline for Completion.--The Architect of the Capitol shall
complete the feasibility study under this section not later than 2
years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(e) Advanced Nuclear Reactor Defined.--The term ``advanced nuclear
reactor'' means--
(1) a nuclear fission reactor, including a prototype plant
(as defined in sections 50.2 and 52.1 of title 10, Code of
Federal Regulations (or successor regulations)), with
significant improvements compared to reactors operating on
October 19, 2016, including improvements such as--
(A) additional inherent safety features, including
features designed to prevent the release of radioactive
material;
(B) lower waste yields;
(C) improved fuel and material performance;
(D) increased tolerance to loss of fuel cooling;
(E) enhanced reliability or improved resilience;
(F) increased proliferation resistance;
(G) increased thermal efficiency;
(H) reduced consumption of cooling water and other
environmental impacts;
(I) the ability to integrate into electric
applications and nonelectric applications;
(J) modular sizes to allow for deployment that
corresponds with the demand for electricity or process
heat; and
(K) operational flexibility to respond to changes
in demand for electricity or process heat and to
complement integration with intermittent renewable
energy or energy storage;
(2) a fusion reactor; and
(3) a radioisotope power system that utilizes heat from
radioactive decay to generate energy.
SEC. 4. REPORT.
(a) Report.--Not later than 60 days after completing the
feasibility study under section 3, the Architect of the Capitol shall
submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that
outlines the findings of the feasibility study, along with the
Architect's final determination as to the whether it is feasible to
retrofit the current Capitol Power Plant to encompass an advanced
nuclear reactor.
(b) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(1) the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee
on House Administration of the House of Representatives; and
(2) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, the
Committee on Environment and Public Works, and the Committee on
Rules and Administration of the Senate.
SEC. 5. USE OF EXISTING FUNDS.
The Architect of the Capitol shall carry out this Act using funds
appropriated for the Office of the Architect of the Capitol prior to
the date of the enactment of this Act which remain unobligated as of
such date.
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