Sponsors (2)
The bill increases public and congressional transparency about DOE nuclear-safety directives—improving community awareness and oversight—while raising risks to operational security and commercial confidentiality and imposing administrative costs.
Residents near DOE nuclear sites and local officials get faster public notice of changes to safety directives and analyses (posted within 24 hours), improving local situational awareness and ability to respond.
Communities near DOE nuclear facilities gain greater access to documented safety analyses, increasing public awareness of local risks and supporting community safety planning.
Congress and relevant committees receive an annual report on authorization activity, strengthening legislative oversight and creating a regular record for policymaking and accountability.
Local communities and taxpayers could face increased security risk if published safety analyses reveal facility vulnerabilities that bad actors could exploit.
Utilities and energy companies operating at DOE sites risk disclosure of sensitive commercial information, potentially harming competitive positions and imposing costs on companies and taxpayers.
DOE will incur administrative burdens and staffing or systems costs to implement rapid public posting and annual reporting requirements, with those costs ultimately borne by taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires DOE to post within 24 hours specified safety directives, safety analyses, and authorization agreements for covered DOE nuclear facilities and to send an annual report to Congress by Jan 31.
Official title: To increase transparency relating to the Department of Energy's authorizations of certain nuclear facilities.
Introduced June 2, 2026 by Kathy Castor · Last progress June 2, 2026
Requires the Secretary of Energy to publicly post, within 24 hours, certain Department of Energy actions that affect DOE Hazard Category 1–3 nuclear facilities. The postings must include changes to directives or safety standards, issuance of preliminary or final documented safety analyses (with the analyses published unless commercially sensitive information is redacted), and any agreements authorizing such facilities. The Secretary must also submit an annual report to Congress by January 31 summarizing these actions. Defines which DOE facilities are covered by referencing existing statute and federal regulation definitions; it does not amend the underlying statute or appropriate new funds.