This bill lets the Department of Energy collect, store, and safely dispose of certain foreign‑made radioactive sources—like americium‑241—at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) if they meet WIPP’s safety rules. Today, U.S.-origin americium‑241 can go to WIPP, but Russian‑origin sources generally cannot; this would allow similar foreign sources to be handled the same way once they pass the same checks. The goal is to speed up removal of risky materials and lower the chance they could be used in a “dirty bomb”.

Officials expect only about one to two extra shipments to WIPP per year, which they say would have a negligible effect on site operations.

• Who is affected: The Department of Energy and its National Nuclear Security Administration, WIPP, and domestic and international facilities that hold disused sealed sources.
• What changes: Foreign‑origin americium‑241 and similar materials that meet WIPP’s acceptance criteria could be collected, stored, and disposed of at WIPP, like similar U.S.-origin materials.
• Why it matters: It creates a clear path to remove and secure dangerous materials faster, reducing dirty bomb risks, with minimal added traffic to WIPP.