Department of Energy civilian nuclear infrastructure and facilities

The Secretary shall operate and maintain infrastructure and facilities to support the nuclear energy research, development, demonstration, and commercial application programs, including radiological facilities management, isotope production, and facilities management. In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall— Not later than December 31, 2017, the Secretary shall provide for a versatile reactor-based fast neutron source, which shall operate as a national user facility. In carrying out subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall consult with the private sector, institutions of higher education, the National Laboratories, and relevant Federal agencies to ensure that the user facility described in subparagraph (A) will meet the research needs of the largest practicable majority of prospective users. As soon as practicable after determining the mission need under paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a detailed plan for the establishment of the user facility. The Secretary shall ensure that the user facility will provide, at a minimum, the following capabilities: In carrying out the plan submitted under paragraph (2), the Secretary shall consider the following: The Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, complete construction of, and approve the start of operations for, the user facility by not later than December 31, 2026. The Secretary shall include in the annual budget request of the Department an explanation for any delay in the progress of the Department in completing the user facility by the deadline described in paragraph (4). The Secretary shall leverage the best practices for management, construction, and operation of national user facilities from the Office of Science. There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out to completion the construction of the facility under this section— In carrying out the programs under this part, the Secretary is authorized to establish a new initiative to be known as the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN). The initiative shall, to the maximum extent practicable and consistent with national security, provide the nuclear energy industry with access to cutting edge research and development along with the technical, regulatory, and financial support necessary to move innovative nuclear energy technologies toward commercialization in an accelerated and cost-effective fashion. The Secretary shall make available, as a minimum— The Secretary shall select industry partners for awards on a competitive merit-reviewed basis. In selecting industry partners under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall consider—