Section 10138 - Participation of Indian tribes(a) Participation of Indian tribes in repository siting decisionsUpon the submission by the President to the Congress of a recommendation of a site for a repository located on the reservation of an affected Indian tribe, the governing body of such Indian tribe may disapprove the site designation and submit to the Congress a notice of disapproval. The governing body of such Indian tribe may submit such a notice of disapproval to the Congress not later than the 60 days after the date that the President recommends such site to the Congress under section 10134 of this title. A notice of disapproval shall be considered to be submitted to the Congress on the date of the transmittal of such notice of disapproval to the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate. Such notice of disapproval shall be accompanied by a statement of reasons explaining why the governing body of such Indian tribe disapproved the recommended repository site involved.
(b) Financial assistance(1) The Secretary shall make grants to each affected tribe notified under section 10136(a) of this title for the purpose of participating in activities required by section 10137 of this title or authorized by written agreement entered into pursuant to section 10137(c) of this title. Any salary or travel expense that would ordinarily be incurred by such tribe, may not be considered eligible for funding under this paragraph.(2)(A) The Secretary shall make grants to each affected Indian tribe where a candidate site for a repository is approved under section 10132(c) of this title. Such grants may be made to each such Indian
tribe only for purposes of enabling such Indian tribe- (i) to review activities taken under this part with respect to such site for purposes of determining any potential economic, social, public health and safety, and environmental impacts of such repository on the reservation and its residents;(ii) to develop a request for impact assistance under paragraph (2);(iii) to engage in any monitoring, testing, or evaluation activities with respect to site characterization programs with regard to such site;(v) to request information from, and make comments and recommendations to, the Secretary regarding any activities taken under this part with respect to such site.(B) The amount of funds provided to any affected Indian tribe under this paragraph in any fiscal year may not exceed 100 percent of the costs incurred by such Indian tribe with respect to the activities described in clauses (i) through (v) of subparagraph (A). Any salary or travel expense that would ordinarily be incurred by such Indian tribe may not be considered eligible for funding under this paragraph.(3)(A) The Secretary shall provide financial and technical assistance to any affected Indian tribe requesting such assistance and where there is a site with respect to which the Commission has authorized construction of a repository. Such assistance shall be designed to mitigate the impact on such Indian tribe of the development of such repository. Such assistance to such Indian tribe shall commence within 6 months following the granting by the Commission of a construction authorization for such repository and following the initiation of construction activities at such site.(B) Any affected Indian tribe desiring assistance under this paragraph shall prepare and submit to the Secretary a report on any economic, social, public health and safety, and environmental impacts that are likely as a result of the development of a repository at a site on the reservation of such Indian tribe. Such report shall be submitted to the Secretary following the completion of site characterization activities at such site and before the recommendation of such site to the President by the Secretary for application for a construction authorization for a repository. As soon as practicable following the granting of a construction authorization for such repository, the Secretary shall seek to enter into a binding agreement with the Indian tribe involved setting forth the amount of assistance to be provided to such Indian tribe under this paragraph and the procedures to be followed in providing such assistance.(4) The Secretary shall grant to each affected Indian tribe where a site for a repository is approved under section 10132(c) of this title an amount each fiscal year equal to the amount such Indian tribe would receive were it authorized to tax site characterization activities at such site, and the development and operation of such repository, as such Indian tribe taxes the other commercial activities occurring on such reservation. Such grants shall continue until such time as all such activities, development, and operation are terminated at such site.(5)1 An affected Indian tribe may not receive any grant under paragraph (1) after the expiration of the 1-year period following-(ii) the date on which such site is disapproved under section 10135 of this title;(iii) the date on which the Commission disapproves an application for a construction authorization for a repository at such site; 2(iv) December 22, 1987;whichever occurs first, unless there is another candidate site on the reservation of such Indian
tribe that is approved under section 10132(c) of this title and with respect to which the actions described in clauses (i), (ii), and (iii) have not been taken.
(B) An affected Indian tribe may not receive any further assistance under paragraph (2) with respect to a site if repository construction activities at such site are terminated by the Secretary or if such activities are permanently enjoined by any court.(C) At the end of the 2-year period beginning on the effective date of any license to receive and possess for a repository at a site on the reservation of an affected Indian tribe, no Federal funds shall be made available under paragraph (1) or (2) to such Indian
tribe, except for-(i) such funds as may be necessary to support activities of such Indian tribe related to any other repository where a license to receive and possess has not been in effect for more than 1 year; and(ii) such funds as may be necessary to support activities of such Indian tribe pursuant to agreements or contracts for impact assistance entered into, under paragraph (2), by such Indian tribe with the Secretary during such 2-year period.(6) Financial assistance authorized in this subsection shall be made out of amounts held in the Nuclear Waste Fund established in section 10222 of this title.1 So in original. Probably should be designated "(5)(A)".
2 So in original. Probably should be followed by "or".
Pub. L. 97-425, title I, §118, Jan. 7, 1983, 96 Stat. 2225; Pub. L. 100-202, §101(d) [title III, §300], Dec. 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 1329-104, 1329-121; Pub. L. 100-203, title V, §5033, Dec. 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 1330-243.EDITORIAL NOTES
AMENDMENTS1987-Subsec. (b)(5)(iv). Pub. L. 100-202 and Pub. L. 100-203 amended par. (5) identically, adding cl. (iv).
- Commission
- The term "Commission" means the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
- Indian tribe
- The term "Indian tribe" means any Indian tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community of Indians recognized as eligible for the services provided to Indians by the Secretary of the Interior because of their status as Indians, including any Alaska Native village, as defined in section 3(c) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1602(c)).
- Secretary
- The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Energy.
- Waste Fund
- The term "Waste Fund" means the Nuclear Waste Fund established in section 10222(c) of this title.
- affected Indian tribe
- The term "affected Indian tribe" means any Indian tribe-(A) within whose reservation boundaries a monitored retrievable storage facility, test and evaluation facility, or a repository for high-level radioactive waste or spent fuel is proposed to be located;(B) whose federally defined possessory or usage rights to other lands outside of the reservation's boundaries arising out of congressionally ratified treaties may be substantially and adversely affected by the locating of such a facility: Provided, That the Secretary of the Interior finds, upon the petition of the appropriate governmental officials of the tribe, that such effects are both substantial and adverse to the tribe; 1
- candidate site
- The term "candidate site" means an area, within a geologic and hydrologic system, that is recommended by the Secretary under section 10132 of this title for site characterization, approved by the President under section 10132 of this title for site characterization, or undergoing site characterization under section 10133 of this title.
- repository
- The term "repository" means any system licensed by the Commission that is intended to be used for, or may be used for, the permanent deep geologic disposal of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel, whether or not such system is designed to permit the recovery, for a limited period during initial operation, of any materials placed in such system. Such term includes both surface and subsurface areas at which high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel handling activities are conducted.
- reservation
- The term "reservation" means-(A) any Indian reservation or dependent Indian community referred to in clause (a) or (b) of section 1151 of title 18; or(B) any land selected by an Alaska Native village or regional corporation under the provisions of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.).
- site characterization
- The term "site characterization" means-(A) siting research activities with respect to a test and evaluation facility at a candidate site; and(B) activities, whether in the laboratory or in the field, undertaken to establish the geologic condition and the ranges of the parameters of a candidate site relevant to the location of a repository, including borings, surface excavations, excavations of exploratory shafts, limited subsurface lateral excavations and borings, and in situ testing needed to evaluate the suitability of a candidate site for the location of a repository, but not including preliminary borings and geophysical testing needed to assess whether site characterization should be undertaken.