Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 111 Part 2.djvu/872

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Ill STAT. 1952 PUBLIC LAW 105-85—NOV. 18, 1997 (d) OTHER LIMITATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS.—The provisions of subsection (b), (c), and (d) of section 1001 shall apply to a transfer under this section in the same manner as they apply to a transfer under subsection (a) of that section. (e) CONSTRUCTION WITH GENERAL TRANSFER AUTHORITY.— The authority provided by this section is in addition to the transfer authority provided in section 1001. 42 USC 7274p. SEC. 1305. ADVICE TO THE PRESmENT AND CONGRESS REGARDING THE SAFETY, SECURITY, AND RELIABILITY OF UNITED STATES NUCLEAR WEAPONS STOCKPILE. (a) FINDINGS. —Congress makes the following findings: (1) Nuclear weapons are the most destructive weapons on earth. The United States and its allies continue to rely on nuclear weapons to deter potential adversaries from using weapons of mass destruction. The safety and reliability of the nuclear weapons stockpile are essential to ensure its credibility as a deterrent. (2) On September 24, 1996, President Clinton signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. (3) Effective as of September 30, 1996, the United States is prohibited by section 507 of the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 1993 (Public Law 102-377; 42 U.S.C. 2121 note) from conducting underground nuclear tests "unless a foreign state conducts a nuclear test after this date, at which time the prohibition on United States nuclear testing is lifted". (4) Section 1436(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 1989 (Public Law 100-456; 42 U.S.C. 2121 note) requires the Secretary of Energy to "establish and support a program to assure that the United States is in a position to maintain the reliability, safety, and continued deterrent effect of its stockpile of existing nuclear weapons designs in the event that a low-threshold or comprehensive test ban on nuclear explosive testing is negotiated and ratified.". (5) Section 3138(d) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994 (Public Law 103-160; 42 U.S.C. 2121 note) required the President to submit an annual report to Congress which sets forth "any concerns with respect to the safety, security, effectiveness, or reliability of existing United States nuclear weapons raised by the Stockpile Stewardship Program of the Department of Energy". (6) President Clinton declared in July 1993 that "to assure that our nuclear deterrent remains unquestioned under a test ban, we will explore other means of maintaining our confidence in the safety, reliability, and the performance of our weapons". This decision was incorporated in a Presidential Directive. (7) Section 3138 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994 (Public Law 103-160; 42 U.S.C. 2121 note) also requires that the Secretary of Energy establish a "stewardship program to ensure the preservation of the core intellectual and technical competencies of the United States in nuclear weapons". (8) The plan of the Department of Energy to maintain the safety and reliability of the United States nuclear weapons stockpile is known as the Stockpile Stewardship and Management Program. The ability of the United States to maintain and certify the safety, security, effectiveness, and reliability