[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6298 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6298
To restrict nuclear cooperation with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 18, 2008
Mr. Markey (for himself, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Cantor, Mr.
McGovern, Mr. Stearns, Mr. Hinchey, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Burton of Indiana,
Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, and Mr. Fortenberry) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To restrict nuclear cooperation with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) On May 16, 2008, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Saud al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz al-Saud signed a Memorandum of
Understanding between the Government of the United States of
America and the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Concerning Cooperation in Nuclear Energy and Other Energy
Fields.
(2) This Memorandum of Understanding declared an intent to
cooperate in developing ``appropriately-sized light water
reactors and fuel service arrangements for the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia'' as well as ``civilian nuclear energy training,
infrastructure and human resource development''.
(3) Saudi Arabia possesses vast energy resources, including
the world's largest proven reserves of oil.
(4) Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in a national natural
gas distribution pipeline which will serve as the backbone of
Saudi Arabia's national electricity generation system for
decades to come.
(5) Questions about the need for oil-rich nations in the
Middle East to acquire the equipment and expertise to generate
nuclear power have been raised in the past, notably in 2004,
when Vice President Dick Cheney said, ``[Iran is] already
sitting on an awful lot of oil and gas. No one can figure out
why they need nuclear, as well, to generate energy''.
(6) Saudi Arabia possesses even greater petroleum resources
than does Iran.
(7) The development of nuclear energy technologies by the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not appear to have a compelling
economic rationale, particularly because Saudi Arabia has
additional indigenous energy advantages besides petroleum
reserves, such as an average of more than 300 days of exposure
to full sunlight every year, giving it a rich solar electricity
generation potential.
(8) The proliferation of nuclear technology in the Middle
East will increase that region's instability, and prevent the
establishment of a durable and lasting security framework.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
Congress--
(1) affirms the strong and historic ties between the
Government of the United States of America and the Government
of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia;
(2) disapproves of the Memorandum of Understanding between
the Government of the United States of America and the
Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Concerning
Cooperation in Nuclear Energy and Other Energy Fields signed by
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Minister of Foreign
Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Saud al-Faisal bin
Abdulaziz al-Saud on May 16, 2008, at Riyadh;
(3) encourages the Government of the United States of
America and the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to
enter into full cooperation in the development of renewable
energy sources in Saudi Arabia, including a solar energy
program that takes advantage of that country's strong solar
energy potential; and
(4) reiterates that the United States is committed to the
nonproliferation of nuclear weapons and to preventing the
acquisition of nuclear weapons by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
SEC. 3. RESTRICTION ON NUCLEAR COOPERATION WITH THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI
ARABIA.
(a) Restriction on Nuclear Cooperation Agreement.--Notwithstanding
any other provision of law or any international agreement, no agreement
for cooperation between the United States of America and the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia pursuant to section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954
(42 U.S.C. 2153) may enter into force on or after the date of the
enactment of this Act.
(b) Restriction on Exports of Nuclear Materials, Equipment, or
Technology.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, including
specifically section 121 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C.
2151), no nuclear materials and equipment or sensitive nuclear
technology, including items and assistance authorized by section 57 b.
of such Act (42 U.S.C. 2077(b)) and regulated under part 810 of title
10, Code of Federal Regulations, and nuclear-related items on the
Commerce Control List maintained under part 774 of title 15, Code of
Federal Regulations, shall be exported or reexported, or transferred or
retransferred, whether directly or indirectly, and no Federal agency
shall issue any license, approval, or authorization for the export or
reexport, or transfer or retransfer, whether directly or indirectly, of
these items or assistance (as defined in this subsection) to the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia if the end user is a nuclear production or
utilization facility, or if the President determines that the material,
equipment, technology, or item may be diverted for use in such a
facility.
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