
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov]
[Laws in effect as of January 23, 2000]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 23, 2000 and December 4, 2001]
[CITE: 42USC7901]

 
                 TITLE 42--THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
 
           CHAPTER 88--URANIUM MILL TAILINGS RADIATION CONTROL
 
Sec. 7901. Congressional findings and purposes

    (a) The Congress finds that uranium mill tailings located at active 
and inactive mill operations may pose a potential and significant 
radiation health hazard to the public, and that the protection of the 
public health, safety, and welfare and the regulation of interstate 
commerce require that every reasonable effort be made to provide for the 
stabilization, disposal, and control in a safe and environmentally sound 
manner of such tailings in order to prevent or minimize radon diffusion 
into the environment and to prevent or minimize other environmental 
hazards from such tailings.
    (b) The purposes of this chapter are to provide--
        (1) in cooperation with the interested States, Indian tribes, 
    and the persons who own or control inactive mill tailings sites, a 
    program of assessment and remedial action at such sites, including, 
    where appropriate, the reprocessing of tailings to extract residual 
    uranium and other mineral values where practicable, in order to 
    stabilize and control such tailings in a safe and environmentally 
    sound manner and to minimize or eliminate radiation health hazards 
    to the public, and
        (2) a program to regulate mill tailings during uranium or 
    thorium ore processing at active mill operations and after 
    termination of such operations in order to stabilize and control 
    such tailings in a safe and environmentally sound manner and to 
    minimize or eliminate radiation health hazards to the public.

(Pub. L. 95-604, Sec. 2, Nov. 8, 1978, 92 Stat. 3021.)

                       References in Text

    This chapter, referred to in subsec. (b), was in the original ``this 
Act'', meaning Pub. L. 95-604, Nov. 8, 1978, 92 Stat. 3021, as amended, 
known as the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978. For 
complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note 
below and Tables.


                      Short Title of 1988 Amendment

    Pub. L. 100-616, Sec. 1, Nov. 5, 1988, 102 Stat. 3192, provided: 
``That this Act [amending sections 7916 and 7922 of this title] may be 
cited as the `Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Amendments Act of 
1988'.''


                               Short Title

    Section 1 of Pub. L. 95-604 provided that: ``This Act [enacting this 
chapter and sections 2022, 2113, and 2114 of this title, amending 
sections 2014, 2021, 2111, and 2201 of this title, and enacting 
provisions set out as notes under sections 2014, 2021, and 2113 of this 
title] may be cited as the `Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act 
of 1978'.''


                            Cross References

    Regulation of uranium mill tailings at active mill operations, see 
sections 2113 and 2114 of this title.
