May 14, 2025
Mr. Peters (for himself and Mrs. Blackburn) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
To exempt the Secretary of Energy of certain prohibitions with respect to an unmanned aircraft system, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the
Nuclear Ecosystem Drone Defense Act of
2025
or the NEDD Act of
2025
.
Sec. 2. Authority of Secretary of Energy with respect to covered unmanned aircraft systems from covered foreign entities
(a) Exemption from prohibition on procurement of covered unmanned aircraft systems from covered foreign entities
Section 1823(b) of the National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31; 137 Stat. 692) is
amended, in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting Secretary of
Energy,
after Secretary of State,
.
(b) Exemption from prohibition on operation of covered unmanned aircraft systems from covered foreign entities
Section 1824(b) of the National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31; 137 Stat. 693) is
amended, in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting Secretary of
Energy,
after Secretary of State,
.
(c) Exemption from prohibition on use of Federal funds for procurement and operation of covered unmanned aircraft systems from covered foreign entities
Section 1825(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024
(Public Law 118–31; 137 Stat. 694) is amended, in the matter preceding paragraph
(1), by inserting Secretary of Energy,
after Secretary of
State,
.
(d) Granting Secretary of Energy authority To determine usage of classified tracking
Section 1827(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024
(Public Law 118–31; 137 Stat. 696) is amended by striking the Secretary’s
designee
and inserting the Secretary of Energy, as
appropriate, or their respective designees
.
(e) Granting Secretary of Energy accounting exception
Section 1827(c) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024
(Public Law 118–31; 137 Stat. 696) is amended by inserting the Department
of Energy,
after the Department of
Transportation,
.
(f) Expansion of Secretary of Energy authority related to the protection of certain nuclear facilities and assets from unmanned aircrafts or unmanned aircraft systems
Section 4510(e)(1)(C) of the Atomic Energy Defense Act (50 U.S.C. 2661(e)(1)(C)) is amended to read as follows:
(C)
owned by the United States or contracted to the United States—
(i)
to store, transport, or use special nuclear material; or
(ii)
for the research, design, manufacture, or production of non-nuclear components for nuclear weapons.