US Code

Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

42 U.S.C. § 2273

Violation of sections

(a)

Generally

oWhoever willfully violates, attempts to violate, or conspires to violate, any provision of this chapter for which no criminal penalty is specifically provided or of any regulation or order prescribed or issued under section 2095 or 2201(b), (i), or () of this title shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of not more than $5,000 or by imprisonment for not more than two years, or both, except that whoever commits such an offense with intent to injure the United States or with intent to secure an advantage to any foreign nation, shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of not more than $20,000 or by imprisonment for not more than twenty years, or both.

(b)

Construction or supply of components for utilization facilities; impairment of basic components; “basic component” defined; posting at construction sites of utilization facilities and on premises of component fabrication plants

Any individual director, officer, or employee of a firm constructing, or supplying the components of any utilization facility required to be licensed under section 2133 or 2134(b) of this title who by act or omission, in connection with such construction or supply, knowingly and willfully violates or causes to be violated, any section of this chapter, any rule, regulation, or order issued thereunder, or any license condition, which violation results, or if undetected could have resulted, in a significant impairment of a basic component of such a facility shall, upon conviction, be subject to a fine of not more than $25,000 for each day of violation, or to imprisonment not to exceed two years, or both. If the conviction is for a violation committed after a first conviction under this subsection, punishment shall be a fine of not more than $50,000 per day of violation, or imprisonment for not more than two years, or both. For the purposes of this subsection, the term “basic component” means a facility structure, system, component or part thereof necessary to assure—
(1)
the integrity of the reactor coolant pressure boundary,
(2)
the capability to shut-down the facility and maintain it in a safe shut-down condition, or
(3)
the capability to prevent or mitigate the consequences of accidents which could result in an unplanned offsite release of quantities of fission products in excess of the limits established by the Commission.
The provisions of this subsection shall be prominently posted at each site where a utilization facility required to be licensed under section 2133 or 2134(b) of this title is under construction and on the premises of each plant where components for such a facility are fabricated.
(c)

Criminal penalties

section 2210(d) of this titlesection 2014(q) of this titlesection 3571 of title 18section 3571 of title 18Any individual director, officer or employee of a person indemnified under an agreement of indemnification under (or of a subcontractor or supplier thereto) who, by act or omission, knowingly and willfully violates or causes to be violated any section of this chapter or any applicable nuclear safety-related rule, regulation or order issued thereunder by the Secretary of Energy (or expressly incorporated by reference by the Secretary for purposes of nuclear safety, except any rule, regulation, or order issued by the Secretary of Transportation), which violation results in or, if undetected, would have resulted in a nuclear incident as defined in shall, upon conviction, notwithstanding , be subject to a fine of not more than $25,000, or to imprisonment not to exceed two years, or both. If the conviction is for a violation committed after the first conviction under this subsection, notwithstanding , punishment shall be a fine of not more than $50,000, or imprisonment for not more than five years, or both.

Aug. 1, 1946, ch. 724Aug. 30, 1954, ch. 1073, § 168 Stat. 958Pub. L. 90–190, § 1281 Stat. 578Pub. L. 91–161, § 683 Stat. 445Pub. L. 96–295, title II, § 20394 Stat. 786Pub. L. 100–408, § 18102 Stat. 1083Pub. L. 102–486, title IX, § 902(a)(8)106 Stat. 2944(, title I, § 223, as added , ; amended , , ; , , ; , , ; , , ; renumbered title I, , , .)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

act Aug. 1, 1946, ch. 724act Aug. 30, 1954, ch. 1073, § 168 Stat. 919section 2011 of this titleThis chapter, referred to in text, was in the original “this Act”, meaning , as added by , , known as the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under and Tables.

Amendments

Pub. L. 100–4081988—Subsec. (c). added subsec. (c).

Pub. L. 96–2951980— designated existing provisions as subsec. (a) and added subsec. (b).

Pub. L. 91–1611969— limited application of section to instances where no criminal penalties have been provided.

Pub. L. 90–190o1967— substituted “()” for “(p)”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 1988 Amendment

Pub. L. 100–408section 20 of Pub. L. 100–408section 2014 of this titleAmendment by effective , but inapplicable to any violation occurring before , see , set out as a note under .