---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 9301"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "9301"
heading: "Congressional findings and declaration of policy"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/9301"
units:
  - "Chapter 101 — Magnetic Fusion Energy Engineering"
---

# §9301. Congressional findings and declaration of policy

- (a) The Congress hereby finds that—
  - (1) the United States must formulate an energy policy designed to meet an impending worldwide shortage of many exhaustible, conventional energy resources in the next few decades;
  - (2) the energy policy of the United States must be designed to ensure that energy technologies using essentially inexhaustible resources are commercially available at a time prior to serious depletion of conventional resources;
  - (3) [fusion](/usc/42/9302.md?p=1) energy is one of the few known energy sources which are essentially inexhaustible, and thus constitutes a long-term energy option;
  - (4) major progress in all aspects of [magnetic fusion](/usc/42/9302.md?p=2) energy technology during the past decade instills confidence that power production from [fusion](/usc/42/9302.md?p=1) [energy systems](/usc/42/9302.md?p=3) is achievable;
  - (5) the United States must aggressively pursue research and development programs in [magnetic fusion](/usc/42/9302.md?p=2) designed to foster advanced concepts and advanced technology and to develop efficient, reliable components and subsystems;
  - (6) to ensure the timely commercialization of [magnetic fusion](/usc/42/9302.md?p=2) [energy systems](/usc/42/9302.md?p=3), the United States must demonstrate at an early date the engineering feasibility of [magnetic fusion](/usc/42/9302.md?p=2) [energy systems](/usc/42/9302.md?p=3);
  - (7) progress in [magnetic fusion](/usc/42/9302.md?p=2) [energy systems](/usc/42/9302.md?p=3) is currently limited by the funds made available rather than technical barriers;
  - (8) it is a proper role for the Federal Government to accelerate research, development, and demonstration programs in [magnetic fusion](/usc/42/9302.md?p=2) energy technologies; and
  - (9) acceleration of the current [magnetic fusion](/usc/42/9302.md?p=2) program will require a doubling within seven years of the present funding level without consideration of inflation and a 25 per centum increase in funding each of fiscal years 1982 and 1983.
- (b) It is therefore declared to be the policy of the United States and the purpose of this chapter to accelerate the national effort in research, development, and demonstration activities related to [magnetic fusion](/usc/42/9302.md?p=2) [energy systems](/usc/42/9302.md?p=3). Further, it is declared to be the policy of the United States and the purpose of this chapter that the objectives of such program shall be—
  - (1) to promote an orderly transition from the current research and development program through commercial development;
  - (2) to establish a national goal of demonstrating the engineering feasibility of [magnetic fusion](/usc/42/9302.md?p=2) by the early 1990’s;
  - (3) to achieve at the earliest practicable time, but not later than the year 1990, operation of a [magnetic fusion](/usc/42/9302.md?p=2) engineering device based on the best available confinement concept;
  - (4) to establish as a national goal the operation of a [magnetic fusion](/usc/42/9302.md?p=2) [demonstration plant](/usc/42/9302.md?p=5) at the turn of the twenty-first century;
  - (5) to foster cooperation in [magnetic fusion](/usc/42/9302.md?p=2) research and development among government, universities, industry, and national laboratories;
  - (6) to promote the broad participation of domestic industry in the national [magnetic fusion](/usc/42/9302.md?p=2) program;
  - (7) to continue international cooperation in [magnetic fusion](/usc/42/9302.md?p=2) research for the benefit of all nations;
  - (8) to promote greater public understanding of [magnetic fusion](/usc/42/9302.md?p=2); and
  - (9) to maintain the United States as the world leader in [magnetic fusion](/usc/42/9302.md?p=2).

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 96–386, § 2, Oct. 7, 1980, 94 Stat. 1539.)

## Notes

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Short Title

Pub. L. 96–386, § 1, Oct. 7, 1980, 94 Stat. 1539, provided: “That this Act [enacting this chapter] may be cited as the ‘Magnetic Fusion Energy Engineering Act of 1980’.”