Federal · Title 42 — Public Health and Welfare

42 U.S.C. § 2273: Violation of sections

Misdemeanor

What this law says, in plain English

Willful violations of nuclear safety regulations or orders are punishable by fine up to $5,000 or imprisonment up to two years. Enhanced penalties apply for violations intended to injure the U.S. or benefit foreign nations, or violations by directors/officers causing nuclear incidents.

Read the full statutory text
Whoever 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 ( o ) 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. the integrity of the reactor coolant pressure boundary, the capability to shut-down the facility and maintain it in a safe shut-down condition, or 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. Any individual director, officer or employee of a person indemnified under an agreement of indemnification under section 2210(d) of this title (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 section 2014(q) of this title shall, upon conviction, notwithstanding section 3571 of title 18 , 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 section 3571 of title 18 , punishment shall be a fine of not more than $50,000, or imprisonment for not more than five years, or both.

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This page is legal information, not legal advice. Code text is sourced from official publications and may lag amendments — always confirm at the official source linked above. Plain-English summaries and relationship data are AI-derived and reviewed on an ongoing basis; verify with a licensed attorney before acting.