Federal · Title 42 — Public Health and Welfare

42 U.S.C. § 2284: Sabotage of nuclear facilities or fuel

Felony

What this law says, in plain English

Federal law criminalizes knowingly causing interruption of nuclear facilities or tampering with their controls through unauthorized means. Penalties include up to 20 years imprisonment, or life imprisonment if death results.

Read the full statutory text
any production facility or utilization facility licensed under this chapter; any nuclear waste treatment, storage, or disposal facility licensed under this chapter; any nuclear fuel for a utilization facility licensed under this chapter, or any spent nuclear fuel from such a facility; any uranium enrichment, uranium conversion, or nuclear fuel fabrication facility licensed or certified by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; any production, utilization, waste storage, waste treatment, waste disposal, uranium enrichment, uranium conversion, or nuclear fuel fabrication facility subject to licensing or certification under this chapter during construction of the facility, if the destruction or damage caused or attempted to be caused could adversely affect public health and safety during the operation of the facility; any primary facility or backup facility from which a radiological emergency preparedness alert and warning system is activated; or any radioactive material or other property subject to regulation by the Commission that, before the date of the offense, the Commission determines, by order or regulation published in the Federal Register, is of significance to the public health and safety or to common defense and security; 1 1 So in original. The semicolon probably should be a comma. Any person who knowingly causes an interruption of normal operation of any such facility through the unauthorized use of or tampering with the machinery, components, or controls of any such facility, or attempts or conspires to do such an act, shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than 20 years, or both, and, if death results to any person, shall be imprisoned for any term of years or for life.

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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.