Atomic Energy Defense Provisions

(50 U.S.C. Chapter 42)

§ 2672. Protection against inadvertent release of restricted data and formerly restricted data

(a) Plan for protection against release

The Secretary of Energy and the Archivist of the United States shall, after consultation with the members of the National Security Council and in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies, develop a plan to prevent the inadvertent release of records containing Restricted Data or Formerly Restricted Data during the automatic declassification of records under Executive Order No. 12958 (50 U.S.C. § 435 note).

(b) Plan elements

The plan under subsection (a) of this section shall include the following:

(1) The actions to be taken in order to ensure that records subject to Executive Order No. 12958 are reviewed on a page-by-page basis for Restricted Data and Formerly Restricted Data unless they have been determined to be highly unlikely to contain Restricted Data or Formerly Restricted Data.

(2) The criteria and process by which documents are determined to be highly unlikely to contain Restricted Data or Formerly Restricted Data.

(3) The actions to be taken in order to ensure proper training, supervision, and evaluation of personnel engaged in declassification under that Executive order so that such personnel recognize Restricted Data and Formerly Restricted Data.

(4) The extent to which automated declassification technologies will be used under that Executive order to protect Restricted Data and Formerly Restricted Data from inadvertent release.

(5) Procedures for periodic review and evaluation by the Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the Director of the Information Security Oversight Office of the National Archives and Records Administration, of compliance by Federal agencies with the plan.

(6) Procedures for resolving disagreements among Federal agencies regarding declassification procedures and decisions under the plan.

(7) The funding, personnel, and other resources required to carry out the plan.

(8) A timetable for implementation of the plan.

(c) Limitation on declassification of certain records

(1) Effective on October 17, 1998, and except as provided in paragraph (3), a record referred to in subsection (a) of this section may not be declassified unless the agency having custody of the record reviews the record on a page-by-page basis to ensure that the record does not contain Restricted Data or Formerly Restricted Data.

(2) Any record determined as a result of a review under paragraph (1) to contain Restricted Data or Formerly Restricted Data may not be declassified until the Secretary of Energy, in conjunction with the head of the agency having custody of the record, determines that the document is suitable for declassification.

(3) After the date occurring 60 days after the submission of the plan required by subsection (a) of this section to the committees referred to in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (d) of this section, the requirement under paragraph (1) to review a record on a page-by-page basis shall not apply in the case of a record determined, under the actions specified in the plan pursuant to subsection (b)(1) of this section, to be a record that is highly unlikely to contain Restricted Data or Formerly Restricted Data.

(d) Submission of plan

The Secretary of Energy shall submit the plan required under subsection (a) of this section to the following:

(1) The Committee on Armed Services of the Senate.

(2) The Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives.

(3) The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.

(e) Submission of reviews

The Secretary of Energy shall, on a periodic basis, submit a summary of the results of the periodic reviews and evaluations specified in the plan pursuant to subsection (b)(4) of this section to the committees and Assistant to the President specified in subsection (d) of this section.

(f) Report and notification regarding inadvertent releases

(1) The Secretary of Energy shall submit to the committees and Assistant to the President specified in subsection (d) of this section a report on inadvertent releases of Restricted Data or Formerly Restricted Data under Executive Order No. 12958 that occurred before October 17, 1998.

(2) Commencing with inadvertent releases discovered on or after October 30, 2000, the Secretary of Energy shall, on a quarterly basis, submit a report to the committees and Assistant to the President specified in subsection (d) of this section. The report shall state whether any inadver

(g) Definition

In this section, the term ‘Restricted Data’ has the meaning given that term in section 11 y. of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2014(y)).

§ 2673. Supplement to plan for declassification of restricted data and formerly restricted data

(a) Supplement to plan

The Secretary of Energy and the Archivist of the United States shall, after consultation with the members of the National Security Council and in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies, develop a supplement to the plan required under subsection (a) of section 2672 of this title.

(b) Contents of supplement

The supplement shall provide for the application of that plan (including in particular the element of the plan required by subsection (b)(1) of section 2672 of this title to all records subject to Executive Order No. 12958 that were determined before October 17, 1998, to be suitable for declassification.

(c) Limitation on declassification of records

All records referred to in subsection (b) of this section shall be treated, for purposes of subsection (c) of section 2672 of this title, in the same manner as records referred to in subsection (a) of such section.

(d) Submission of supplement

The Secretary of Energy shall submit the supplement required under subsection (a) of this section to the recipients of the plan referred to in subsection (d) of section 2672 of this title.