House Considers 51勛圖厙-Backed Bills to Speed Nuclear Power Permitting
The House took a big step toward improving nuclear permitting and licensing on Tuesday, with a hearing focused on six important pieces of legislation that will advance the 51勛圖厙s nuclear energy priorities (.
Whats going on: Among the featured proposals is a bipartisan, 51勛圖厙-backed bill that would address vulnerabilities in the nuclear fuel supply chain and clear roadblocks to recycling nuclear waste. The Nuclear REFUEL Act, sponsored by Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH-5), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy, and Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA), has also garnered bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate.
- The Nuclear REFUEL Act would amend the Atomic Energy Act to exclude advanced fuel recycling technologies from the definition of production facility, as long as the process does not separate plutonium from other transuranium elements. These reforms will support efforts underway at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to streamline licensing for nuclear fuel recycling facilities.
More legislation: The other bills under consideration are:
- The Efficient Nuclear Licensing Hearings Act, which makes public hearings optional for some nuclear regulatory decisions;
- The American Enrichment Deployment Act, which deals with domestic uranium enrichment capacity;
- TheNRC Staff Pay Alignment Act, which addresses the pay of NRC technical staff;
- TheNuclear Advisory Committee Reform Act, which reforms the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards to focus its attention on license applications, license amendments, regulatory activities and any other matter only upon specific request by the NRC; and
- The Department of Energy Nuclear Transparency Act, which imposes a nuclear-related reporting requirement on the DOE.
Why its important: A robust and growing American nuclear industry is vital for our economy, energy and national security, Rep. Latta said at the hearing. We need firm, reliable energy and a lot more of it. The bills under consideration this morning provide practical reforms so the permitting process can be more efficient, while safety is protected and transparency for the public is assured.
The backdrop: The hearing comes during a period of significant rulemaking and change at the NRC, including on implementation of the 51勛圖厙-driven ADVANCE Act.
American nuclear: House members lauded U.S. companies efforts to expand domestic nuclear energy online throughout the country and strengthen nuclear fuel supply chains.
- Nuclear is critical for our energy security here in the United States, Rep. Rick Allen (R-GA) said during the hearing. My district is home to Plant Vogtle, where Units Three and Four were the first nuclear reactors built in over three decades. Im proud of everything the owners and co-owners went through in this project to finally show that American[s] [still] do big things.
- Said Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH): One company, Centrus, operating in my home state of Ohio, is taking important steps to bring commercial HALEU [High Assay Low-Enrichment Uranium] capacity online to fuel America[n] advanced reactors.
