WASHINGTON (CN) — West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito is trying her hand again at a bill that, if made law, would hasten the rollout of America’s newest fleet of nuclear power reactors.
The wide-ranging, bipartisan measure, known as the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy Act, is aimed at decreasing regulatory barriers to deploying advanced nuclear technology, viewed by proponents as a promising source of carbon-free energy.
Capito, a Republican, has introduced similar legislation in the past. A 2021 version of her bill got a hearing in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, where Capito is ranking member, but never saw a vote.
“America can and should be a leader when it comes to deploying nuclear energy technologies, and this bipartisan legislation puts us on a path to achieve that goal,” Capito said in a statement Monday. The lawmaker is sponsoring the most recent version of her bill alongside several of her Senate colleagues including Wyoming Republican John Barrasso and New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker.
Among its provisions, the legislation, which goes by the abbreviation Advance, would direct the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to review its processes for licensing nuclear reactors and consider how its guidelines could be modified to quickly approve reactor projects at brownfield sites — land previously occupied by industrial or commercial facilities that can be improved.
The commission should consider how existing infrastructure at brownfield sites, such as electric grid connections, water sources, or road and rail access points, could help shorten the timeline for licensing advanced reactors, according to the bill. A final agency rule should be drafted within two years of the measure’s effective date.
Capito’s legislation would also set aside federal funding to cover licensing and permitting costs for the first advanced nuclear power operator to successfully deploy its technology and would stand up a federal initiative to help other nations develop advanced nuclear reactors.
The measure would further seek to address concerns from some lawmakers about staffing deficits at NRC, the federal government’s nuclear safety regulator. If made law, the bill would give the agency’s chair the authority to unilaterally appoint people to positions considered critical to NRC’s function such as reactor operations engineers or licensing project manager. The chair would be limited, however, to just 90 such appointments.
A spokesperson for NRC declined to comment, reasoning that the agency does not weigh in on pending legislation.
Supporters of the legislation said it serves as a critical step to keep nuclear power at the center of U.S. efforts to decarbonize its economy.
“As our nation’s largest source of reliable, carbon-free electricity, nuclear energy is critical to meeting our climate goals and maintaining our energy security,” said Senator Tom Carper, a Delaware Democrat and chair of the environment and public works panel. “The ADVANCE Act will help the United States remain a clean energy leader by providing the certainty needed to safely deploy the next generation of nuclear reactors and fuels.”
Wyoming Republican Barrasso positioned the measure as a check on Russian and Chinese interests. “The free world is desperate for an alternative,” he said. “The United States must re-establish its historic global leadership in nuclear energy.”
Proponents of advanced nuclear say that the next-generation reactors can run more efficiently and at a lower cost than the operating U.S. nuclear fleet. Some advanced reactors are also designed to use recycled fuel from traditional nuclear plants, and others are designed to be small and mobile for deployment in remote areas.
Although it remains to be seen whether advanced nuclear reactors will be successfully built in large numbers, the federal government is working to support such an eventuality. The Department of Energy is reviewing 10 advanced reactor designs under its Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, with around $160 million in initial funding up for grabs to help operators develop their technologies.
Meanwhile, the NRC in January approved the country’s first advanced reactor design from Portland-based NuScale Power — although a construction project using the company’s design has yet to be licensed.
Follow @BenjaminSWeiss
Subscribe to Closing Arguments
Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.
