Part 1 of 3 Parts
Congress has seen a serious increase of bipartisan nuclear legislation that would produce a massive build-out of reactors and fuel supplies over the next decade. Sponsors of bills and other supporters need to figure out how to get those bills through Congress in a tough legislative year. It won’t be as easy as it was in years past when a Democratic majority in both chambers allocated hundreds of millions of dollars for uranium mining. Congress also passed pivotal nuclear production tax credits as well as subsidies to keep struggling nuclear power plants online in landmark plans like the Inflation Reduction Act and bipartisan infrastructure law.
Today we have a split Congress with a razon-thin House Republican majority. This new political reality will make it difficult to sign any legislation into law. The nuclear industry is watching Congressional action closely. It is not satisfied with the tax breaks and funds they have received in recent years. Nuclear industry leaders and their allies say that Congress still needs to act on critical areas that are impeding nuclear buildout. These include limiting complex environmental regulations and securing a domestic fuel supply for future reactors.
Tom Carper (D-Del.) is the Chair of the Senate Environmental, Environment and Public Works Committee (EEPW). He said, “If you look at the IRA, your tax provisions here, if you look at other investments we made … we’ve provided great incentives. We want to make sure that we have the regulatory structure in place to help facilitate and move that forward safely.”
Nuclear energy was once viewed as too marred by a history of accidents and an intractable waste problem. It is now a common-ground energy sources between traditional Republican boosters and climate-minded Democrats. Many Democrats and environmentalists are increasingly convinced that the low-carbon energy is pivotal for the transition to a clear energy future. Even that momentum may not be sufficient. Congressional nuclear backers may have to be more creative to get their priorities into law.
None of the new nuclear bills currently circulating through Congress represents the bipartisan momentum behind the energy source better than the “Accelerating Deployment of Versatile Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act,” from Carper and the top Republican on EEPW, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia. The S. 111 bill already has nineteen co-sponsors in the Senate split nearly evenly between Republicans and Democrats. The bill cleared committee in May on a sixteen to three vote. The legislation would cut down licensing fees for new reactors and provide additional funding to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to hire additional staff.
John Kotek is the senior vice president of policy development and public affairs at the Nuclear Energy Institute. He said, “The ‘ADVANCE Act’ does some important things with respect to nuclear, export licensing activities, including establishment of an international nuclear reactor export innovation branch. Activities like that are really important.”
The bill’s sponsors have attracted bipartisan support. They know that it will likely need to hitch a ride on a larger legislative vehicle moving through Congress.
Please read Part 2 next