The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass a key piece of legislation to bolster the country’s nuclear energy sector.
The bill passed by a vote of 88-2 with Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) opposing the measure. The nuclear package was combined with another bill that reauthorized the U.S. Fire Administration and grant programs for firefighters. This combined package will also go to the president’s desk.
The measure aims to speed up the process of approving the construction of new nuclear plants as many of the country’s existing plants reach the end of their serviceable lives. In addition, it cuts the licensing fees that power companies must pay to begin projects. It also mandates the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to prepare a report examining ways to simplify and expedite the environmental review process.
“It will be history-making in terms of small modular reactors, which is the future of nuclear,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) told reporters.
Supporters of the measure say it’s a tremendous boost for the nation’s nuclear power sector.
“It’s a facilitator of the process by which industry has to get approvals for building these projects,” Lesley Jantarasami, managing director of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s energy program, told The Hill.
The vast majority of House members also advanced the bipartisan nuclear-fire bill, in a 393-13-1 vote, with Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a far-left Michigan Democrat, voting “present” to show support for the fire provision but opposition to the nuclear portion.
The Trump administration has placed an extreme focus on “unleashing American energy.”
President Trump issued four executive orders directing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to reduce rules and expedite new licenses for nuclear power facilities, acting on applications within 18 months.
The United States was formerly the world leader in nuclear design and construction, but delays and exorbitant prices have given that position to China, which is building a record number of reactors.
The directives aim to expedite federal permitting for new nuclear projects and technology, as well as implement cost-cutting strategies to reduce the NRC’s footprint.
The sector will benefit from federal subsidies, since the House of Representatives’ draft budget legislation retains tax incentives for new and existing nuclear facilities, but requires them to begin construction before January 1, 2029.
The plan is to triple domestic nuclear power generation over the next 25 years, boosting capacity from around 100 gigawatts to 400 gigawatts by 2050.
The rules give the NRC an 18-month timetable to respond on industry applications and develop a pilot program aimed at bringing three new experimental reactors online by July 4, 2026, in only 13 months.
They also use the Defense Production Act to allow federal purchases of nuclear fuel, so strengthening the domestic supply chain and weakening Russia’s significant control on it. Until 2023, the United States obtained much of its enriched uranium from Russia; however, this ceased after Russia invaded Ukraine and a bipartisan bill was established.
The directives also direct the Energy and Defense departments to investigate the viability of restarting shuttered nuclear power facilities and locating reactors on public properties and military stations.
According to the order to restructure the NRC, “the current structure and staffing of the NRC are misaligned with the Congress’s directive that the NRC shall not unduly restrict the benefits of nuclear power.” It requires the NRC to work with the Department of Government Efficiency to “reorganize the NRC to promote the expeditious processing of license applications and the adoption of innovative technology.”
To accelerate nuclear power development, the directives give the U.S. Energy Secretary the ability to approve select advanced reactor designs and projects rather than the NRC. Despite this, Trump’s aim will be tough to fulfill given the current status of the US nuclear sector.
The NRC is now examining proposals from corporations and utilities to develop tiny nuclear reactors that will generate power in the early 2030s.
It anticipates the study to take three years or less, which is 18 months longer than Trump’s directives permit.
