United States Senator Mike Crapo - Idaho
*Advancing Nuclear
Energy*
I applaud the Senate passage of legislation [link 1] to
boost development and deployment of new nuclear technologies and
facilitate American nuclear leadership, *The Accelerating Deployment
of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act.
*The
legislation is cosponsored by Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and I and
was included as a part of the *Fire Grants and Safety Act*, which
passed the Senate on June 18, 2024, by a vote of 88-2. *The ADVANCE
Act* builds on the success of my previous NEIMA legislation [link 2]
and continues to modernize the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
licensing process. *The ADVANCE Act* also facilitates American nuclear
leadership and invests in advanced nuclear technologies.
Idaho is
home to the world-leading Idaho National Laboratory (INL), a facility
responsible for promoting international nuclear competitiveness
through research, innovation and workforce development. *The ADVANCE
Act* will support the work of the INL and other labs in strengthening
national security, diversifying our energy portfolio and growing the
economy.
*The ADVANCE Act will:*
*Facilitate American Nuclear
Leadership*
-
Empowers the NRC to lead in international forums
to develop regulations for advanced nuclear reactors.
-
Directs
the Department of Energy (DOE) to improve its process to approve the
export of American technology to international markets.
*Develop
and Deploy New Nuclear Technologies*
-
Reduces regulatory costs
for companies seeking to license advanced nuclear reactor
technologies.
-
Creates a prize to incentivize the successful
deployment of next-generation reactor technologies.
-
Requires
the NRC to develop a pathway to enable the timely licensing of nuclear
facilities at brownfield and retired fossil-fuel energy generation
sites.
-
Directs the NRC to establish an accelerated licensing
review process to site and construct reactors at existing nuclear
sites.
*Preserve Existing Nuclear Energy*
-
Modernizes
outdated rules that restrict international investment.
*Strengthen
America's Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Supply Chain Infrastructure*
-
Directs the NRC to enhance preparedness to qualify and license
advanced nuclear fuels.
-
Tasks the NRC to identify and
incorporate advanced manufacturing techniques to build nuclear
reactors better, faster, cheaper, and smarter.
*Improve Commission
Efficiency*
-
Provides flexibility for the NRC to budget and
manage organizational support activities to ensure the NRC is prepared
to address NRC staff issues associated with an aging workforce.
-
Provides the NRC Chair the tools to hire and retain exceptionally
well-qualified individuals to successfully and safely review and
approve advanced nuclear reactor licenses.
-
Requires the NRC
to update its Mission Statement to reflect modern beneficial use of
nuclear material and energy.
-
Mandates the NRC to establish a
licensing structure to support an efficient, timely, and predictable
regulatory review.
-
Charges the NRC to streamline the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental review process.
*What Else I Have Been Up To Lately*
Work on behalf of Idahoans
continues in the second half of the 118th Congress.
A few of my
efforts over the last month include:
-
Sent a letter [link 3]
to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers demanding immediate action to
enable the Albeni Falls Dam in North Idaho to resume normal
operations;
-
Urged Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and
the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to provide necessary
federal assistance to the Wyoming Department of Transportation as it
works to repair the Teton Pass [link 4] following a catastrophic
landslide that wiped out a section of the highway;
-
Introduced a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution of disapproval
to protect Title IX from a radical Biden Administration rule
[link
5]that tramples on rights given to girls and women;
-
Introduced a bipartisan bill to ensure National Guard readiness [link
6];
-
Demanded the Biden Administration withhold a final
decision on the Lava Ridge Wind Energy Project, [link 7] calling out
the Administration's failure to address widespread opposition;
-
Sent a letter to the Biden Administration demanding answers for Custom
and Border Protection's (CBP) and Immigration and Customs
Enforcement's (ICE) failure to share information about the
apprehension and subsequent release of suspects on the terror
watchlist into the U.S [link 8].;
-
Joined a bipartisan bill to
preserve JROTC programs [link 9]; and
-
Sent a letter to
President Joe Biden to express concerns regarding his Executive Order
that would offer amnesty to illegal aliens [link 10] who are
unlawfully present in the United States.
To read more about these
efforts and to keep up with more of my latest work in Congress, visit
the *NEWSROOM *portion of my website [link 11].
*Contact
Me*
Have questions about a federal policy issue not listed here, or
need help with navigating paperwork at a federal agency?
Contact me
at one of my seven offices across Idaho and Washington, D.C., by
visiting my website at: [link removed] [link
12]
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Contact
Information:
Website:
Offices:
239 Dirksen Senate
Building
Washington D.C., 20510
Phone: (202) 224-6142
Idaho
Falls
410 Memorial Drive
Suite 205
Idaho Falls, ID 83402
Phone:
(208) 522-9779
Boise
251 East Front Street
Suite 205
Boise, ID
83702
Phone: (208) 334-1776
Lewiston
313 'D' Street
Suite 105
Lewiston, ID 83501
Phone: (208) 743-1492
Caldwell
524 East
Cleveland Blvd.
Suite 220
Caldwell, ID 83605
Phone: (208)
455-0360
Pocatello
275 South 5th Avenue
Suite 100
Pocatello,
ID 83201
Phone: (208) 236-6775
Coeur d' Alene
610 Hubbard
Street
Suite 209
Coeur d' Alene, ID 83814
Phone: (208) 664-5490
Twin Falls
202 Falls Avenue
Suite 2
Twin Falls, ID 83301
Phone:
(208) 734-2515
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