Advancing Nuclear Energy

I applaud the Senate passage of legislation 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 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• Modernizes outdated rules that restrict international investment.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 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 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 that tramples on rights given to girls and women;

• Introduced a bipartisan bill to ensure National Guard readiness;

• Demanded the Biden Administration withhold a final decision on the Lava Ridge Wind Energy Project, 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.;

• Joined a bipartisan bill to preserve JROTC programs; and

• Sent a letter to President Joe Biden to express concerns regarding his Executive Order that would offer amnesty to illegal aliens 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.

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: https://www.crapo.senate.gov/contact