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<[link removed]> <[link removed]>ClearPath Action Rundown
November 21st, 2025

Happy Friday! The Rundown will not publish next week. See us back at the top of your inbox on Friday, December 5th.

Congratulations to Ho Nieh, who will now serve as the fourth Commissioner on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission!

1. House Natural Resources Committee advances key bipartisan permitting legislation



The House Natural Resources Committee advanced <[link removed]> key bipartisan permitting bills, marking progress toward speeding up energy project approvals. 

“America needs to build more energy projects to counter China, win the AI race, and keep pace with rising demand,” said ClearPath Action CEO Jeremy Harrell.

The Committee advanced three ClearPath Action-endorsed bills:

- The Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act <[link removed]>, sponsored by Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR);
- The ePermit Act <[link removed]>, sponsored by Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD); and 
- The Studying NEPA's Impact on Projects Act <[link removed]>, sponsored by Rep. Rudy Yakym (R-IN).

What’s clear: America can’t meet rising power demand or expand domestic manufacturing without a modern permitting system. Post-shutdown, Republicans in Congress have reinvigorated permitting reforms and are continuing to attract Democrats who want to see more clean energy built in America. 

2. Time to fix America’s permitting problems and let America build



Projects across sectors take an average of four to five years to move through the permitting system, and delays cost $100-140 billion a year <[link removed]> in the form of jobs, revenue and capital returns.

A full scope of permitting reforms that cross committee jurisdictions can include:

- Modernizing NEPA;
- Addressing NEPA litigation by reducing delay tactics;
- Increasing transparency by requiring updated data tools; 
- Fixing grid bottlenecks by deploying advanced grid technologies; and 
- Improving interconnection processes to make it easier to build new transmission lines. 

Momentum is building on the Hill. The House Natural Resources Committee’s markup showed growing bipartisan interest in tackling permitting challenges. 

Plug in: Read Lisa Epifani’s <[link removed]> new blog on why fixing permitting is key to America’s energy and economic leadership here <[link removed]>.

3. DOE provides $1 billion LPO loan to restart Three Mile Island



The DOE’s Loan Programs Office approved a $1 billion loan to Constellation Energy to restart the Three Mile Island Unit 1 reactor <[link removed]> in Pennsylvania. The project is backed by a 20-year power purchase agreement with Microsoft, and Constellation plans to bring the plant back online by 2027. 

Restarting Three Mile Island will:

- Power the equivalent of 800,000 homes;
- Help keep electricity prices stable as demand rises from AI data centers and manufacturing; and
- Create 600 American jobs.

What’s clear: Restarting Three Mile Island is one of the fastest ways to add reliable power to the grid, and similar efforts are underway at the Palisades <[link removed]> plant in Michigan and the Duane Arnold <[link removed]> plant in Iowa. These efforts also support the Trump Administration’s goal to quadruple U.S. nuclear capacity by 2050. 

4. Expanding America’s critical minerals production



DOE announced $355 million to boost U.S. production of critical minerals <[link removed]> and materials needed for energy, manufacturing and national defense. These investments will help deploy next-generation mining technologies, strengthen supply chains and reduce reliance on adversaries for critical minerals. 

The funding comes from two new projects at DOE to rebuild domestic mining and processing capacity, which will:

- Deliver up to $275 million for pilot projects at U.S. industrial and coal-based facilities to recover critical minerals from existing byproducts and waste;
- Deliver up to $80 million to establish Mine of the Future <[link removed]> proving grounds for real-world testing of next-generation mining technologies; and
- Advance DOE’s plan to invest $1 billion to increase domestic mineral production and reduce reliance on foreign suppliers.

Plug in: Read more about the importance of domestic mining to U.S. security and energy here <[link removed]>.

5. Net Power partners with Entropy to expedite clean gas projects



Net Power struck a partnership with Entropy Inc. to expedite the rollout of natural gas power plants with carbon capture in the U.S <[link removed]>. This partnership will support the build-out of reliable energy at a critical moment of rising electricity demand, helping meet new load growth while strengthening U.S. energy security.

This partnership will:

- Support Net Power’s one gigawatt clean-power hub in West Texas;  
- Advance a 300 megawatt project in the northern region of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), which manages the power grid across much of the central U.S.; and 
- Provide more dependable, lower-carbon power options.

What’s clear: Natural gas paired with carbon capture is one of the most practical ways to deliver clean, reliable power. This partnership helps move these projects from concept to construction.

Plug in: Read more about Net Power’s influence on clean energy development here <[link removed]>.

6. X-energy starts construction for advanced nuclear fuel facility



X-energy started vertical construction on its TX-1 fuel fabrication facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee <[link removed]>. The facility will be the first in the U.S. to manufacture TRISO fuel, a durable ceramic-coated fuel designed for high-temperature advanced reactors.

This achievement is a result of bipartisan legislation supporting DOE innovation programs, such as: 

- The Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, which partially funds both the demonstration reactor in Texas and the fuel facility in Tennessee; 
- The Advanced Fuels Program, which researched and qualified TRISO fuels; 
- The Advanced Nuclear Fuel Availability Program, which is establishing new enrichment facilities in the U.S.; 
- The Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act, which reduces allowed Russian uranium imports from 24% of total U.S. consumption in 2024 to 0% in 2028; and 
- The ADVANCE Act, which is modernizing regulations at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

What’s clear: Today’s many nuclear commercial announcements come from decades of Congressional support, and the 400 jobs created by this facility are just the tip of the iceberg on near-term nuclear deployments.

7. The Circuit

<#>ClearPath Action’s Head of Government Affairs and WY native, Chris Tomassi <[link removed]>, testified before the Wyoming State Senate Revenue Committee. He said that Wyoming is well-positioned to lead in advanced nuclear if it maintains its competitive edge. Watch Tomassi’s full hearing here <[link removed]>.

8. ICYMI

- Writing in Real Clear Energy <[link removed].>, House Science Committee Chair Brian Babin (R-TX) warned that China is moving quickly to lead in fusion energy and urged stronger U.S. leadership to stay competitive.

<[link removed]>ClearPath believes America must lead the world in innovation over regulation…markets over mandates…providing affordable, reliable, clean energy. 

That's all from us. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

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