U.S. Sens. Tom Carperi is one of three sponsors of a bipartisan nuclear energy bill
“As our nation’s largest source of reliable, carbon-free electricity, nuclear energy is critical to meeting our climate goals and maintaining our energy security,” Carper said. “The ADVANCE Act will help the United States remain a clean energy leader by providing the certainty needed to deploy the next generation of nuclear reactors and fuels safely. This bipartisan legislation will also ensure that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has the tools and workforce to keep our current reactors safe and to review new nuclear technologies efficiently.”
The bill comes as existing nuclear plants near the end of their projected lifespans with newer projects mired in cost-overrun and construction quality issues.
In Delaware, a state surrounded by nuclear reactors, the retirement of coal-fired power plants is leading to concerns about alternative energy sources like wind and solar not being able to fill the gap left by the retirement of coal-fired units.
Issues remain abut afety of nuclear power, the disposal of nuclear waste and massive water use by nuclar plants that pose challenges to aquatic life. However, coal genreation, minus breakthroughs in technology, is viewed in many quarters ias a bigger threat to the environment.
The bill would also loosen laws on foreign investment in nuclear plants. The laws emerged out of worries about entities stealing technology that coulld be used for nuclear weapons. Large and small nations now have the ability to produce nuclear weapons as well as build power plants.
Bill summary and goals
o Empowering the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to lead in international forums to develop regulations for advanced nuclear reactors.
o Establishing a joint Commerce Department and Energy Department initiative to facilitate outreach to nations that are seeking to develop advanced nuclear energy programs.·
o Reducing regulatory costs for companies seeking to license advanced nuclear reactor technologies.
o Creating a prize to incentivize the successful deployment of next-generation nuclear reactor technologies.
o Requiring the NRC to develop a pathway to enable the timely licensing of nuclear facilities at brownfield sites.
o Modernizing rules that restrict international investment.
o Extending a long-established indemnification policy necessary to enable the continued operation of today’s reactors and give certainty for capital investments in building new reactors.
o Directing the NRC to establish an initiative to enhance preparedness to qualify and license advanced nuclear fuels.
o Identifying modern manufacturing techniques to build nuclear reactors better, faster, cheaper, and smarter.
o Authorizing funding to assist in cleaning up legacy abandoned mining sites on Tribal lands.
o Providing the NRC Chair the tools to hire and retain highly-specialized staff and exceptionally well-qualified individuals to successfully and safely review and approve advanced nuclear reactor licenses. This is essential with the NRC staff under attrition pressure due to an aging workforce.
o Requiring the NRC to periodically review and assess performance metrics and milestone schedules to ensure licensing can be completed on an efficient schedule.
The full text of the ADVANCE Act (S.1111) can be found here.
