House Republicans recently proposed a $66 million cut to the proposed 2017 budget for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
The measure was brought forward by House Study Committee Chairman Bill FLores (R-TX) and has gained the support of 36 other House Republicans.
The Obama administration originally requested $982 million for the next NRC budget, and Flores said this measure would provide relief for utility ratepayers, who fund 90 percent of the NRC's budget through licensing and other fees collected from nuclear plants and other utilities.
A letter written by Flores to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development said that with a reduction in the budget, the taxpayer burden would be reduced.
“Private companies and the research community have come to the table with fresh ideas on ways to build the next generation of nuclear reactors, potentially creating thousands of American jobs,” Flores said in his letter. “We ask for your support on these efforts so that we can build that next generation here at home.”
The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) said the NRC had initiated Project Aim, which intends to increase the NRC's efficiency and effectiveness, and the NRC has recognized that skill retention would require decreasing the size of the agency.
NEI President and CEO Marvin Fertel had provided congressional testimony urging hat $36 million in cuts be made to the NRC budget.
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