NUCLEAR ENERGY INSTITUTE: Nuclear Bills Critical to Industry Reform and Success Pass Out of Energy Committee

Nuclear Energy Institute issued the following announcement on July 12.

Earlier today the House Energy and Commerce Committee successfully reported out the Nuclear Utilization of Keynote Energy (NUKE) Act (HR 1320), introduced by Reps. Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and Doyle (D-Pa.), and the Advanced Nuclear Fuel Availability Act (HR 6140), introduced by Reps. Flores (R-Texas) and McNerney (D-Calif.) by unanimous consent. The following is a statement from Beverly Marshall, vice president of governmental affairs at the Nuclear Energy Institute.

“Once again Washington lawmakers have leveraged bipartisan support for nuclear energy. Advancement of these bills points to the significant role American-made nuclear energy plays in providing reliable, carbon-free electricity here at home and abroad.

"The bipartisan NUKE Act sets in motion well-justified and timely steps to reform some of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s outdated and inefficient regulations, including the archaic funding structure developed nearly 30 years ago. Establishing a more transparent fee process and initiating common-sense reform will lift the burden of unnecessary regulations by the NRC. Furthermore, it ensures electricity customers are not bearing the back-end financial burdens of this costly overregulation.

"In addition, support of the Advanced Nuclear Fuel Availability Act signifies continued confidence in the development of the next generation of advanced nuclear reactors. By creating a program that will make high-assay low enriched uranium, uranium enriched above 5 percent and below 20 percent, available for commercial use, we are making an important investment in the globally competitive race to design and deploy advanced reactor technology.

"We appreciate the actions taken today to safeguard the contributions nuclear energy provides to our national security, economic growth and international influence and look forward to continuing to work with lawmakers to swiftly have the bills considered on the House floor.”

Original source can be found here.