President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed into law bipartisan legislation that will provide a major boost to the future of nuclear energy in America.
The Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act, S. 870, aims to incentivize and support the development and deployment of new advanced nuclear technologies and includes measures to streamline the regulatory approvals process.
“With the ADVANCE Act being signed into law, we secured a landmark win for the future of nuclear energy here in America,” said U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), who sponsored the original bill in March 2023.
Among several provisions, the new law tasks the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) with improving its process for approving the export of American technology to international markets while maintaining strong standards for nuclear non-proliferation.
It also directs the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to find ways to speed up its licensing process for new nuclear technology, to enhance its ability to qualify and license accident-tolerant fuels and advanced nuclear fuels, and to establish an accelerated licensing review process to site and construct reactors at existing nuclear sites.
Regulatory costs for companies seeking to license advanced nuclear reactor technologies will be reduced under the just-enacted law, which also creates a “prize” to incentivize the successful deployment of next-generation reactor technologies.
Capito, ranking member of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, joined several of her colleagues and bill cosponsors in applauding enactment of S. 870, which the Senate passed in June on an 88-2 vote, following approval on May 8 by the U.S. House of Representatives, which voted 393-13 to advance the bill.
“Getting substantive, bipartisan policy across the finish line isn’t always easy, but this is the result of years of work to build widespread consensus about the benefits of advanced nuclear reactors to our electric grid, economy, and environment,” Capito said. “I’m thrilled the ADVANCE Act is now law to enable the deployment of new nuclear and help keep the United States as the world’s nuclear energy leader.”
EPW Chairman Tom Carper (D-DE.), an original cosponsor of the ADVANCE Act, yesterday called the bill’s enactment “a momentous day” for the climate and America’s clean energy future.
“The urgency of the climate crisis demands a swift transition to cleaner energy sources, and fortunately, the ADVANCE Act helps us to do just that,” said Carper, noting that the new law will strengthen U.S. energy and national security, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and create thousands of new jobs.
“I’m thankful to each of my colleagues and their staffs who helped write, pass, and deliver this bill to the president’s desk,” he said.
U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), chair of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee, agreed, saying the new law “is a major victory for the American people and will help cement U.S. energy leadership for decades to come.”
U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), ranking member of the House E&C Committee, pointed out that nuclear power plays an important role in producing carbon-free power for America’s electric grid.
“Now our nuclear industry will have the framework it needs to strengthen America’s energy leadership,” said Pallone. “By ensuring we can deploy safer and more reliable nuclear power, the ADVANCE Act will help combat our dependence on dirty fossil fuels, strengthening our energy independence and securing our economic security.”