GAO releases advanced reactor report following Capito request

WASHINGTON (WV News) — The U.S. Government Accountability Office has released a report requested by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.. with recommendations to prepare for the implementation of advanced nuclear reactors.

Capito, ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, asked the GAO in February 2022 for an assessment of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s preparedness to review and approve advanced nuclear reactor applications.

The report includes four recommendations to the NRC, which are similar to steps already taken in Congress, according to Capito.

“With this report, the GAO confirms that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission needs to do more to prepare to efficiently review and approve advanced nuclear reactor designs,” she said. “The United States should lead the world in developing and deploying reliable advanced nuclear energy, and Congress is poised to provide the NRC the tools and direction to enable the safe use of these technologies.”

Earlier this week, the NRC approved an emergency planning rule for small, advanced nuclear reactors — a step stakeholders say was needed to foster the development of this emerging form of energy generation.

Capito testified during a public meeting of the NRC regarding the proposed rule.

“The United States can and should lead a nuclear energy future. That means re-establishing America’s undisputed nuclear energy leadership, which is why I led the calls for the commission to approve this important rule,” Capito said. “I applaud the NRC staff and the commissioners for developing and approving this risk-informed rule to help enable the safe use of advanced nuclear technologies.”

Capito asked the NRC to continue developing additional safeguards for the deployment of advanced reactors.

“I urge the commission to continue supporting safety rules to facilitate the deployment of smaller, safer nuclear reactors, including the development of a usable ‘Part 53’ regulatory framework for advanced reactors,” she said.

In March, Capito joined a group of four other senators who wrote a letter urging the NRC to approve the emergency planning rule.

“Nuclear energy is a clean and reliable source of energy that has been used to safely power our nation’s homes and businesses for decades,” the letter reads. “Advanced nuclear reactors can provide reliable, emission-free electricity with smaller, safer and affordable new reactor designs.”

During the recent special session of the West Virginia Legislature, a bill that would have made West Virginia an agreement state with the NRC was passed in the House of Delegates. The bill, which was requested by Gov. Jim Justice, was sent to the state Senate but was not introduced.

An agreement state is one that has signed an accord with the NRC authorizing the state to regulate certain uses of radioactive materials within its borders.

In 2022, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 4, which repealed the state’s 1997 nuclear power ban.

In a letter to the clerk of the Senate announcing he had signed SB 4 into law, Justice said any development or placement of nuclear facilities in the state “must be done thoroughly and, above all, safely.”

“I call upon our Legislature to continue to research and monitor nuclear initiatives around the nation to ensure appropriate regulatory or safety measures are in place as new technologies are developed and implemented,” he said.