WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, along with several of her colleagues applauded the release of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report reviewing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) planning, budgeting, and financial management.

In October 2018, Senator Capito and leaders of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee—the committees with oversight responsibilities of the NRC—requested a Government Accountability Office (GAO) review to assist their assessment of NRC implementation of various recommendations to improve fee-setting process, fee-billing process, budget justification documentation, and workforce planning at the Commission.

Following the GAO report release today, Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Senate EPW Committee Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), House Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Greg Walden (R-Ore.), and Subcommittee on Energy Republican Leader Fred Upton (R-Mich.) released the following statements below:

“I’m glad to see that GAO has acted on our request to issue a report,” said Senator Capito. “This report contains important recommendations that, if properly implemented by the NRC, will assist in making a more transparent process for America’s nuclear energy industry as we move ahead to deploy advanced reactor designs. Going forward, we will continue to exercise our oversight responsibilities.”

“The Government Accountability Office report confirms the Nuclear Regulatory Commission must improve its communication and transparency with America’s energy providers,” said Senator Barrasso. “The agency has made improvements in how it collects fees. More work is needed. Specifically, the report recommends the agency do a better job of clearly communicating expected regulatory costs. This will increase predictability for America’s nuclear power producers. Nuclear power is a safe, reliable, and clean source of energy. By implementing the report’s recommendations, the NRC can take an important step toward preserving and expanding nuclear energy.”

“While I’m pleased with the progress the NRC has made—specifically on fee-setting, billing, and budgeting processes—to continue to improve their efficiency and benefit to the public, important work remains,” said Congressman Walden. “Impartial and diligent oversight are hallmarks of our committees, and I want to make certain the additional GAO recommendations are followed. In particular, I believe the NRC must be clear about their public cost estimates.”

“The NRC must ensure the nuclear industry operates safely and, in a way that it can provide the energy we rely on today. Safety, reliability, and affordability go hand-in-hand. The progress the NRC has made on fee-setting, billing, and budgeting processes is encouraging, and we will continue our oversight role to ensure additional GAO recommendations are followed,” said Congressman Upton.

GAO-20-362 REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS: 

  • The NRC develop guidance on when to communicate work progress information to licensees.
  • The NRC ensure costs are clearly defined in its public cost estimates. NRC plans to review these processes. (February 28, 2020)

LEGISLATIVE BACKGROUND:

The October 2018 letter followed the House unanimously passing H.R. 1320, the Nuclear Utilization of Keynote Energy Act, in September 2018. Versions of that legislation, which revised the NRC’s fee recovery structure and increased the predictability, transparency, and efficiency of the NRC’s regulatory processes, were later signed into law as the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act, in January 2019.

Click HERE to read a copy of the letter. 

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