Weekly Column: Advancing Idaho's Nuclear Energy

Idaho is home to the world-leading Idaho National Laboratory (INL), a facility responsible for promoting international nuclear competitiveness through research, innovation and workforce development.  The U.S. Senate’s recent passage of the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act, and its now enactment into law, will support the work of the INL and other labs in strengthening national security, diversifying our energy portfolio and growing the economy.

Last year, fellow U.S. Senator for Idaho Jim Risch and I joined in introducing the ADVANCE Act in the U.S. Senate.  This legislation would build on the success of my previous Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act (NEIMA) legislation, signed into law in 2019, by furthering the modernization of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensing process, the facilitation of American nuclear leadership and investments in advance nuclear technologies. 

In March of this year, a key piece of the ADVANCE Act—an extension of the Price-Anderson Act—was enacted as part of a package of six fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills.  In the months since, we have worked steadily toward passage of the rest of the ADVANCE Act.  And, in June, the Senate passed the bulk of the ADVANCE Act, by a vote of 88-2, as part of the Fire Grants and Safety Act.  The ADVANCE Act would:

Facilitate American Nuclear Leadership

• Empowers the NRC to lead in international forums to develop regulations for advanced nuclear reactors.

• Directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to improve its process to approve the export of American technology to international markets.

Develop and Deploy New Nuclear Technologies

• Reduces regulatory costs for companies seeking to license advanced nuclear reactor technologies.

• Creates a prize to incentivize the successful deployment of next-generation reactor technologies.

• Requires the NRC to develop a pathway to enable the timely licensing of nuclear facilities at brownfield and retired fossil-fuel energy generation sites.

• Directs the NRC to establish an accelerated licensing review process to site and construct reactors at existing nuclear sites.

Preserve Existing Nuclear Energy

• Modernizes outdated rules that restrict international investment.

Strengthen America’s Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Supply Chain Infrastructure

• Directs the NRC to enhance preparedness to qualify and license advanced nuclear fuels.

• Tasks the NRC to identify and incorporate advanced manufacturing techniques to build nuclear reactors better, faster, cheaper, and smarter.

Improve Commission Efficiency

• Provides flexibility for the NRC to budget and manage organizational support activities to ensure the NRC is prepared to address NRC staff issues associated with an aging workforce.

• Provides the NRC Chair the tools to hire and retain exceptionally well-qualified individuals to successfully and safely review and approve advanced nuclear reactor licenses.

• Requires the NRC to update its Mission Statement to reflect modern beneficial use of nuclear material and energy.

• Mandates the NRC to establish a licensing structure to support an efficient, timely, and predictable regulatory review.

• Charges the NRC to streamline the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental review process.

In May, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the ADVANCE Act by a vote of 393-13, with fellow Idaho Congressional Delegation Members Representatives Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher’s support.  Following the Senate’s June passage of the ADVANCE Act, on July 9, 2024, the President signed this important legislation into law.

As we continue to grapple with world challenges and increasing energy demands, nuclear power is a clean, renewable and diverse solution to our national energy demands.  With Idaho at the cutting edge of this energy solution, enactment of the ADVANCE Act will continue necessary investments in nuclear energy, strengthen national security, diversify our energy portfolio and grow the economy.

# # #