Senators Introduce Bipartisan Nuclear Energy Bill, the ADVANCE Act

Last week, a group of bipartisan Senators introduced the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act of 2023. Original cosponsors included Senators Tom Carper (D-DE) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), the respective Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, along with Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), John Barrasso (R-WY), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and Jim Risch (R-ID).

The Advanced Act includes provisions to:
 

• Establish a joint Commerce Department and Energy Department initiative to facilitate outreach to nations that are seeking to develop advanced nuclear energy programs.
• Reform the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to reduce regulatory costs for companies seeking to license advanced nuclear reactor technologies.
• Create a prize to incentivize the successful deployment of next-generation nuclear reactor technologies.
• Require the NRC to develop a pathway to enable the timely licensing of nuclear facilities at brownfield sites.
• Direct the NRC to establish an initiative to enhance preparedness to qualify and license advanced nuclear fuels.
• Authorize funding to assist in cleaning up legacy abandoned mining sites on Tribal lands.
• Provide the NRC Chair with the tools to hire and retain highly-specialized staff to review and approve advanced nuclear reactor licenses successfully and safely.

The full text of the ADVANCE Act (S.1111) can be found here. A one-pager from the bill’s co-sponsors can be found here and a handout on the legislation, including supporters, can be found here.