Mountain State Times

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The president has signed into law the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation aimed at bolstering the future of nuclear energy in the United States.

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee; EPW Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del.); U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.-05), Chair of the House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee; and U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.-06), Ranking Member of the House E&C Committee, issued statements celebrating the enactment of the bill (S.870). The Senate passed it by a vote of 88-2, and the House approved it by a vote of 393-13.

“With the ADVANCE Act being signed into law, we secured a landmark win for the future of nuclear energy here in America,” said EPW Ranking Member Capito. “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.”

“Today is a momentous day for our climate and America’s clean energy future,” said EPW Chairman Carper. “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.”

“The Energy and Commerce Committee has a rich history of advancing major bipartisan solutions,” said E&C Chair McMorris Rodgers. “This significant legislation will improve energy reliability and reduce costs for American families and businesses.”

“Nuclear power plays an important role in producing carbon-free power for our electric grid,” said E&C Ranking Member Pallone. “By ensuring we can deploy safer and more reliable nuclear power, the ADVANCE Act will help combat our dependence on dirty fossil fuels.”

The ADVANCE Act aims to:

- Facilitate American Nuclear Energy Leadership by empowering the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to lead international forums on advanced nuclear reactor regulations and directing the Department of Energy (DOE) to streamline its export approval process while maintaining non-proliferation standards.

- Support Development and Deployment of New Nuclear Energy Technologies by reducing regulatory costs for licensing advanced reactors, creating incentives for next-generation reactor technologies, developing pathways for timely licensing at brownfield sites, and establishing accelerated review processes.

- Preserve Existing Nuclear Energy by modernizing rules that restrict international investment.

- Strengthen America’s Nuclear Energy Fuel Cycle and Supply Chain Infrastructure by enhancing NRC's ability to qualify accident-tolerant fuels and evaluating advanced manufacturing techniques.

- Improve Commission Resources and Efficiency by providing flexibility for NRC resource management, updating its Mission Statement, establishing efficient regulatory reviews, streamlining environmental review processes under NEPA.

Full text of S.870 can be found on page 4.

Ranking Member Capito’s floor remarks ahead of Senate passage on June 18 are available here.