House Energy and Commerce chair previews bills to speed nuclear licensing

The chair of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce opened a hearing to review several bipartisan bills intended to streamline the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s licensing process and to bolster domestic nuclear capacity, saying a “robust and growing American nuclear industry is vital for economy, energy and national security.”

The chair said the package of proposals includes H.R. 5549, the Efficient Nuclear Licensing Hearing Act; H.R. 3978, the Nuclear Refuel Act; H.R. 1984, the Department of Energy Nuclear Transparency Act; the Nuclear Advisory Committee Reform Act; the American Enrichment Development Act; and the NRC Staff Pay Alignment Act. He described the bills as practical reforms meant to make permitting more efficient while protecting safety and ensuring public transparency.

About H.R. 5549, the chair said the Efficient Nuclear Licensing Hearing Act “would save time and resources by eliminating [an] outdated requirement that NRC hold a final public hearing on a license, even if no one requests that hearing.” He said the bill is sponsored by colleagues from Virginia’s 9th, Washington’s 8th and Texas’s 33rd congressional districts.

On H.R. 3978, the chair described the Nuclear Refuel Act as clarifying that certain recycling facilities may be licensed under the same regulatory framework as other fuel‑cycle facilities. He noted several members recently visited a fuel recycling facility in northern France to better assess the technology’s potential for the United States and said the legislation would make permitting changes intended to “extract additional energy out of use.”

The chair introduced H.R. 1984, the Department of Energy Nuclear Transparency Act, saying it would require the Department of Energy to announce and post licensing decisions for facilities it permits, similar to current NRC practice. He also said the committee would review discussion drafts including the Nuclear Advisory Committee Reform Act to focus the advisory committee on new and safety‑significant issues and reduce time spent on routine licensing.

The American Enrichment Development Act was described as bringing licensing for enrichment facilities in line with permitting for other fuel‑cycle facilities to support building critical fuel‑supply infrastructure. The chair also said the NRC Staff Pay Alignment Act would update the Atomic Energy Act to align pay authority for certain career skills employees with authorities provided in prior legislation intended to retain experience and leadership at the NRC.

The chair introduced the witnesses for the hearing, saying they “all of whom have provided their expert views to the committee in the past” and listed Maria Korzenik, a former chief nuclear officer and plant operator who heads the Nuclear Energy Institute; Jeff Merrifield, a former NRC commissioner speaking for the U.S. Nuclear Infrastructure Council; Katy Huff, a professor at the University of Illinois and former DOE assistant secretary for nuclear energy; and Jeremy Harrow, who leads ClearPath Action.

The opening statement concluded with the chair saying he looked forward to the testimony and yielding back. No votes or formal actions were recorded during the chair’s opening remarks.