Today, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, of which Congressman Allen is a proud member, advanced H.R. 6544—the bipartisan
Atomic Energy Advancement Act—a package of bills aimed at incentivizing and advancing nuclear energy production in the United States. Included in H.R. 6544 is Congressman Allen‘s
Nuclear Licensing Efficiency Act,
introduced this year, which would improve the licensing review process for future nuclear projects by establishing updated procedures and timelines for reviewing nuclear licensing applications.
Prior to the committee’s approval of the bill, Congressman Allen delivered the following remarks:
“An all-of-the-above strategy is critical to reclaiming American energy dominance, and as the nation’s largest source of clean energy, nuclear has a pivotal role to play.
“With the first two new nuclear reactors built in over three decades in the United States located at Plant Vogtle in my district, we are leading our nation’s nuclear future. As we saw through the construction process, nuclear projects in the U.S. are often bogged down by burdensome licensing and permitting processes that result in unnecessary delays and cost overruns. I compliment Southern Company for their persistence in the completion of these projects. They persevered through them with many many challenges.
“That is why I am proud to have my bill, the Nuclear Licensing Efficiency Act, incorporated in the Atomic Energy Advancement Act. This bill seeks to modernize the inefficient procedures that hamper our nuclear energy expansion.
“Specifically, the Nuclear Licensing Efficiency Act provides efficient, timely, and predictable reviews of applications and proceedings for licenses of nuclear reactors. It allows information that was used in the licensing process for an existing nuclear reactor site to be used in further licensing and permitting at that site, and it establishes a timeframe of once every three years to update performance metrics and milestone schedules to be the most efficient possible.
“It is imperative we incorporate best practices learned from this huge accomplishment at Plant Vogtle so that we can further incorporate 24/7 nuclear energy into our grid. I am proud to have my bill as part of the broader, bipartisan Atomic Energy Advancement Act to improve our nuclear energy regulatory process.
“I urge my colleagues to support the Atomic Energy Advancement Act, and I yield back.”
