Shelley Moore Capito - Ranking member of the Environment and Public Works committee | Official U.S. Senate headshot
Shelley Moore Capito - Ranking member of the Environment and Public Works committee | Official U.S. Senate headshot
Senate EPW leaders Capito, Carper join House Commerce leaders McMorris Rodgers, Pallone in celebrating enactment of landmark nuclear energy legislation, attend White House signing ceremony
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the president signed into law the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act, bipartisan legislation to provide a major boost to the future of nuclear energy in America.
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 Energy and Commerce Committee, released statements celebrating the enactment of the bipartisan bill (S.870), which passed the Senate by a vote of 88-2 and passed the House 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,” EPW Ranking Member Capito said. “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. I’m thrilled the ADVANCE Act is now law to enable the deployment of new nuclear and help keep the United States as the world’s nuclear energy leader.”
“Today is a momentous day for our climate and America’s clean energy future,” EPW Chairman Carper said. “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. This bipartisan law will strengthen our energy and national security, lower greenhouse gas emissions and create thousands of new jobs while ensuring continued safety.”
“The Energy and Commerce Committee has a rich history of advancing major bipartisan solutions,” E&C Chair McMorris Rodgers said. “I’m extremely proud that our years of hard work to strengthen American nuclear energy have paid off with this significant legislation that will improve energy reliability and reduce costs for American families and businesses.” She added: “This is a major victory for Americans and will help cement U.S. energy leadership for decades to come.”
“Nuclear power plays an important role in producing carbon-free power for our electric grid,” E&C Ranking Member Pallone said. “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 in international forums.
- Directing DOE to improve its process for approving technology exports.
Support Development and Deployment by:
- Reducing regulatory costs.
- Creating incentives for next-generation reactor technologies.
- Requiring NRC pathways for microreactors at brownfield sites.
- Establishing accelerated licensing reviews.
Preserve Existing Nuclear Energy by:
- Modernizing rules restricting international investment.
Strengthen Fuel Cycle Infrastructure by:
- Enhancing NRC's ability to qualify accident-tolerant fuels.
- Evaluating advanced manufacturing techniques.
Improve Commission Resources by:
- Providing flexibility in resource management.
- Updating NRC's Mission Statement.
- Streamlining NEPA environmental review processes.
Full text can be found within S.870 on page 4.
Ranking Member Capito’s floor remarks ahead of Senate passing can be found here.
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