Congress votes to advance the development of nuclear energy in the US

Congress has past a bill that aims to give a boost to nuclear energy in the US. The Accelerating the Deployment of Advanced Versatile Nuclear Power for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act is now awaiting President Joe Biden’s signature to become law. The Senate approved the bill on Tuesday, after the Chamber of Deputies past a similar bill in February.

The bill is expected to accelerate the development of next-generation nuclear reactors and position the U.S. to lead the international market while helping to keep aging reactors operating. Nuclear power is still a divisive solution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, but it has gained bipartisan support in recent years.

The ADVANCE Act directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to streamline its approval process for the international export of American nuclear power technology and to reduce regulatory costs for companies trying to license advanced nuclear reactors. It creates incentives for the successful deployment of these technologies and tasks the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) with creating a “timely” path to licensing small reactors on brownfields and former fossil fuel generating sites. It also seeks to accelerate the licensing review of new reactors at existing nuclear facilities and streamline the environmental review process.

The legislation has already provoked strong reactions from environmental groups that support or oppose nuclear energy. On the one hand, nuclear power is seen as a way to supplement fluctuating renewables like solar and wind power with a constant source of energy that doesn’t generate planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions.

“As we continue to decarbonize our country’s energy system and respond to growing energy demand, we need every option available and nuclear energy will play an important role in ensuring we are able to meet these challenges,” Evan Chapman, US federal policy director at the Clean Air Task Force said in an emailed statement.

“Make no mistake: This is not about making the reactor licensing process more efficient, but about weakening overall safety and oversight, a long-standing goal of the industry,” said Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear energy safety at Union of Concerned Scientists, in a statement. declaration about the ADVANCE Act this week before its passage.