Griffith, Guthrie, Veasey Praise E&C Committee Action on Nuclear Licensing Reform Bill

U.S. Representatives Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Kim Schrier (D-WA) and Marc Veasey (D-TX), members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, celebrated action taken by the Committee on their bill H.R. 5549, the Efficient Nuclear Licensing Hearings Act. The Committee favorably reported the bill for full House consideration. This measure seeks to reform federal nuclear licensing processes and improve the overall effectiveness of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

"Reforms to the costly and cumbersome nuclear licensing process are long overdue," said Congressman Griffith. "Sending the Efficient Nuclear Licensing Hearings Act to the House floor reflects growing bipartisan momentum to support nuclear energy plants as a reliable, stable and safe source of power generation. I am proud to lead the charge to repeal this duplicative 1950s requirement."

"Safe and reliable access to nuclear energy is vital to meeting electricity demand while lowering prices for hardworking families," said Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie. "The Efficient Nuclear Licensing Hearings Act works to achieve both goals by cutting through unnecessary red tape and helping to bring new nuclear reactors online. Under current law, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is forced to hold a hearing on a license application even when there are no objections. This bipartisan legislation ends that mandatory requirement while continuing to ensure the licensing process works for our communities. Thank you to Congressman Griffith for his work to help make electricity more affordable."

"I'm proud to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisles in supporting this bipartisan legislation to cut unnecessary red tape and bring nuclear power to the grid more efficiently and affordably," said Congressman Veasey. "Nuclear power is one of the keys to meeting rising energy demand without more carbon emissions, and the Efficient Nuclear Licensing Hearings Act sets us in the right direction. This commonsense measure cuts delays in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's licensing of new nuclear power plants, without sacrificing safety or public input. It will save taxpayers millions of dollars, speed up approval, and help bring down energy bills for families across the country."

BACKGROUND

In the 118^th Congress, Congressman Griffith introduced H.R. 6464, the Efficient Nuclear Licensing Hearings Act

The bill amends the Atomic Energy Act by dropping the requirement for the NRC to hold a public hearing at the end of the licensing process if the license is not contested by an affected party.

Uncontested licensing hearings result in hours of preparation for the NRC staff, greatly inflate the application fees for the NRC staff's preparation time and unnecessarily delay the approval of applications.

Senators Tim Scott (R-SC) and Chris Coons (D-DE) carry the Senate companion, S. 1757.

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