House Passes Nuclear Energy Innovation Bill
(Washington, DC) – Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4084, the Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act with Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) as the lead Democratic sponsor. The bipartisan bill was introduced by Energy Subcommittee Chairman Randy Weber (R-TX) and also cosponsored by Full Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX). The legislation would support federal research and development in nuclear energy and stimulate private investment in advanced nuclear reactor technologies in the United States.
Ranking Member Johnson said, “One of my top priorities as a Member of Congress is preventing and mitigating the potentially devastating impacts of climate change. I believe that nuclear power can and should play a key role in our efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of our electricity sector. But there currently are technical, economic, and policy challenges that prevent nuclear energy from playing a larger role in enabling our clean energy future. The Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act takes several positive steps to address these challenges. Implementing the provisions in this bill will help accelerate the development of advanced nuclear energy technologies that are safer, less expensive, more efficient, and produce less waste than the current generation of nuclear reactors. It is my hope that the provisions in this bill can aid in ensuring a bright future for the U.S. nuclear energy industry.”
Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) said on the House floor, “H.R. 4084 takes several positive steps to help spur nuclear technology innovation at the Department of Energy and in the private sector, and to deliver these very promising technologies to market. Some of these technologies hold the promise of much more cost effective and much safer nuclear generating stations, and some also address the extremely important issue of radioactive waste streams that plague our current generation of nuclear plants.”
The bill passed by voice vote under suspension of the rules. Similar language has been introduced in the Senate as an amendment to S. 2012, the comprehensive energy legislation in that chamber. The bill has 28 bipartisan cosponsors including Committee Democrats: Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-IL), Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), and Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY).
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