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Hearing Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy Subcommittee · Jul 14, 2026 · Transcript · 57 transcript matches
LATTA, ROBERT E. "enrichment facilities in line with other fuel cycle facilities. It is a critical step to ensure efficient licensing, saving time and money without undermining safety as we work to build our critical fuel cycle infrastructure. Also included in today's markup is the bipartisan H.R. 5549, the Efficient Nuclear Licensing Hearings Act, sponsored by our colleagues for Virginia's 9th, Washington's 8th, and Texas' 33rd congressional districts. This legislation would save time and resources by eliminating an outdated requirement that NRC holds a final uncontested public hearing on a license, even if..."
Hearing Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy Subcommittee · Jun 9, 2026 · Transcript · 26 transcript matches
MENENDEZ, ROBERT "Efficiency, or DOGE, to gut our federal agencies. At NRC, expert staff left the agency by choice or were forced out, and the agency has been struggling to rehire staff ever since. A ProPublica article details DOGE's involvement at NRC and cites several instances where career staff at NRC were concerned about changes being made at the regulator. Here are a couple of examples. Steve Cohen, who was leading the DOGE charge at NRC, said the goal was to make the agency into a quote, rubber stamp for the Trump administration and dismiss safety concerns raised by NRC staff. Several new officials at..."
Hearing Trash to Treasure: Examining Legislation to Support Domestic Critical Mineral Recovery and Recycling
house Environment Subcommittee · Jun 24, 2026 · Transcript · 7 transcript matches
SPEAKER_10 "In EPA's own study on the Navajo Nation, it cut contamination by more than 90%, eliminated leachability, and shrank the waste needing disposal by up to 83%, at 60 to 70% less cost than hauling and disposing the material. EPA and Idaho National Laboratory validated the technology, and the NRC licensed it just last year after a four-year-long process and a finding of no significant environmental impact. Our crews are trained radiation workers held to the same rigor used at Superfund"
CRS Report
Consolidated Interim Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel: Recent Licensing Decisions
Posts · Jul 15, 2024
Storage of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) is a topic of perennial interest to Congress. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued three licenses for storage of SNF at privately owned,...
CRS Report
Nuclear Power Plant Security and Vulnerabilities
Reports · Jan 3, 2014
The physical security of nuclear power plants and their vulnerability to deliberate acts of terrorism was elevated to a national security issue following the attacks of September 11, 2001. Congress...
Testimony MENENDEZ, ROBERT
Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 9, 2026
"Efficiency, or DOGE, to gut our federal agencies. At NRC, expert staff left the agency by choice or were forced out, and the agency has been struggling to rehire staff ever since. A ProPublica article details DOGE's involvement at NRC and cites several instances where career staff at NRC were concerned about changes being made at the regulator. Here are a couple of examples. Steve Cohen, who was leading the DOGE charge at NRC, said the goal was to make the agency into a quote, rubber stamp for..."
CRS Report
Changes to India’s Citizenship Laws
Resources · Apr 18, 2024
Many in Congress have taken interest in human rights and religious freedom in India. In late 2019, India’s parliament passed, and its president signed into law, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA),...
CRS Report
Nuclear Energy Policy
Reports · Oct 15, 2014
Nuclear energy issues facing Congress include reactor safety and regulation, radioactive waste management, research and development priorities, federal incentives for new commercial reactors, nuclear...
CRS Report
Civilian Nuclear Waste Disposal
Reports · Sep 17, 2021
Management of civilian radioactive waste has posed difficult issues for Congress since the beginning of the nuclear power industry in the 1950s. Federal policy is based on the premise that nuclear...
CRS Report
Long-Term Federal Management of Uranium Mill Tailings: Background and Issues for Congress
Reports · Feb 22, 2021
In the wake of increasing concerns in the 1970s about human health and environmental risks posed by inactive uranium mill tailings, Congress enacted the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of...
Hearing The Fiscal Year 2027 Department of Energy Budget.
house Energy Subcommittee · Apr 16, 2026 · Transcript · 4 transcript matches
PALLONE, FRANK "But moving to nuclear energy, DOE has threatened the independence of our country's nuclear safety regulator, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, according to press reports, which I'll ask unanimous consent to insert into the record, Mr. Chairman, if I can. At a meeting at Idaho National Lab last year, a DOE staffer named Seth Cohen said, and I quote, the NRC is going to do whatever we tell the NRC to do. And you later promoted Mr. Cohen to be chief counsel for nuclear policy, and he spent much of the last year trying to actively undermine the NRC's safety rules. So let me ask you, do you..."
CRS Report
International Education Programs in the Higher Education Act
Reports · Aug 28, 2020
The Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA; P.L. 89-329) authorizes numerous federal aid programs that provide support to both individuals pursuing a postsecondary education and institutions of higher...
CRS Report
Price-Anderson Act: Nuclear Power Industry Liability Limits and Compensation to the Public After Radioactive Releases
Resources · Feb 28, 2025
Since the establishment of the nuclear power industry in the 1950s, the issue of how to handle nuclear accident liability has been debated often in Congress. From the beginning, it was generally...
CRS Report
Department of Energy’s Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence (OICI)
Resources · Jun 7, 2024
Background The Department of Energy’s Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence (OICI) can trace its origins to the Second World War, when the U.S. government sought to collect intelligence on...
CRS Report
AUKUS Nuclear Cooperation
InFocus · Feb 5, 2026
On August 7, 2024, President Joseph Biden submitted to Congress an “Agreement among the Government of Australia, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the...
Hearing An Overview of the Department of Energy’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request
house Science, Space, and Technology Committee · Jun 10, 2026 · Transcript · 3 transcript matches
BAIRD, JAMES R. "Commercialization Act, which would establish a federal working group focused on commercialization and industrialization of SMRs. So would you feel that a coordinated effort among DOE, NRC, the industry, and other stakeholders would help accelerate deployment and strengthen America's position against our competitors like China and Russia? I really appreciate your comments in that area because I think it's extremely"
CRS Report
State Authority to Regulate Nuclear Power: Federal Preemption Under the Atomic Energy Act (AEA)
Reports · Nov 1, 2023
As some state governments explore nuclear power’s role in a transition away from fossil fuels, state legislatures continue to debate questions of safety and waste storage. Although safety concerns...
CRS Report
The Front End of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Current Issues
Reports · Jul 29, 2019
Nuclear power contributes roughly 20% of the electrical generation in the United States. Uranium is the fundamental element in fuel used for nuclear power production. The nuclear fuel cycle is the...
Testimony LATTA, ROBERT E.
Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 9, 2026
"The American Enrichment Development Act brings the licensing process for enrichment facilities in line with the permitting process for other fuel cycle facilities. It is a critical step to assure efficiency of licensing as we work to build out critical fuel supply infrastructure. Finally, the NRC Staff Pay Alignment Act would update the Atomic Energy Act to align the pay authority applicable to certain career SES employees with the pay authorities Congress provided in the ADVANCE Act...."
Testimony CASTOR, KATHY
Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 9, 2026
"resulting in a federal enterprise that is less trustworthy and less capable of fulfilling the Congress' vision when we passed the Bipartisan Advance Act in 2024. The President illegally fired NRC Chairman Chris Hansen last June. Other NRC Commissioners have appeared before our committee and warned that they could be fired at any time by the President if they refuse to rubber-stamp a nuclear reactor. Republicans have been silent as DOGE-affiliated interlopers with experience in nuclear safety..."
Testimony CASTOR, KATHY
Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 9, 2026
"the lowest since the 1980s. Notwithstanding all that, some of the bills before this committee today can move us in the right direction. I appreciate the Chairman including my bill, the Department of Energy Nuclear Transparency Act. Over the past year, the Department has new authorization processes for research demonstration reactors separate from the typical NRC licensing processes. The NRC has proposed giving DOE-approved reactors an However, Secretary Wright has provided little information on..."
Testimony GUTHRIE, BRETT
Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 9, 2026
"Those reforms aim to improve nuclear permitting so the public can safely enjoy the benefits of nuclear faster and sooner. The goal is to make sure NRC licensing is efficient, predictable, and timely, and that its overall culture is aligned to maximize the benefits of nuclear for society, for our energy, our security, and our health. By all accounts, we are on the right track. The NRC is updating its regulations and environmental reviews to cut months and even years off its licensing processes...."
Testimony PALLONE, FRANK
Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 9, 2026
"And Ranking Member Castrosville would create critical transparency safeguards to ensure that safety analysis, final approvals, and the rules of the road for these reactors are made public. The NRC has been a model for transparency since Chairman Nee took the reins, but we must ensure that DOE follows in the NRC's footsteps, and that is a common-sense idea that I would hope we could all agree on. Earlier this year, I said that it would be difficult for us to move forward on nuclear legislation..."
Testimony PALLONE, FRANK
Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 9, 2026
"NRC's licensing process works smoothly for all kinds of advanced nuclear technologies, I do have concerns with one draft bill in particular that I hope our Republicans will work with us on. That's the Nuclear Advisory Committee Reform Act. It sharply limits the role of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeties, or ACRs, which provides a valuable independent technical perspective to the NRC and NRC licenses throughout the licensing process. I am open to ways to make the work of the ACRs more..."
Testimony CASTOR, KATHY
Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 9, 2026
"generation of commercial reactor technology. The Nuclear Advisory Committee Reform Act that we're considering today would constrain that ACRS. It would forbid the committee from taking any action, including review of a license application, without the NRC's explicit request. It just seems like at a time where we're pressing forward on technology and innovation, we need public confidence in the NRC, which has already been shaken. So, do you think it's helpful to have less technological review by..."
Testimony WEBER, RANDY K. SR.
Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 9, 2026
"Okay. Mr. Merrifield, I'm coming back to you. Your testimony highlights the needs to address the technical expertise. Do you believe the NRC Staff Pay Alignment Act will meaningfully improve the NRC's ability to retain top technical talent, kind of like Dr. Huff here? Boy, that's easy. Yeah. So, let's see. What can I do with 16 seconds left, Mr."
Testimony THE HONORABLE KATHRYN HUFF
Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 9, 2026
"Thank you, Congressman. I believe that continued attention on the communities that might host such facilities is pivotal. The consent-based siting program, now called the collaborative-based siting program in this administration, is critical to that and includes providing resources and engagement to the physical locations and the people around them so that they can be prepared to assess whether and if and when they want to host such facilities. Yeah, absolutely. The NRC staff review the..."
Testimony THE HONORABLE JEFFREY MERRIFIELD
Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 9, 2026
"Let me give you two examples, real-world examples. One, frequently the NRC staff would have a particular piece of information they wanted to get an answer. An applicant would provide that information, and the NRC would say, well, that's not what we wanted. Go back and give us something else. It was very much bring me a"
Testimony MS. MARIA KORSNICK
Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 9, 2026
"Is your question specifically fusion or broader? Well, if I'm just going to say broadly for the NRC, I would say the NRC has demonstrated amazing resilience and has highly dedicated"
Testimony MCCLELLAN, JENNIFER L.
Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 9, 2026
"But I do think that efforts to export those technologies to overseas nations should still be subject to licensing. So, Dr. Huff, can you speak to the importance of ensuring that bad actors do not get a hold of reprocessing technologies, especially from a nonproliferation standpoint? And in the remaining time, Dr. Huff, I want to explore a little more about the impact the administration's actions are having on the entire NRC workforce pipeline, including grant opportunities for students,..."
Testimony THE HONORABLE JEFFREY MERRIFIELD
Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 9, 2026
"$300, $325 in that range Well, and when you have a dozen NRC staff are Well, and when you have a dozen NRC staffers sitting around a table, it adds up quick. And by the way, the NRC, I was a"
Testimony LATTA, ROBERT E.
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"enrichment facilities in line with other fuel cycle facilities. It is a critical step to ensure efficient licensing, saving time and money without undermining safety as we work to build our critical fuel cycle infrastructure. Also included in today's markup is the bipartisan H.R. 5549, the Efficient Nuclear Licensing Hearings Act, sponsored by our colleagues for Virginia's 9th, Washington's 8th, and Texas' 33rd congressional districts. This legislation would save time and resources by..."
Testimony PALLONE, FRANK
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"This poses a serious risk, and it could imperil the nuclear industry in our country. At all three of our nuclear energy hearings this Congress, this subcommittee has heard testimony about how vital it is that the NRC remain independent. We heard testimony from the Secretary of Energy and the Chairman of the NRC itself that the NRC's independence is paramount. We heard testimony from the Secretary of Energy and the Chairman of the NRC itself that the NRC's independence is"
Testimony BALDERSON, TROY
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"I apologize, along with Ms. Schreier and Mr. Vesey. This bill amends the Atomic Energy Act to remove the requirement for the NRC to expend resources on unnecessary hearings. Under the current law, the NRC must hold mandatory, uncontested hearings on applications to the NRC for construction permits, operating licenses, and licenses to possess or use special nuclear material. Under the current law, the NRC must hold mandatory, uncontested hearings on applications to the NRC for construction..."
Testimony SPEAKER_01
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"In fact, we have two real-life examples. During the new-scale small modular reactor review, the NRC staff accepted the company's safety analysis, the NRC did. And the ACRS, when they conducted their own independent review, they found that in"
Testimony MENENDEZ, ROBERT
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"That trust is built through institutions that are responsible for ensuring reactors meet the highest standards of safety imaginable. And we need those institutions, such as the NRC, to be fully staffed with the top experts in nuclear safety. This bill helps us do just that. But I think it's important to take a moment to address some concerning things that have happened at the NRC over the past 19 months. This bill helps us do just that. But I think it's important to take a moment to address..."
Testimony LATTA, ROBERT E.
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"All right. Also, as I said, to speak on the legislation, the level of expertise demanded by the positions at the NRC require highly qualified candidates, candidates which are also desirable for the private sector, creating retention pressures. The special workforce and pay authority this committee established for the NRC in the ADVANCE Act sought to help attract and preserve exceptional employees at the NRC. The special workforce and pay authority this committee established for the NRC in the..."
Testimony LATTA, ROBERT E.
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"Those provisions left out career, senior, executive service employees, SES, who typically are managers. This created potential issues of pay alignments for exceptional managers that may undermine effective management and retention. It is important for a quality person at the NRC to ensure efficient licensing and oversight, especially during this time of industrial growth, and that requires good management. H.R. 9614 authorizes the chairman of the NRC to modestly increase the compensation rate..."
Testimony CASTOR, KATHY
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"And as I've pointed out many times across the past year, this is separate from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's approval process for a new reactor, new reactor designs for commercial use. The DOE's authority does not in any way whatsoever replace the NRC's approval process. Yet over the past year, DOE has developed new authorization processes for research and processes for research and demonstration reactors outside of the typical NRC licensing process. And Secretary Wright has provided very..."
Testimony PALLONE, FRANK
The Fiscal Year 2027 Department of Energy Budget.
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Apr 16, 2026
"But moving to nuclear energy, DOE has threatened the independence of our country's nuclear safety regulator, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, according to press reports, which I'll ask unanimous consent to insert into the record, Mr. Chairman, if I can. At a meeting at Idaho National Lab last year, a DOE staffer named Seth Cohen said, and I quote, the NRC is going to do whatever we tell the NRC to do. And you later promoted Mr. Cohen to be chief counsel for nuclear policy, and he spent much..."
Testimony CHRIS WRIGHT
The Fiscal Year 2027 Department of Energy Budget.
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Apr 16, 2026
"some other ideas. Yeah, I think that reactor at Abilene Christian is a perfect example about why we are going to have a nuclear renaissance this time. A, I would say at the federal government, we have commitment that we're going to do it. We're going to be more sensible on regulation. NRC is critical in that. We have great leadership at the NRC. I think they're doing great things. We are changing permit approvals in the DOE. We have used money appropriated by Congress, thank you all, everyone..."
Testimony CHRIS WRIGHT
The Fiscal Year 2027 Department of Energy Budget.
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Apr 16, 2026
"advanced reactor test program, these small reactors we're going to have critical this year. We have a number of NRC employees detailed over to DOE working side by side with us. We have authorizations for safe operation of these plants, but not for long-term commercial operation to sell electricity. That's the business of the NRC, but we're working together to get test reactors going. DOE and them can see them. We're working to get enrichment stood up in this"
CRS Report
Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations: Funding History and Agency Descriptions
Report · Jul 27, 2026
The Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies appropriations (E&W) bill, typically enacted on an annual basis, funds civil works activities of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in the...
CRS Report
Nuclear Energy and Climate Change Mitigation
Reports · Jul 1, 2025
Congress has long been interested in nuclear energy policy in the context of climate change mitigation. A scientific consensus holds that human-caused greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions raise global...
CRS Report
Nuclear Energy: Overview of Congressional Issues
Report · Aug 5, 2026
Policy debate over the role of nuclear power in the nation’s energy mix is rooted in the technology’s fundamental characteristics. Nuclear reactors can produce potentially vast amounts of useful...
Hearing Unleashing the Golden Age of Science: Examining the Priorities of the FY2027 Research and Technology Enterprise
house Science, Space, and Technology Committee · Jul 22, 2026 · Transcript · 2 transcript matches
SPEAKER_15 "Prior to President Trump's actions, we weren't testing new reactors, we were shutting down perfectly good reactors, and we were totally dependent on other countries for fuel. If you guys remember, the average NRC review time, I think, for licensing took more than 20,000 hours. And I think we've done a tremendous job in lowering that and in finding an opportunity to dramatically accelerate kind of advanced"
Hearing H.R. 8476, "No Antisemitism in Education Act of 2026"; H.R. 4795, "Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2025"; H.R. 9203, "Student...
house Education and Workforce Committee · Jun 25, 2026 · Transcript
FOXX, VIRGINIA "the largest academic group in the United States, adopted a policy endorsing an academic boycott of Israel. In 2014, six taxpayer-supported NRC directors signed a letter endorsing an academic boycott of Israel. These academic boycotts contravene the purposes of the Title VI funding they"
Testimony LATTA, ROBERT E.
Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 9, 2026
"nation. Our bipartisan work over the last two years led to the ADVANCE Act. This law directed the NRC to align its mission for enabling benefits of nuclear technology and to focus on energy-reducing costs and increasing predictability in the permitting process. Our work also laid the foundation for a revitalized domestic nuclear fuel sector. The Nuclear Fuel Security Act, which many of us on this dais helped develop and"
Testimony LATTA, ROBERT E.
Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 9, 2026
"The bills under consideration this morning provide additional practical reforms so the permitting process can be more efficient while safety is protected and transparency for the public is assured. We will consider the bipartisan H.R. 5549, the Efficient Nuclear Licensing Hearing Act, sponsored by my colleagues from Virginia's 9th, Washington's 8th, and Texas' 33rd congressional districts. This would save time and resources by eliminating the outdated requirement that NRC hold a final public..."
Testimony LATTA, ROBERT E.
Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 9, 2026
"would clarify certain recycling facilities may be licensed under the same regulatory framework as other fuel cycle facilities. Recently, several of us visited a fuel recycling facility in northern France to have a better sense of the potential for this technology in the United States. This legislation will result in efficient permitting changes to extract additional energy out of used fuel. H.R. 9084, the Department of Energy and Nuclear Transparency Act, introduced last week by the ranking..."
Testimony CASTOR, KATHY
Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 9, 2026
"This is something that we can all agree on. I have concerns with some of the bills that could limit important safeguards, as well as any attempts by the administration to turn the NRC into a rubber stamp. I hope that our colleagues will work with us to address these"
Testimony PALLONE, FRANK
Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 9, 2026
"In response, DOE created the so-called Reactor Pilot Program, which it began marketing as a first pass, if you will, or a fast pass to any NRC license. And let me be clear, DOE has no authority to issue a fast pass to an NRC license, but that's not stopping them from trying to. And let me be clear, DOE has no authority to issue a fast pass to an NRC license, but that's not stopping them from trying"
Testimony LATTA, ROBERT E.
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"sector for our national security. We must increase nuclear commerce with our allies and provide a more cost-effective industrial base. This subcommittee has already taken significant action to optimize the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's regulatory system and related policies to advance nuclear deployment and the associated economic and security benefits for the nation. Our bipartisan work two years ago led to the ADVANCE Act. This law directed the NRC to align its mission for enabling benefits..."
Testimony CASTOR, KATHY
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"storage and more transmission. Just last week, the Department of Energy put out their annual transmission needs study, which emphasized the need for interregional transmission to support reliability, grid resilience and demand growth. We need strong and trustworthy regulators as well We need strong and trustworthy regulators as well to help us safely advance the next generation of nuclear energy. But the NRC is under stress itself. The NRC commissioners have warned they could be fired for..."
Testimony GUTHRIE, BRETT
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"maintaining safety. The central goal then and today is to make sure the NRC licensing is efficient, predictable, and"
Testimony PALLONE, FRANK
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"In an era of increasing power demand, new nuclear facilities can provide clean energy to the power grid around the clock. Unfortunately, when President Trump took office, he immediately launched an attack against the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, our nation's nuclear safety regulator, by inappropriately letting unaccountable DOJ workers from the Department of Energy to get involved in NRC business. The attack continued a few weeks ago with a Supreme Court decision granting the President..."
Testimony PALLONE, FRANK
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"I've made clear that my support for nuclear legislation is contingent upon transparency and confidence in our nuclear safety regulators. For the moment, I am satisfied that the inclusion of Ranking Member Castor's bill, the Department of Energy Nuclear Transparency Act, combined with continued efforts from NRC Chairman Nee to improve transparency, are sufficient to help us move forward today. But I must emphasize that these commitments to transparency must be an ongoing process. Even though the..."
Testimony PALLONE, FRANK
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"Turning to the specifics of the bills today, most are bipartisan efforts to increase nuclear transparency and improve the licensing process, and I look forward to supporting them. But I do have concerns with H.R. 9613, which, as currently drafted, would double down on the Trump administration's attacks on the NRC's Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards. I do think there are ways to tweak the bill to address my concerns, and I appreciate the Republican majority's willingness to engage us on..."
Testimony FRY, RUSSELL
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"the American Enrichment Deployment Act, which I introduced along with Ms. Schrier and Mrs. Houchen. This bill would amend the Atomic Energy Act to remove unnecessary provisions for licensing enrichment facilities so that the licensing aligns with the more efficient framework for other nuclear fuel cycle facilities, namely for uranium conversion and fuel fabrication. All these fuel cycle facilities are more akin to industrial chemical facilities than to nuclear reactors and therefore are are..."
Testimony FRY, RUSSELL
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"There would be no impact on safety assessments, no impact on environmental assessments required under NEPA, nor on any of the requirements for safeguards and security to meet the relevant provisions of the Atomic Energy Act. NRC retains all of its authorities to regulate construction, conduct inspections, and deny applications that do not meet its requirements, and the amendment would not deprive any person whose interests are affected by the licensing the right to request a hearing. If we are..."
Testimony SCHRIER, KIM
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"That is why I've joined Congressman Frey to introduce the American Enrichment Deployment Act that aims to streamline the licensing process for enrichment facilities while preserving NRC's safety mission. And a big piece of that is giving applicants of uranium enrichment facilities the same option to start at-risk construction that applicants of other fuel cycle"
Testimony HARSHBARGER, DIANA
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"I'd like to speak on the bill 9613, the Nuclear Advisory Committee Reform Act. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards is an important independent advisor to the NRC for reactor licensing, and the committee has a long history of assisting Nuclear Regulatory Commission decisions on unique and important safety and technical issues. Issues that arrive particularly with new designs and technologies, and Congress established the committee in law in the 1950s to assist..."
Testimony HARSHBARGER, DIANA
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"Issues that arrive particularly with new designs and technologies, and Congress established the committee in law in the 1950s to assist the commission on the various safety significant issues confronting the commission when it was licensing the first generation of nuclear reactors. Those reactors and technologies are now well characterized and well understood, and as we've heard in testimony during the legislative hearing, the NRC technical staff is well equipped to deal with licensing issues,..."
Testimony HARSHBARGER, DIANA
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"It would amend the Atomic Energy Act to direct that ACRS focus on issues that are directly related to reactor design, safety significant and novel, and have not been previously acted upon by the committee. The bill would update term requirements and require diverse background and expertise relevant to the NRC's mission, and the bill would update when the commission may direct ACRS to take action. I understand the other side of the aisle has some questions relating to NRC's role in ACRS reviews,..."
Testimony CASTOR, KATHY
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"the Atomic Energy Commission, valuable technical expertise and advice on proposed rules and nuclear reactors. Especially as the NRC's commissioners themselves have become less technical and more policy-focused, and the number and diversity of proposed nuclear reactors soars, it is vital that we do not limit the NRC's ability to receive impartial technical advice. and the number and diversity of proposed nuclear reactors soars, it is vital that we do not limit the NRC's ability to receive..."
Testimony CASTOR, KATHY
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"I absolutely think we should codify that focus, and I want to compliment Representative Harshberger and her team for including that in the bill. However, the bill would also restrict the ACRS to examining issues only when it is explicitly asked by the NRC, and I think that's a mistake. While the ACRS does not need to examine every issue that comes before the commission, especially proposals for reactors that are not unique, novel, or noteworthy, it does need to be able to speak up when it..."
Testimony CASTOR, KATHY
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"While we want them to be efficient in their work, I cannot support any proposal that would silence them, especially in the wake of last month's Supreme Court ruling ending the political independence of commissions like the NRC. I appreciate the chairmen and the professional staff you've indicated you are willing to work with us on these issues as we advance this bill to the full committee. If we can find a path forward, then I think this bill can be a complement to the other bipartisan..."
Testimony SPEAKER_01
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"as the only independent technical check between a reactor application and an approval. And under this bill, this independent check only happens when it is being requested by the NRC. Right now, the United States is preparing to license a new generation of advanced reactors that have never been built"
Testimony SPEAKER_01
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"They identified this issue, and new scale was then required to submit design modifications in response. Under this bill and in this kind of circumstance, if ACRS were not specifically asked after NRC had accepted, we could have had an oversight on this detail. And just last year, during the review of the Kairos Powers Hermes II, a first-of-a-kind reactor that had never been built or operated anywhere, the ACRS also identified that the that the chemical process used to prevent the salt from..."
Testimony SPEAKER_01
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"And just last year, during the review of the Kairos Powers Hermes II, a first-of-a-kind reactor that had never been built or operated anywhere, the ACRS also identified that the that the chemical process used to prevent the salt from corroding the reactor's internal components could itself cause a different form of degradation that had not yet been fully understood. These are not isolated incidents, and they highlight the importance of the ACRS's work. And I don't think that we should be..."
Testimony MENENDEZ, ROBERT
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"Thank you, Chairman. I'm grateful that the committee is marking up my bill, H.R. 9614, the NRC Staff Pay Alignment Act. This bill would increase the pay of senior executive service, or SES, positions at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to help the commission recruit and retain key staff. This effort builds on the Advance Act, which increased pay for NRC staffers who are not part of the SES. Hiring and retaining safety experts at the NRC is essential to keeping our community safe, especially as..."
Testimony MCCLELLAN, JENNIFER L.
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"I'm speaking to the bill. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I support this important legislation from Representative Menendez to bring pay for NRC employees in line with their private sector counterparts. To that extent, I also implore my colleagues to push back on the harmful actions taken by the Trump administration to push out talented and knowledgeable NRC employees and undermine the Commission's independence. This is particularly important in light of the Supreme Court's ruling in Trump v...."
Testimony SPEAKER_15
Unleashing the Golden Age of Science: Examining the Priorities of the ...
house Science, Space, and Technology Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"Prior to President Trump's actions, we weren't testing new reactors, we were shutting down perfectly good reactors, and we were totally dependent on other countries for fuel. If you guys remember, the average NRC review time, I think, for licensing took more than 20,000 hours. And I think we've done a tremendous job in lowering that and in finding an opportunity to dramatically accelerate kind of advanced"
Testimony SPEAKER_15
Unleashing the Golden Age of Science: Examining the Priorities of the ...
house Science, Space, and Technology Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"priorities or policy actions are multi-agency by definition. If you want to create a new American civil nuclear renaissance, it's just not one agency that needs to work on it. You have to get NRC doing the right thing. You have to get the Department of Energy doing the right thing. You have to get EPA aligned with their permits and whatnot. I think what these executive boards are able to do is to essentially corral multiple agencies to work together to drive an important national mission, and I..."
Testimony FOXX, VIRGINIA
H.R. 8476, "No Antisemitism in Education Act of 2026"; H.R. 4795, "Pro...
house Education and Workforce Committee · Jun 25, 2026
"the largest academic group in the United States, adopted a policy endorsing an academic boycott of Israel. In 2014, six taxpayer-supported NRC directors signed a letter endorsing an academic boycott of Israel. These academic boycotts contravene the purposes of the Title VI funding they"
Testimony SPEAKER_10
Trash to Treasure: Examining Legislation to Support Domestic Critical ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"In EPA's own study on the Navajo Nation, it cut contamination by more than 90%, eliminated leachability, and shrank the waste needing disposal by up to 83%, at 60 to 70% less cost than hauling and disposing the material. EPA and Idaho National Laboratory validated the technology, and the NRC licensed it just last year after a four-year-long process and a finding of no significant environmental impact. Our crews are trained radiation workers held to the same rigor used at Superfund"
Testimony SPEAKER_10
Trash to Treasure: Examining Legislation to Support Domestic Critical ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"Yes, thank you for the question, Representative. And it was quite the journey with the NRC because we were being regulated under the 1954 Atomic Energy Act and they didn't foresee a technology coming like ours. And so that took a lot of"
Testimony SPEAKER_10
Trash to Treasure: Examining Legislation to Support Domestic Critical ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"And so the regulatory framework hasn't caught up with innovations like ours. And so, for example, we've submitted license applications to remediate a site in Western Colorado. While we had to go do our pre-mobilization notification with the NRC, which is a 90-day process, then we have to do a plan of operations with the"
Testimony SPEAKER_10
Trash to Treasure: Examining Legislation to Support Domestic Critical ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"in Colorado for a mine reclamation permit. And so there's a lot of redundancy. And in our NRC, the environmental assessment that was conducted, there was a finding of no significant impact. In fact, the NRC said, but we're still having to... And the staff had been amazing to work with in these different agencies, but the framework doesn't allow that. But even after getting our NRC"
Testimony SPEAKER_10
Trash to Treasure: Examining Legislation to Support Domestic Critical ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"There's a significant amount of sampling and containment that go into this, and we use the most rigorous standards, both at our NRC-licensed sites as well as our Superfund sites, to ensure that we are meeting those safety standards as well as those cleanup standards in those"
Testimony BAIRD, JAMES R.
An Overview of the Department of Energy’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Requ...
house Science, Space, and Technology Committee · Jun 10, 2026
"Commercialization Act, which would establish a federal working group focused on commercialization and industrialization of SMRs. So would you feel that a coordinated effort among DOE, NRC, the industry, and other stakeholders would help accelerate deployment and strengthen America's position against our competitors like China and Russia? I really appreciate your comments in that area because I think it's extremely"
Testimony SPEAKER_20
An Overview of the Department of Energy’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Requ...
house Science, Space, and Technology Committee · Jun 10, 2026
"Absolutely, absolutely. One of the key things of the Trump administration is all the departments work together. We don't have petty territorial politics or fighting among it. The NRC has performed tremendously under Chairman Honey. They are focused on safety, but they're innovating, they're moving fast, and yes, between the Department of Energy, our technical capabilities and commercial focus, NRC safety"