Congresswoman Schrier’s Bill to Lower Energy Costs and Emissions Signed into Law

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, President Biden signed provisions of Congresswoman Kim Schrier’s M.D. (WA-08) bipartisan bill to lower energy costs and emissions, the Advanced Nuclear Deployment Act, into law. Representative Schrier introduced this legislation alongside Congressman Richard Hudson (NC-09). The provisions were included in the ADVANCE Act, a broader bipartisan nuclear package. 

Nuclear power contributes nearly 20% of the electricity generated in the United States. In Washington State, the Columbia Generating Station contributes 1,207 megawatts of generation capacity to the grid. With a projected increased demand for permits and a lengthy nuclear licensing process, there is a significant need to streamline permitting for advanced nuclear reactors.  

“As Washingtonians, we’ve long prided ourselves on being national leaders in clean energy production. Our state has set a goal to completely eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from our energy generation portfolio by 2045, and nuclear power will play a pivotal role in making that a reality,” said Rep. Schrier. “My bill will help streamline the permitting process and work through unnecessary red tape so that we can expand our nuclear portfolio and increase our production of non-emitting domestic energy, and I’m happy to see President Biden sign it into law.” 

Congresswoman Schrier’s bill would cut through this issue by:   

• Requiring the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to create a program for expedited review of applications for reactors on the same or adjacent site to an existing or past reactor. These licenses must be issued within 25 months of application docketing.
• Requiring risk-informed and performance-based strategies and guidance to license and regulate micro-reactors, which are smaller, simpler, portable reactors that offer a variety of benefits.
• Excluding prospective nuclear projects on Department of Energy (DOE) land or critical national security infrastructure sites from NRC pre-application or early site permit review fees.