House Energy and Commerce Committee to Mark Up Nuclear Power Reform Legislation, Including Bill by Rep. Bob Latta
The House Energy and Commerce Committee is scheduled to mark up ten bills, among which is legislation aimed at reforming federal restrictions on nuclear power. Energy Subcommittee Chairman Bob Latta (R-Oh.) has previously emphasized the importance of regulatory reform for maintaining momentum in U.S. nuclear deployment and meeting the nation's increasing energy demand. One key piece of legislation, H.R. 3978, the Nuclear REFUEL Act, co-sponsored by Reps. Latta and Scott Peters (D-Calif.), proposes to license spent-fuel reprocessing and recycling facilities under a simplified one-step framework. Currently, these facilities are classified as 'production facilities,' subjecting them to a lengthy two-step review process. Another bill, H.R. 5549, the Efficient Nuclear Licensing Hearings Act, sponsored by Reps. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), Kim Schrier (D-Wash.), and Marc Veasey (D-Tex.), seeks to eliminate the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s uncontested hearing requirement, which is seen as a needless expenditure of...