Watchdog Calls for Nuclear Reform Ahead of House Hearing

FOF IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kara Zupkus (224) 456-0257

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a markup of 10 bills, including legislation reforming federal restrictions on nuclear power. As Energy Subcommittee Chairman Bob Latta (R-Oh.) noted in July, regulatory reform, “will help maintain momentum for U.S. nuclear deployment. A robust and growing American nuclear industry is vital to meet our nation’s rapidly increasing energy demand.” 

Ross Marchand, Executive Director of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA), offered the following statement:

“These pivotal pieces of legislation will help free nuclear power from reams of red tape and result in lower costs for consumers. For example, H.R. 3978, the Nuclear REFUEL Act—sponsored by Reps. Latta and Scott Peters (D-Calif.)—would license spent-fuel reprocessing and recycling facilities under the same simplified one-step framework as other fuel-cycle facilities. These facilities’ current classification as ‘production facilities’ subjects them to a needlessly long two-step review. Taxpayers and consumers will benefit from a streamlined process that balances safety and efficiency.

“In addition, 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.)—would eliminate the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s uncontested hearing requirement. This would save critical time and resources for genuinely contested matters and ensure faster and more efficient nuclear deployment. The agency already allows more than 20 opportunities for public input in reactor licensing. Requiring more hearings no one asked for makes everyone worse off.

“TPA urges the Committee to embrace nuclear reform as part of an all-of-the-above energy agenda. Families and businesses deserve access to affordable and reliable energy.”

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The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to educating the public through the research, analysis, and dissemination of information on the government’s impact on the economy.