I wonder if plans to modernize Nuclear also includes going from 2nd generation enrichment to 3rd Generation Laser enrichment.
https://www.nei.org/news/2019/president-signs-bill-to-modernize-nuclear
President Signs Bipartisan Bill to Modernize Nuclear Regulation
NEWS
THADDEUS SWANEK
January 16, 2019
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- Bill to make NRC’s fee collection more transparent and predictable
- Caps NRC fees for existing reactors
- Directs NRC to establish advanced reactor licensing framework by 2027
President Donald Trump signed the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act (NEIMA) (
S. 512) Monday, whose purpose is to modernize the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s functions by establishing a new budget and fee structure and developing a revised licensing framework for advanced nuclear reactors.
“NEIMA is a significant, positive step toward reform of the NRC’s fee collection process. This legislation establishes a more equitable and transparent funding structure which will benefit all operating reactors and future licensees,” NEI President and CEO Maria Korsnick
said. “The bill also reaffirms Congress’s support for nuclear innovation by working to establish an efficient and stable regulatory structure that is prepared to license the advanced reactors of the future.”
Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) introduced the bill in 2017 and it was originally co-sponsored by Sens. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Michael Crapo (R-Idaho), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).
The bill imposes a cap on the NRC’s annual fees for existing reactors—with adjustments for inflation—to ensure the operating fleet is not unjustly impacted as reactors go offline.
The legislation also directs the NRC to develop a licensing process for advanced nuclear reactors within two years and to complete a “technology-inclusive licensing framework” for optional use by advanced reactor designers by 2027. This move is vital since
dozens of companies and research institutions are developing
advanced reactor designs, including molten salt reactors, liquid-metal-cooled reactors and high-temperature gas reactors.
The new legislation also:
- Alters the NRC’s current fee structure, replacing it with a system under which licensees are responsible for paying for activities directly attributable to the industry. This will ensure fee collection is more equitable, transparent and predictable
- Directs the NRC to establish performance metrics and report to Congress to improve transparency into the timeliness of its decision-making
- Directs the NRC to examine ways to improve the efficiency of uranium recovery licensing and requires the development of a pilot initiative to determine the feasibility of establishing a flat fee structure for routine licensing matters related to uranium recovery.
NEIMA is one of several bipartisan bills that support advanced nuclear innovation to be considered by the 115th Congress, including the
Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act (NEICA), the
Nuclear Energy Leadership Act (NELA), the
Nuclear Utilization of Keynote Energy (NUKE) Act, the
Advanced Nuclear Fuel Availability Act and
legislation to expedite part 810 approvals at the U.S. Department of Energy.
NEIMA was transmitted by Congress to the president on the final day of the 115
th Congress (Jan. 2) and the president signed the legislation within ten days of having received it so the bill has now become law.
(20min delay)
