The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass a key piece of legislation aimed at bolstering the country’s nuclear energy sector.
The bill passed by a vote of 88-2 with Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) opposing the measure. The nuclear package was combined with another bill that reauthorized the U.S. Fire Administration and grant programs for firefighters. This combined package will also go to the president’s desk.
The measure aims to accelerate the process of approving the construction of new nuclear plants as many of the country’s existing plants reach the end of their serviceable lives. Additionally, it reduces the licensing fees that power companies must pay to initiate projects. It also mandates the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to prepare a report examining ways to simplify and expedite the environmental review process.
“It will be history-making in terms of small modular reactors, which is the future of nuclear,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) told reporters.
Supporters of the measure say it’s a tremendous boost for the nation’s nuclear power sector.
“It’s a facilitator of the process by which industry has to get approvals for building these projects,” Lesley Jantarasami, managing director of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s energy program, told The Hill.
The vast majority of House members also advanced the bipartisan nuclear-fire bill, in a 393-13-1 vote, with Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a far-left Michigan Democrat, voting “present” to show support for the fire provision but opposition to the nuclear portion.
The Trump administration has placed an extreme focus on “unleashing American energy.”
President Trump issued four executive orders directing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to reduce rules and expedite new licenses for nuclear power facilities, acting on applications within 18 months.
The United States was formerly the world leader in nuclear design and construction, but delays and exorbitant prices have given that position to China, which is building a record number of reactors.
The directives aim to expedite federal permitting for new nuclear projects and technology, as well as implement cost-cutting strategies to reduce the NRC’s footprint.
The sector will benefit from federal subsidies, since the House of Representatives’ draft budget legislation retains tax incentives for new and existing nuclear facilities, but requires them to begin construction before January 1, 2029.
The plan is to triple domestic nuclear power generation over the next 25 years, boosting capacity from around 100 gigawatts to 400 gigawatts by 2050.
The U.S. Senate has been busy this week.
In a roll call vote on Thursday, the Senate approved 48 of President Trump’s nominees. This happened after Republicans used the “nuclear option” to change the rules of the body with just a simple majority.
Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host who was engaged to First Son Donald Trump Jr., who is now U.S. ambassador to Greece, was one of the people approved on Thursday.
Callista Gingrich, who is married to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, will now be ambassador to both Switzerland and Liechtenstein. This is because all 51 votes for the sub-Cabinet and ambassadorial posts were cast along party lines.
Following months of Democratic delays, the vote was the first of many confirmations made possible by the “nuclear” move.
Republicans now want to quickly move through a backlog of nearly 100 civilian candidates.
“Why has not a single nominee been confirmed by voice vote or by unanimous consent? We know why,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said on the Senate floor. “It’s Democrat obstruction.
“The country has never seen anything like this,” Barrasso continued on the Senate floor. “Senate Democrats are freezing the Senate floor, freezing the federal government, and freezing our nation’s progress. This harms America’s safety. It hamstrings the agenda that Americans voted for.”
