Status of Nuclear Legislation in Congress

115th Congress

S. 97, the Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act (NEICA)

• Summary: This bill supports federal R&D for advanced reactors and enables private companies to construct and operate privately-funded reactor prototypes at DOE sites, among other provisions. This bill is the Senate companion to H.R. 431.
• Status: Passed the Energy and Natural Resources Committee by voice vote on March 30, 2017
• Sponsors: Crapo, Whitehouse, Risch, Booker, Hatch, Durbin, Murkowski

H.R. 431, the Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act (NEICA)

• Summary: This bill supports federal R&D for advanced reactors and enables private companies to construct and operate privately-funded reactor prototypes at DOE sites. This bill is the House companion to S. 97.
• Status: Passed the full House on January 24, 2017 (as a part of H.R. 589)
• Sponsors: Weber, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Lamar Smith, Lipinski, Knight, Lucas, Culberson, Tonko, Bridenstine, Perlmutter, Schweikert, Garamendi, Scott Peters, Hultgren, Rohrabacher

H.R. 590, the Advanced Nuclear Technology Development Act

• Summary: This bill would require the NRC to submit to Congress a plan for licensing advanced nuclear reactors, among other provisions. More information here.
• Status: Passed the full House on January 23, 2017
• Sponsors: Latta, McNerney, Tonko, Doyle, Hudson, Fleischmann

S. 512, the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act (NEIMA)

• Summary: This bill would reform the fee structure for the existing fleet and require the NRC to develop a dedicated licensing pathway for advanced reactors. More information here.
• Status: Passed the Environment and Public Works Committee 18 to 3 on March 22, 2017
• Sponsors: Whitehouse, Barrasso, Inhofe, Crapo, Booker, Capito, Fischer, Murkowski, Manchin, Casey, Duckworth, Carper, Rounds, Coons

H.R. 1551, To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the credit for production from advanced nuclear power facilities

• Summary: This bill removes the current end-of-2020 deadline on the existing advanced nuclear PTC.  
• Status: Passed the full House on June 20, 2017
• Sponsors: Rice, Blumenauer, Simpson, Marchant, Renacci, Duncan, Scott, Sinema, Veasey, Allen, Henry Johnson, Wilson, Mike Rogers, Byrne, Bishop, Napolitano, Clyburn, Hice, Sewell, Paulson, Sanford, Gowdy, Ferguson, Schweikert

S. 666, To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the credit for production from advanced nuclear power facilities

• Summary: This bill removes the current end-of-2020 deadline on the existing advanced nuclear PTC.  
• Status: Introduced March 15, 2017
• Sponsors: Scott, Graham, Isakson

S. 1457, The Advanced Nuclear Energy Technologies Act

• Summary: This bill would require the Department of Energy to set specific goals for their advanced reactor work, to be met in part through building at least four private-public cost-shared advanced reactor demonstration projects by 2028.
• Status: Introduced June 28, 2017
• Sponsors: Flake, Booker, Risch, Crapo

114th Congress

S. 2795, the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act (NEIMA)

• Summary: This bill would reform the fee structure for the existing fleet and require the NRC to develop a dedicated licensing pathway for advanced reactors. More information here.
• Status: Passed the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee by a vote of 17 to 3
• Sponsors: Whitehouse, Inhofe, Crapo, Booker, Capito, Warner, Fischer, Peters, Murkowski, Manchin, Casey, Risch

S. 2461, the Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act (NEICA)

• Summary: This bill supports federal R&D for advanced reactors and enables private companies to construct and operate privately-funded reactor prototypes at DOE sites, among other provisions. This bill is the Senate companion to H.R. 4084.
• Status: Added as an amendment to the Energy Policy Modernization Act (the Energy Bill) by a vote of 87 to 4; the Energy Policy Modernization Act passed the Senate and is in conference
• Sponsors: Crapo, Whitehouse, Risch, Booker, Hatch, Kirk

H.R. 4979, the Advanced Nuclear Technology Development Act

• Summary: This bill would require the NRC to submit to Congress a plan for licensing advanced nuclear reactors, among other provisions. More information here.
• Status: Passed the full House on September 12
• Sponsors: Latta, McNerney, Long, Green, Olson, Flores, Mullin, Pompeo, Moulton, Collins, Harper, Bill Johnson, Tonko, Hudson, Doyle, Guinta, McKinley, Kinzinger, Fleischmann

H.R. 4084, the Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act (NEICA)

• Summary: This bill supports federal R&D for advanced reactors and enables private companies to construct and operate privately-funded reactor prototypes at DOE sites. This bill is the House companion to S. 2461. Full summary here.
• Status: Passed the House by voice vote
• Sponsors: Weber, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Lamar Smith, Lipinkso, Loudermilk, Perlmutter, Comstock, Tonko, Bridenstine, Rohrabacjer, Hultgren, Westerman, Schweikert, Babin, Culberson, Brady, Sessions, John Carter, Conaway, Marchant, Farenthold, Knight, Adams, Posey, Lucas, Neugebauer, Garamendi, Peters, Garrett

H.R. 5879, To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the credit for production from advanced nuclear power facilities

• Summary: This bill removes the current end-of-2020 deadline on the existing advanced nuclear PTC.  
• Status: Passed out of Ways and Means by a vote of 23 to 9
• Sponsors: Rice, Blumenauer, Simpson, Price, Marchant, Renacci