Four U.S. Senators, John Barrasso (R-WY), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Mike Crapo (R-ID), and Cory Booker (D- NJ) introduced bipartisan legislation to revitalize the United States’ nuclear infrastructure. S. 4897, the American Nuclear Infrastructure Act of 2020, will enable U.S. international leadership, preserve America’s nuclear fuel supply chain, reduce carbon emissions, and strengthen our economic, energy, and national security.
The American Nuclear Infrastructure Act of 2020 (ANIA) will:
- Reestablish American International Competitiveness and Global Leadership;
- ANIA empowers the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to lead in international forums to develop regulations for advanced nuclear reactor designs.
- ANIA provides the NRC authority to deny imports of Russian and Chinese nuclear fuel on national security grounds.
- Expand Nuclear Energy Through Advanced Nuclear Technologies;
- ANIA makes the permitting process for advanced nuclear more predictable and efficient.
- ANIA creates a prize to incentivize the successful deployment of next-generation nuclear reactor technologies.
- ANIA requires the NRC to identify and update regulatory barriers to enable advanced nuclear technologies to reduce industrial emissions.
- Preserve Existing Nuclear Energy.
- ANIA authorizes a targeted credit program to preserve nuclear reactors that could prematurely shut down.
- ANIA modernizes outdated rules that restrict investment in nuclear energy.
- Revitalize America’s Nuclear Supply Chain Infrastructure; and
- ANIA helps develop the advanced nuclear fuels needed to power 21st-century nuclear reactor designs.
- ANIA authorizes a uranium reserve to ensure America does not lose the capacity to fuel its nuclear reactors with American fuel.
- ANIA identifies modern manufacturing techniques to build nuclear reactors better, faster, cheaper, and smarter.
- Authorize funds for Environmental Cleanup Programs.
- ANIA authorizes funding to assist in cleaning up legacy abandoned mining sites on Tribal land.
