Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act
AN ACT
To modernize the regulation of nuclear energy.
Sec. 2 Purpose
The purpose of this Act is to provide—
a program to develop the expertise and regulatory processes necessary to allow innovation and the commercialization of advanced nuclear reactors;
a revised fee recovery structure to ensure the availability of resources to meet industry needs without burdening existing licensees unfairly for inaccurate workload projections or premature existing reactor closures; and
more efficient regulation of uranium recovery.
Sec. 3 Definitions
In this Act:
Advanced nuclear reactor— The term advanced nuclear reactor means a nuclear fission or fusion reactor, including a prototype plant (as defined in sections 50.2 and 52.1 of title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of enactment of this Act)), with significant improvements compared to commercial nuclear reactors under construction as of the date of enactment of this Act, including improvements such as—
additional inherent safety features;
significantly lower levelized cost of electricity;
lower waste yields;
greater fuel utilization;
enhanced reliability;
increased proliferation resistance;
increased thermal efficiency; or
ability to integrate into electric and nonelectric applications.
Advanced nuclear reactor fuel— The term advanced nuclear reactor fuel means fuel for use in an advanced nuclear reactor or a research and test reactor, including fuel with a low uranium enrichment level of not greater than 20 percent.
Agreement State— The term Agreement State means any State with which the Commission has entered into an effective agreement under section 274 b. of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2021(b)).
Appropriate congressional committees— The term appropriate congressional committees means the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives.
Commission— The term Commission means the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Conceptual design assessment— The term conceptual design assessment means an early-stage review by the Commission that—
assesses preliminary design information for consistency with applicable regulatory requirements of the Commission;
is performed on a set of topic areas agreed to in the licensing project plan; and
is performed at a cost and schedule agreed to in the licensing project plan.
Corporate support costs— The term corporate support costs means expenditures for acquisitions, administrative services, financial management, human resource management, information management, information technology, policy support, outreach, and training, as those categories are described and calculated in Appendix A of the Congressional Budget Justification for Fiscal Year 2018 of the Commission.
Licensing project plan— The term licensing project plan means a plan that describes—
the interactions between an applicant and the Commission; and
project schedules and deliverables in specific detail to support long-range resource planning undertaken by the Commission and an applicant.
Regulatory framework— The term regulatory framework means the framework for reviewing requests for certifications, permits, approvals, and licenses for nuclear reactors.
Requested activity of the Commission— The term requested activity of the Commission means—
the processing of applications for—
design certifications or approvals;
licenses;
permits;
license amendments;
license renewals;
certificates of compliance; and
power uprates; and
any other activity requested by a licensee or applicant.
Research and test reactor—
In general— The term research and test reactor means a reactor that—
falls within the licensing and related regulatory authority of the Commission under section 202 of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5842); and
is useful in the conduct of research and development activities as licensed under section 104 c. of the Atomic Energy Act (42 U.S.C. 2134(c)).
Exclusion— The term research and test reactor does not include a commercial nuclear reactor.
Secretary— The term Secretary means the Secretary of Energy.
Standard design approval— The term standard design approval means the approval of a final standard design or a major portion of a final design standard as described in subpart E of part 52 of title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of enactment of this Act).
Technology-inclusive regulatory framework— The term technology-inclusive regulatory framework means a regulatory framework developed using methods of evaluation that are flexible and practicable for application to a variety of reactor technologies, including, where appropriate, the use of risk-informed and performance-based techniques and other tools and methods.
Topical report— The term topical report means a document submitted to the Commission that addresses a technical topic related to nuclear reactor safety or design.