That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that, in order to meet the growing energy demands of the United States in a domestically favorable fashion and to promote American nuclear energy leadership while retaining the United States economic viability in the worldwide nuclear energy marketplace, it is necessary to expand the use of nuclear energy by—
embracing efforts to maintain the existing nuclear fleet and promoting efforts that seek to utilize emerging innovative nuclear energy technologies, such as advanced nuclear reactors, to promote increased energy output, improve public safety, more effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and alleviate the continuous challenge relating to storing spent nuclear fuel;
recognizing nuclear energy as one of the cleanest power sources in regard to greenhouse gas emissions, while simultaneously understanding nuclear energy’s capability of being coupled with other clean energy sources, and stressing the importance of nuclear energy being recognized on a level regulatory playing field that is similar to other clean energy generating sources;
supporting initiatives by the Department of Defense for the deployment of nuclear reactors to enhance energy resiliency and electricity assurance for critical military missions, systems, and assets in contested logistical environments where fuel supplies are targeted or denied;
addressing critical domestic gaps in the procurement of nuclear reactor construction material, and resolving current barriers and obstacles that relate to a domestic supply of nuclear fuel and other nuclear supply chain challenges;
encouraging sustainable domestic mining of uranium, in addition to increasing uranium enrichment, fabrication, and deconversion capabilities in the United States to efficiently secure America’s energy independence and power United States nuclear reactors without the need to rely on other countries;
actively increasing public awareness surrounding the safety of nuclear energy and continuously combating false information relating to nuclear power, including nuclear energy’s negative connotation in the United States which originates from the only 3 nuclear accidents in the history of the world, including the only event that took place in the United States in March of 1979 at Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station Facility, in which no deaths or medical symptoms were directly tied to the nuclear incident;
streamlining the regulatory process, providing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission the necessary resources to effectuate positive change, and reducing the regulatory barriers that currently derive from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s cautious and traditionalistic approach to the licensing and constructing of new nuclear reactors, which such regulatory approach is based on outdated technology standards dating back over 50 years when the agency was first established and solely focused on safely regulating conventional nuclear reactors, to ultimately bolster innovation and encourage the use of emerging technologies, such as advanced nuclear reactors, to secure America’s energy independence and allow for the greater exercise of free enterprise, including participation by America’s small businesses that seek to get involved in the nuclear industry, without reducing safety precautions; and
promoting the use of new advanced nuclear technologies within energy, water, medicine, manufacturing, space, digital assets, transportation, and other public policy areas.