WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, released the following statement after the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) directed the NRC staff to publish the proposed rule and draft guidance to establish the draft licensing framework for advanced nuclear reactors, known as the Part 53 rulemaking.

 

“I applaud the NRC Commissioners for addressing major shortcomings in the draft proposed rule. Establishing a usable regulatory framework is vital to enable the licensing and deployment of advanced nuclear reactors, and the Commission’s direction to fix the flawed Part 53 rulemaking is a step toward finalizing the rules to increase clean, reliable nuclear energy. I will continue working to enact policies to help expand our nation’s use of these advanced nuclear technologies, including by getting the ADVANCE Act signed into law.”

 

BACKGROUND:

In 2018, Congress passed the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act (NEIMA) with overwhelmingly bipartisan support. NEIMA directed the NRC to “complete a rulemaking to establish a technology-inclusive, regulatory framework for optional use by commercial advanced nuclear reactor applicants for new reactor license applications” to help enable efficient licensing of advanced nuclear reactor technologies.

 

In March 2023, NRC staff sent the Commission the draft proposed rule titled “Risk-Informed, Technology-Inclusive Regulatory Framework for Advanced Reactors,” also known as the Part 53 Rulemaking.

 

In July 2023, Senator Capito led a bipartisan, bicameral letter with 20 senators and 44 House members urging the NRC to establish an effective and useable Part 53 framework.

 

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