Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, we don't yet know the exact number of the amendment because we are refiling a minor correction to it. However, I wish to talk about a very critical amendment that I and a number of our colleagues on both sides of the aisle are bringing to the legislation today dealing with nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is one of the key elements of our national energy policy, and it must be one that is strengthened and improved as we move forward into the new global energy climate that we are dealing with in this country.

I wish to start out, however, by going back in time. Sixty-four years ago, in a desert plain near Arco, ID, the Idaho National Reactor Testing Station used the Experimental Breeder Reactor, known as EBR-1, to light four lightbulbs. This was the first time in the history of the world that a nuclear reactor was used to generate electrical power. This singular event proved that atomic energy could be used to create commercial electricity.

After this momentous event, EBR-1 went on to serve its real purpose, proving it was possible to build a reactor that could create more fuel than it consumed. Breeder reactors were possible. Another reactor at the National Reactor Testing Station named BORAX-III went on to power the entire town of Arco, ID. Now, Arco is not a huge metropolis like New York City, but there, once again, a nuclear reactor was used to provide the electrical needs of an entire city--another energy first for nuclear energy in our history. So began the legacy of what would become the Idaho National Laboratory, which is now the home of over 50 one-of-a-kind nuclear reactors.

Everything the lab did was new. Everything was innovative. The lab in Idaho went on to achieve tremendous breakthroughs--breakthrough after breakthrough. The imagination, ingenuity and hard work of the scientists in Idaho's lab now, along with the same ingenuity of scientists at Argonne and Oak Ridge, ensured that the United States was the leader in the development and commercialization of nuclear energy.

Today, many in the industry are focusing on what it takes to keep a current fleet of reactors alive and operational. Industry leaders are worried about waste issues, the economics of operation, and navigating the requirements of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Understandably, many are not focused on the future of nuclear energy and what lies beyond the current generation of reactors.

Congress must find a way to help deal with the very real challenges that the current generation of nuclear reactors face. Congress must also address the waste issue, and we must evaluate the safety and cost benefits of regulations the government has placed on this industry. Many of the burdens on the nuclear industry are government created, and so they must be government solved. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Environment and Public Works Committee to do our part in providing sound solutions.

Congress needs to find a way to multitask. Again, we can't ignore the challenges of the current fleet of reactors, but we must not allow these challenges to keep us from looking forward. The nuclear industry in America is, for better or worse, completely controlled by the government. Congress must lead in preparing government agencies to move forward into the future and to prepare for the next generation of our nuclear reactors. If our government is not able to create an environment in which the industry can grow and advance, companies will take their technologies overseas. We have seen this begin to happen already. Companies are now going to places such as China, Russia, South Korea, and India. These countries want to develop exportable nuclear technology. If we continue down our current path, these countries will take the lead in establishing nonproliferation norms and safety norms in the advanced nuclear industry. I would prefer that America continue to lead in this area.

Today, Senators Whitehouse, Risch, Booker, Hatch, Kirk, Durbin, and I introduced the Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act, or NEICA, as an amendment to the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2016. This measure is the Senate companion to the House measure of the same name, introduced by Representatives Randy Weber, Eddie Bernice Johnson, and Lamar Smith. I wish to thank my colleagues for their hard work on this measure. As my colleagues can tell from the list I gave, it is highly bipartisan. There is broad support for this legislation on both sides of the aisle and on both sides of the Rotunda.

We are all very excited by this legislation, and we all agree that innovation within the nuclear industry must continue. America's preeminence in all things nuclear must endure.

The Senate version of NEICA would do four very important things to encourage innovation in advanced nuclear.

No. 1, the bill directs the Department of Energy to carry out a modeling and simulation program that aids in the development of new reactor technologies. This is an important first step that allows the private sector to have access to the capabilities of our national labs to test reactor designs and concepts.

No. 2, the measure also requires the DOE to report its plan to establish a user facility for a versatile reactor-based fast neutron source. This is a critical step that will allow private companies the ability to test the principles of nuclear science and prove the science behind their work.

No. 3, NEICA directs the Department of Energy to carry out a program to enable the testing and demonstration of reactor concepts proposed and funded by the private sector. This site is to be called the National Nuclear Innovation Center and will function as a database to store and share knowledge on nuclear science between Federal agencies and the private sector. The Senate version of NEICA encourages the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to work together in this effort. We would like to see the DOE lead the effort to establish and operate the National Nuclear Innovation Center while consulting with the NRC regarding safety issues. We would also like to see the NRC have access to the work being done by the center in order to provide its staff with the knowledge it will need eventually to license any new reactors coming out of the center. If these reactors are ever to get to the market, the NRC must be able to understand the ins and outs of the science and work behind their development. The NRC needs the data in order to make data-driven licensing requirements.

No. 4, the Senate version of the NEICA requires the NRC to report on its ability to license advanced reactors within 4 years of receiving an application. The NRC must explain any institutional or organizational barriers it faces in moving forward with the prompt licensing of advanced reactors.

As I said earlier, this bill is an important step forward in maintaining the United States' leadership in nuclear energy. It is my hope this bill will enable the private sector and our national labs to work together to create new mind-blowing achievements in nuclear science. This bill encourages the smartest, most innovative and creative minds in nuclear science to partner together to move the industry forward.

The NEICA is an exciting piece of legislation. I look forward to working with my congressional colleagues to help the American nuclear energy industry thrive today and prepare for the future.

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