The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy spent three hours on June 9 examining six proposals to reform how the United States permits nuclear energy facilities. The hearing covered three introduced bills and three draft pieces of legislation—a combined legislative push that lawmakers described as building on recent bipartisan nuclear policy work already signed into law.
Subcommittee convenes three-hour nuclear permitting hearing
The June 9 hearing brought together lawmakers, industry executives, former regulators, and academics to examine a broad range of permitting challenges. Witnesses included Maria Korsnick, president and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute; Jeremy Harrell, CEO of ClearPath Action; Jeffrey Merrifield, chair of the United States Nuclear Industry Council Board of Directors; and Kathryn Huff, incoming dean of the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Department of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics.
The six proposals touched on nuclear fuel recycling, NRC mandatory uncontested hearings, DOE transparency, domestic uranium enrichment licensing, NRC staff compensation, and the advisory role of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS).
Harrell framed the package plainly. “These are practical, targeted proposals that complement everything you have already accomplished,” he said. “Each bill addresses a specific opportunity to further modernize the process without compromising safety.”
Why these bills were introduced
The central argument behind the package is that existing NRC licensing processes impose real costs—in time, money, and regulatory uncertainty—without consistently adding meaningful safety value. Mandatory uncontested hearings alone consume roughly 1,500 hours of NRC staff preparation time and delay licensing approvals by an average of six months, according to Harrell. Applicants absorb millions of dollars in costs during that same window.
Congress has already signaled concern about U.S. dependence on foreign uranium suppliers. The ADVANCE Act, the Nuclear Fuel Security Act, and the Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act each addressed pieces of that problem, and the six proposals before the subcommittee are intended as complementary updates rather than replacements.
Subcommittee chair Rep. Bob Latta (R., Ohio) noted that the bills carry bipartisan support and continue a legislative trajectory already underway. Bipartisan agreement on nuclear policy has grown more common in recent years, reflecting broad consensus that regulatory modernization is achievable without weakening safety standards.
What each proposal would do
The REFUEL Act — short for Nuclear Recycling Efficient Fuels Utilizing Expedited Licensing—amends the Atomic Energy Act to clarify that certain nuclear fuel recycling facilities can be licensed under regulatory frameworks already used for other fuel facility types. Latta, the bill’s sponsor, noted that subcommittee members had recently visited a fuel recycling facility in northern France to better understand the technology’s potential domestically.
The Efficient Nuclear Licensing Hearings Act would make currently mandatory uncontested NRC hearings optional. Under existing law, applications for construction permits, early site permits, and combined licenses must include a hearing even when no party has requested one.
The DOE Nuclear Transparency Act would require the Department of Energy to publicly disclose how it preserves safety in its accelerated reactor authorization processes. Ranking member Rep. Kathy Castor (D., Fla.), who sponsored the bill, pointed to the DOE’s Reactor Pilot Program as an example of a process that has moved forward with limited public information about safety and transparency standards.
The three draft bills cover uranium enrichment licensing, NRC staff pay, and ACRS reform. The American Enrichment Deployment Act updates licensing procedures for uranium enrichment facilities to enable timely and safe deployment. The NRC Staff Pay Alignment Act addresses compensation in a tightening labor market, while the Nuclear Advisory Committee Reform Act would update the ACRS’s role in licensing and oversight.
Background: Prior legislation and ongoing NRC changes
The Efficient Nuclear Licensing Hearings Act is not a new concept. A nearly identical bill came before the U.S. Senate in 2024, and nine former NRC commissioners publicly voiced support for that type of legislation. The current version was introduced in 2025.
The NRC has also been making internal adjustments—the agency has already begun shifting mandatory hearings toward the start of the licensing process rather than placing them at the end, a procedural change that addresses some of the same concerns the legislation targets.
The Nuclear Advisory Committee Reform Act would codify provisions of Executive Order 14300, which directed the ACRS to concentrate its reviews on issues that are “truly novel and noteworthy” and to function at a statutory minimum.
Industry witnesses were careful to pair efficiency arguments with a defense of regulatory capacity. “A strong industry needs a strong regulator,” Korsnick said. “I think the bills before us do a good job at managing that and bringing efficiency into the equation.”
Practical follow-on work to legislation
The June 9 hearing produced no votes, but it advanced six proposals that collectively target some of the most frequently cited friction points in U.S. nuclear permitting. The package addresses licensing timelines, DOE accountability, domestic fuel supply security, workforce compensation, and the scope of technical advisory reviews. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle framed the proposals as practical follow-on work to legislation already enacted—shared goals driven by growing energy demand and heightened national security considerations.
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