Energy Hearing: American Energy Dominance: Dawn of the New Nuclear Era
2026-01-07
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Source: Congress.gov
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Well, good morning. I call the Subcommittee on Energy of the Energy and Commerce Committee to order, and welcome to our first hearing of the new year. The Chair recognizes himself for five minutes for an opening statement. Today's hearing will examine the current state of the nuclear industry, the emerging prospects for the rapid and widespread deployment of new nuclear technologies, and what more may be done to enable success. The importance of successful growth of the American nuclear energy cannot be understated. Most importantly, what we need in this country is more energy. We need firm, reliable power, versatile power, and more of it. We need power for emerging industrial output in the AI race, also for homes and businesses. A robust and growing nuclear industry also strengthens our national security. It does so through increased nuclear commerce with allies and through a more cost-effective industrial base. Congress has already taken significant steps that will optimize the regulatory system and related policies to assist in domestic nuclear deployment. The Advance Act, major provisions of which were developed by the Energy and Commerce Committee members, focused on licensing efficiency, reducing costs, and increasing predictability in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's licensing. It also provided for improved coordination among agencies and increasing access to nuclear technology for our allies. It increased the abilities of allies to invest in American nuclear projects.
Congress also enacted legislation to secure nuclear fuel supplies. It did so by providing funding to jumpstart work to develop advanced fuels and banning Russian fuels to create the market conditions that will incentivize new domestic fuel capacity. This legislative work builds upon other legislative measures concerning federal loan and credit programs, nuclear demonstrations, and technical support and long-term liability protections for nuclear reactors. Congress has established a strong framework for nuclear development for coming decades. How this is being implemented will be an important topic for this hearing. By any measure, the prospects of expanded nuclear power in the United States have been improving dramatically in recent years. Consider that only five or six years ago, we were confronting a wave of nuclear retirements. Today, closed nuclear reactors are being restarted and utilities are seeking to produce more power at existing sites. This Monday, NRC for the first time approved replacement of analog safety equipment with digital controls, which paves the way for modernizing safety controls across the fleet. This action, finally taken after years of regulatory churn, creates a template for other plans to seek NRC approval of digitization. There is growing interest in new builds for the large Westinghouse AP-1000, the advanced light water reactor brought online at Plant Bogle in Georgia. And a growing number of advanced nuclear technologies are moving into or through the licensing pipeline. Major new players, including manufacturers, are providing support and financing for new projects. The Trump administration, meanwhile, is also working on advanced nuclear on a number of fronts. It is accelerating regulatory reforms consistent with the ADVANCE Act for more efficient risk-informed licensing. It is working to bring in more foreign investment, accelerate innovative new technology demonstrations, and develop small reactors for military bases.
The success of our work in Congress to advance durable nuclear deployment will depend on appropriate and efficient regulatory decisions, dependable supply chains and fuels, predictable construction and deployment costs, and, of course, market demand. This hearing can help us in that work. At this time, My time has expired, and I yield back. And the chair recognizes the gentlelady from the Florida's 14th district, the ranking member of the subcommittee for five minutes for an opening statement. Good morning.
Good morning, and Happy New Year to you, Mr. Chairman, and to members and everyone here. We are really hoping for a productive year here at the committee. Americans across the country are counting on us because under Republican policies, electric bills are up. by 13% and more than 80 million Americans are struggling to pay their utility bills. Over the next five years, it's predicted that electricity use in the United States will increase by well over 32%. In Florida, the electric utilities just instituted the highest rate increases in the history of the state and the highest in the country. So folks are really looking to us to help solve problems. And while nuclear power is a very important piece of the puzzle, what has been working to keep pressure on lower bills and to meet the new demand has been solar storage and wind power.
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