Dear Senators Capito, Barrasso, Whitehouse, Crapo, and Booker: We write to express our support for the American Nuclear Infrastructure Act (ANIA) and to encourage you to reintroduce and advance the legislation. The innovative programs established in this bill support currently operating nuclear reactors and the next generation of reactor technologies.
ANIA would direct the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to continue to modernize its regulatory review processes. Efficiencies in the environmental review process and reviewing new license applications will help enable nuclear energy to deploy at a rapid enough scale to support decarbonization. In addition, preemptively reviewing U.S. Department of Energy sites for demonstration reactors can help companies partner with the National Labs to test out innovative concepts, including advanced methods of manufacturing and construction.