[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4674 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4674

 To establish a competitive grant program to fund feasibility studies 
         for advanced nuclear reactors, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 17, 2023

 Mr. Donalds introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish a competitive grant program to fund feasibility studies 
         for advanced nuclear reactors, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

     This Act may be cited as the ``Advanced Nuclear Feasibility Act''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that Congress--
            (1) recognizes the importance of developing, licensing, and 
        deploying innovative nuclear energy technology, such as 
        advanced nuclear reactors;
            (2) acknowledges the vast deployment potential of advanced 
        nuclear technology over the next several decades;
            (3) understands the immensely beneficial impact of building 
        and deploying advanced nuclear reactors; and
            (4) seeks to provide Federal support in promoting the use 
        of nuclear energy throughout the United States.

SEC. 3. ADVANCED NUCLEAR REACTOR FEASIBILITY STUDY GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a program to 
award grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities to conduct 
feasibility studies for the siting, construction, and operation of 
advanced nuclear reactors.
    (b) Eligible Entity.--
            (1) Entities.--To be eligible to receive a grant under the 
        program, an applicant shall be--
                    (A) an institution of higher education located in a 
                State or territory described in paragraph (2);
                    (B) a private individual or company, including the 
                owner or operator of an airport, port, or hospital, 
                located in a State or territory described in paragraph 
                (2); or
                    (C) a State or local government of a State or 
                territory described in paragraph (2), including a State 
                or local government that owns or operates an airport, 
                port, or hospital.
            (2) States and territories.--A State or territory described 
        in this paragraph is a State, or territory of the United 
        States, that has in effect a plan relating to advancing the 
        deployment of advanced nuclear reactors, as the Secretary 
        determines appropriate.
    (c) Application.--
            (1) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
        the program, an eligible entity shall submit an application to 
        the Secretary, not later than 180 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, in such manner, and containing such 
        information as the Secretary may require, including, at a 
        minimum, information described in paragraph (2)(A).
            (2) Information.--An application under paragraph (1)--
                    (A) shall include a description of--
                            (i) the background for the feasibility 
                        study that is to be conducted for the siting, 
                        construction, and operation of an advanced 
                        nuclear reactor; and
                            (ii) organizational responsibilities for 
                        conducting such feasibility study; and
                    (B) may include--
                            (i) a plan for conducting such feasibility 
                        study, including a plan--
                                    (I) to conduct an analysis of--
                                            (aa) the demand for 
                                        electricity in the region of 
                                        the proposed site of the 
                                        advanced nuclear reactor and 
                                        supporting facilities;
                                            (bb) the transmission 
                                        capacity and transmission 
                                        facilities and systems in such 
                                        region; and
                                            (cc) the structure of the 
                                        market for electricity in such 
                                        region;
                                    (II) to conduct an analysis of how 
                                the construction and operation of the 
                                advanced nuclear reactor at such 
                                proposed site would impact--
                                            (aa) the overall demand for 
                                        electricity in such region;
                                            (bb) the transmission 
                                        capacity and transmission 
                                        facilities and systems in such 
                                        region; and
                                            (cc) the market for 
                                        electricity in such region;
                                    (III) to conduct an analysis 
                                regarding the proposed site of the 
                                advanced nuclear reactor and supporting 
                                facilities, including preliminary site 
                                layout and site preparation and 
                                potential effects of the advanced 
                                nuclear reactor and supporting 
                                facilities on the applicable region, 
                                including population distribution and 
                                the current uses of land and water;
                                    (IV) to conduct an analysis of the 
                                environmental impacts of siting, 
                                construction, and operation of the 
                                advanced nuclear reactor at the 
                                proposed site, including--
                                            (aa) a comparison of the 
                                        environmental impacts of 
                                        siting, constructing, and 
                                        operating the advanced nuclear 
                                        reactor at such proposed site 
                                        to siting, constructing, and 
                                        operating the advanced nuclear 
                                        reactor at other sites with 
                                        similar characteristics in the 
                                        applicable region;
                                            (bb) impacts on cooling 
                                        water demand; and
                                            (cc) an overview of the 
                                        environmental protection 
                                        requirements in the applicable 
                                        region;
                                    (V) for how to approach the 
                                licensing process and authorization 
                                requirements for the siting, 
                                construction, and operation of the 
                                advanced nuclear reactor;
                                    (VI) to conduct an analysis of how 
                                the applicable project to site, 
                                construct, and operate the advanced 
                                nuclear reactor would be implemented, 
                                including analysis of potential 
                                contractual approaches, procurement 
                                plans, project schedules, project 
                                management, and risk management plans;
                                    (VII) to conduct an analysis of 
                                organizational requirements and 
                                responsibilities for each phase of the 
                                applicable project to site, construct, 
                                and operate the advanced nuclear 
                                reactor, including requirements and 
                                responsibilities relating to human 
                                resources and training, including 
                                workforce logistics and staffing 
                                requirements for construction, 
                                commissioning, operation, and 
                                maintenance of the advanced nuclear 
                                reactor, including education and other 
                                training requirements;
                                    (VIII) to conduct an analysis of 
                                the economic feasibility of the 
                                applicable project to site, construct, 
                                and operate the advanced nuclear 
                                reactor, including a cost-benefit 
                                analysis;
                                    (IX) for developing plans for 
                                emergency preparedness and coordination 
                                for the proposed site of the advanced 
                                nuclear reactor and supporting 
                                facilities, including on-site emergency 
                                planning and coordination with off-site 
                                emergency response organizations;
                                    (X) to conduct an analysis of 
                                cogeneration opportunities on the 
                                proposed site of the advanced nuclear 
                                reactor and supporting facilities; and
                                    (XI) to conduct a decommissioning 
                                analysis for the advanced nuclear 
                                reactor, including the cost of 
                                decommissioning the advanced nuclear 
                                reactor, decommissioning phases for the 
                                advanced nuclear reactor, and the 
                                environmental impact of decommissioning 
                                the advanced nuclear reactor; and
                            (ii) a description of the stakeholders that 
                        may be involved in the applicable project to 
                        site, construct, and operate the advanced 
                        nuclear reactor.
    (d) Distribution.--
            (1) Announcement.--Not later than 270 days after the date 
        of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall announce on the 
        website of the Department of Energy each eligible entity 
        selected to receive a grant under the program.
            (2) Geographic distribution.--In awarding grants under the 
        program, the Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, award 
        a grant to at least--
                    (A) one eligible entity in each State described in 
                subsection (b)(2); and
                    (B) one eligible entity in a territory described in 
                subsection (b)(2).
            (3) Considerations and priority.--In awarding grants under 
        the program, the Secretary shall--
                    (A) take into consideration the totality and 
                thoroughness of the information included in the 
                application from an eligible entity, including 
                information described in subsection (c)(2)(B)(i) 
                regarding a plan for conducting a feasibility study; 
                and
                    (B) give priority to an eligible entity that 
                certifies that the eligible entity will, after the 
                competition of the feasibility study for which a grant 
                is awarded, commence, if appropriate, other pre-
                licensing application activities for the applicable 
                advanced nuclear reactor.

SEC. 4. FEASIBILITY STUDY REPORT.

    Not later than 60 days after the selection of the eligible entities 
to be awarded grants under the program, the Secretary shall submit to 
the appropriate congressional committees a report that describes--
            (1) the eligible entities that were selected;
            (2) the reasoning for selection of such eligible entities;
            (3) a summary of each feasibility study to be conducted 
        using a grant awarded under the program, including the amount 
        requested for the feasibility study;
            (4) an anticipated timeline for each resulting feasibility 
        study; and
            (5) any other information the Secretary determines 
        necessary.

SEC. 5. USE OF EXISTING FEASIBILITY STUDIES.

    The Secretary and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission shall jointly 
establish a process under which a feasibility study conducted pursuant 
to the program may, in whole or in part, be utilized for purposes of a 
feasibility study for the siting, construction, and operation of an 
advanced nuclear reactor at a different site, with similar 
characteristics, in the applicable region.

SEC. 6. COST SHARE.

    (a) In General.--The non-Federal cost share of feasibility study 
conducted pursuant to this Act shall be 60 percent.
    (b) Reduction of Non-Federal Share.--The Secretary may reduce the 
non-Federal share required under paragraph (1), if the Secretary 
determines the reduction to be necessary and appropriate, taking into 
consideration--
            (1) whether the proposed site of the advanced nuclear 
        reactor and supporting facilities is at the site of a fossil 
        fuel-fired electric generating facility that is retired or 
        planned to be retired within the next year;
            (2) whether the applicable eligible entity has participated 
        in community engagement with the applicable communities to 
        discuss the potential siting of an advanced nuclear reactor and 
        supporting facilities; and
            (3) the socioeconomic impacts that the siting, 
        construction, and operation of the advanced nuclear reactor at 
        the proposed site would have on the surrounding communities.

SEC. 7. FUNDING.

    Notwithstanding section 134 of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7434), 
unobligated balances of amounts made available under such section 134 
may be used to carry out this Act, to remain available until September 
30, 2025.

SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Advanced nuclear reactor.--The term ``advanced nuclear 
        reactor'' has the meaning given such term in section 3 of the 
        Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act (42 U.S.C. 2215 
        note).
            (2) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and the 
                Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, of the 
                House of Representatives; and
                    (B) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, 
                and the Committee on Environment and Public Works, of 
                the Senate.
            (3) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means an 
        individual or entity described in section 3(b)(1).
            (4) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 2 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 
        15801).
            (5) Program.--The term ``program'' means the program 
        established under section 3(a).
            (6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Energy.
            (7) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the 50 States 
        and the District of Columbia.
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