[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6252 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 6252

  To direct the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to submit a report and 
 conduct a rulemaking on facilitating efficient, timely environmental 
    reviews of nuclear reactor applications, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 6, 2023

  Mr. Weber of Texas (for himself, Mr. Bucshon, Mr. Pfluger, and Mr. 
    Latta) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To direct the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to submit a report and 
 conduct a rulemaking on facilitating efficient, timely environmental 
    reviews of nuclear reactor applications, 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 ``Modernize Nuclear Reactor 
Environmental Reviews Act''.

SEC. 2. FACILITATION OF EFFICIENT ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (in this section 
referred to as the ``Commission'') shall submit to the Committee on 
Environment and Public Works of the Senate and the Committee on Energy 
and Commerce of the House of Representatives a report on the efforts of 
the Commission to facilitate efficient, timely environmental reviews of 
nuclear reactor applications, including through expanded use of 
categorical exclusions, environmental assessments, and generic 
environmental impact statements.
    (b) Report.--In completing the report under subsection (a), the 
Commission shall--
            (1) describe the actions the Commission will take to 
        implement the amendments to the National Environmental Policy 
        Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) made by section 321 of the 
        Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023;
            (2) consider--
                    (A) using through adoption, incorporation by 
                reference, or other appropriate means, categorical 
                exclusions, environmental assessments, and 
                environmental impact statements prepared by other 
                Federal agencies to streamline environmental reviews of 
                nuclear reactor applications by the Commission;
                    (B) using categorical exclusions, environmental 
                assessments, and environmental impact statements 
                prepared by the Commission to streamline environmental 
                reviews of nuclear reactor applications by the 
                Commission;
                    (C) using mitigated findings of no significant 
                impact in environmental reviews of nuclear reactor 
                applications by the Commission to reduce the impact of 
                a proposed action to a level that is not significant;
                    (D) the extent to which the Commission may rely on 
                prior studies or analyses prepared by Federal, State, 
                and local governmental permitting agencies to 
                streamline environmental reviews of nuclear reactor 
                applications by the Commission;
                    (E) opportunities to coordinate the development of 
                environmental assessments and environmental impact 
                statements with other Federal agencies to avoid 
                duplicative environmental reviews and to streamline 
                environmental reviews of nuclear reactor applications 
                by the Commission;
                    (F) opportunities to streamline formal and informal 
                consultations and coordination with other Federal, 
                State, and local governmental permitting agencies 
                during environmental reviews of nuclear reactor 
                applications by the Commission;
                    (G) opportunities to streamline the Commission's 
                analyses of alternatives, including the Commission's 
                analysis of alternative sites, in environmental reviews 
                of nuclear reactor applications by the Commission;
                    (H) establishing new categorical exclusions that 
                could be applied to actions relating to new nuclear 
                reactors applications;
                    (I) amending section 51.20(b) of title 10, Code of 
                Federal Regulations, to allow the Commission to 
                determine on a case-specific basis whether an 
                environmental assessment (rather than an environmental 
                impact statement or supplemental environmental impact 
                statement) is appropriate for a particular nuclear 
                reactor application, including in proceedings in which 
                the Commission relies upon a generic environmental 
                impact statement for advanced nuclear reactors;
                    (J) authorizing the use of an applicant's 
                environmental impact statement as the Commission's 
                draft environmental impact statement, consistent with 
                section 107(f) of the National Environmental Policy Act 
                of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4336a(f));
                    (K) opportunities to adopt online and digital 
                technologies, including technologies that would allow 
                applicants and cooperating agencies to upload documents 
                and coordinate with the Commission to edit documents in 
                real time, that would streamline communications 
                between--
                            (i) the Commission and applicants; and
                            (ii) the Commission and other relevant 
                        cooperating agencies;
                    (L) in addition to implementing measures under 
                subsection (c), potential revisions to part 51 of title 
                10, Code of Federal Regulations, and relevant 
                Commission guidance documents, to--
                            (i) facilitate efficient environmental 
                        reviews of nuclear reactor applications;
                            (ii) assist decision-making about relevant 
                        environmental issues;
                            (iii) maintain openness with the public;
                            (iv) meet obligations under the National 
                        Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
                        4321 et seq.); and
                            (v) reduce burdens on licensees, 
                        applicants, and the Commission; and
            (3) include a schedule for promulgating the rule required 
        under subsection (c).
    (c) Rulemaking.--Not later than 2 years after the submission of the 
report under subsection (a), the Commission shall promulgate a final 
rule implementing, to the maximum extent practicable, measures 
considered by the Commission under subsection (b)(2) that are necessary 
to streamline the Commission's review of nuclear reactor applications.
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