ADVANCE Act of 2024
Enacted lawAccelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy Act
- Law
- P.L. 118-67
- Bill / vehicle
- S.870 — Div. B of the Fire Grants and Safety Act
- Status
- Enacted law
- Date
- Signed July 9, 2024
- Administration
- Biden
- Topic
- NRC reform / licensing
- Sponsors
- Vehicle S.870 by Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI); ADVANCE Act text originated as S.1111, led by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) with Sens. Carper (D-DE) and Whitehouse (D-RI). Senate passed 88–2.
What it does
The most consequential civilian nuclear law of the period. It cuts NRC licensing fees for advanced reactors (an FY2025 rule roughly halved the hourly rate), creates 'prize' awards reimbursing first-of-a-kind licensing costs, lets the NRC hire up to 210 extra staff outside normal civil-service limits, speeds up environmental reviews and brownfield/retired-coal siting, sets up a fusion regulatory framework, and rewrites the NRC's mission so regulation does not 'unnecessarily limit' the use of nuclear energy.
Why it matters
A philosophical shift: the NRC is now statutorily told to enable safe deployment, not just restrain it. Its House counterpart, the Atomic Energy Advancement Act (H.R.6544), passed the House 365–36 in Feb. 2024 and was largely absorbed into this law.
Primary sources
Learn the underlying ideas
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