Craig Goldman Backs Bill to Streamline Nuclear Reactor Safety Reviews

Representative Craig Goldman (R-TX) is advancing nuclear energy reform efforts by supporting the Nuclear Advisory Committee Reform Act, stressing its importance to Texas' growing energy demands.

The bill, presented to the House Energy and Commerce Committee earlier this week, would update the role of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) in the licensing and oversight of nuclear reactor facilities, helping streamline the nuclear regulatory process. The ACRS is an independent expert panel that reviews the safety of nuclear reactor designs, facilities and regulatory standards to provide recommendations to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

“I support this bill because it keeps ACRS doing what only ACRS can do: independent technical review of novel safety-significant issues without relegating settled ground-that's not weakening safety oversight,” Rep. Goldman said.

Rep. Goldman emphasized that the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards plays an important role, as do reactor safety reviews.

“But when the mandated committee reviews every license application from scratch with no requirement to focus on what's actually novel or safety significant, you get duplication,” he clarified.

Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), who wrote the original legislation, echoed Rep. Goldman by stating that the bill does not remove any steps from the original review process, but ensures it is “concentrated” so as not to burden the ACRS with unnecessary reviews.

“We cannot commit to protecting Americans if our top nuclear safety experts spend their time duplicating NRC reviews instead of providing meaningful oversight on reactor designs that demand closer scrutiny,” Rep. Harshbarger said.

Rep. Goldman said improving efficiency in the review process is especially important for Texas, which he said is in the middle of the “biggest energy buildout in the country.” He added that the state’s grid operator is projecting a level of demand growth that will require updated resources to keep up.

“Companies are looking hard at Texas because our state is saying yes to new reactors, but federal licensing timelines are still designed for a different era,” Rep. Goldman said.