S. 5249

Overview

This bill would change how the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licenses uranium enrichment plants, which prepare uranium for use as reactor fuel, to match the rules for other nuclear fuel facilities. The license would cover only operating a plant, and companies could begin building once the NRC formally accepts their application for review, as long as they follow all federal laws and build at their own risk. The formal hearing now required for every license would instead be held only if someone whose interests could be affected by the plant asks for one. Applicants would have to commit to notifying the governor, local governments, and Tribes covered by the plant's emergency plan at least 15 days before construction starts, and the NRC would have 180 days to update its rules. The NRC could still regulate construction as needed and deny a license, and the right to challenge its final decisions in court would not change.