Sponsors (2)
The bill streamlines and targets expert review of nuclear license applications and compensates committee members to encourage participation, but does so by narrowing and controlling independent committee activity—trading faster, more predictable reviews for reduced independent oversight, continuity, and transparency.
Utilities and license applicants will face clearer, more predictable ACRS membership rules, term limits, and procedures, which can streamline and shorten licensing review timelines.
The NRC Commission can request ACRS review only for safety‑significant, novel, or design‑related issues, reducing administrative burden and focusing expert review where it matters most.
ACRS members will receive per diem and travel reimbursement, making it easier for qualified experts to participate without undue personal cost.
Limiting ACRS review to Commission‑requested cases reduces independent external scrutiny of reactor license applications, which could weaken safety oversight and increase risk to the public.
Narrowing ACRS duties and preventing it from acting unless the Commission requests review concentrates decision authority within NRC staff, reducing transparency and the availability of independent advice to regulators and the public.
Imposing term limits on ACRS members may cause loss of institutional expertise and continuity in complex safety assessments, undermining long‑term regulatory effectiveness.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Recasts ACRS statute to limit mandatory reviews, set membership and term rules, and make committee action Commission-requested only.
Official title: To update the role of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards in the licensing and oversight of nuclear reactor facilities, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 9, 2026 by Diana Harshbarger · Last progress July 9, 2026
Amends the Atomic Energy Act to recast the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS), limiting when the committee reviews license applications and clarifying membership, terms, duties, and procedures. The bill makes ACRS review discretionary and only when the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) requests it, updates appointment rules and term limits, and directs the NRC to adopt policies to improve committee efficiency. The changes include a new statutory structure for the committee (maximum 15 members, defined expertise, a Chair, per diem/travel pay), two four-year term standard with Commission authority to extend for compelling need, and conforming edits to references elsewhere in the Atomic Energy Act so ACRS reports or NRC supplements are cited only if applicable.