Sponsor
Becca Balint
Representative · D-VT
Representative · D-VT
The bill channels substantial, predictable federal and licensee-funded support to host and disadvantaged communities and strengthens local input and oversight during reactor decommissioning — at the trade-off of higher and potentially open-ended federal costs, added regulatory complexity, and risks that required transfers could reduce funds available for actual decommissioning.
Host States, Tribal governments, and local communities near decommissioning reactors receive direct, multi-year federal financial assistance (grants and formulaic payments including $15/kg spent fuel and FY2026–FY2035 authorization) to offset economic and social impacts.
Residents and local officials gain stronger voice, transparency, and technical support during decommissioning through extended public comment periods, required public meetings, public PSDAR availability, and funded community advisory boards.
Sustained, predictable funding streams are created by requiring licensee payments and deposits (including an advisory-board Fund and periodic transfers tied to trust balances), improving the prospects for ongoing community support and advisory activities.
Taxpayers face potentially large, open-ended federal costs because programs authorize uncapped funding ('such sums as necessary') and 100% federally funded grants for selected communities.
Requiring transfers from decommissioning trusts (recurring 2% transfers and up to 25% at cessation) and prohibiting use of trust funds for certain fees risks depleting funds needed for actual decommissioning, shifting financial risk to ratepayers or taxpayers.
Stronger state involvement, extra pre-submission consultations, PSDAR revision requirements, and new public-disclosure rules increase regulatory complexity, lengthen approval timelines, and may create inconsistent requirements across states, raising costs and litigation risk for licensees.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Creates statutory PSDAR procedures, funds community advisory boards and grants to host/local governments, and establishes host community recovery accounts funded partly by decommissioning trust transfers.
Official title: To amend the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to provide for consultation with State, Tribal, and local governments, the consideration of State, Tribal, and local concerns, and the approval of post-shutdown decommissioning activities reports by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Introduced December 11, 2025 by Becca Balint · Last progress December 11, 2025
Creates new rules and support programs for communities and governments affected by civilian nuclear plant decommissioning. It requires stronger pre‑submission consultation and public review for post‑shutdown decommissioning activity reports (PSDARs), sets timelines and substantive standards the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) must apply when reviewing PSDARs and license transfers, funds community advisory boards and small host communities, creates a grant program to help local governments holding spent fuel, and establishes Host Community Economic Recovery Accounts funded in part by nuclear decommissioning trust transfers to support economic recovery activities.