A major bipartisan energy bill that could lead to more nuclear power plants being built throughout the U.S. is expected to be approved by the Senate and sent to President Joe Biden this week, The Hill is reporting.
The proposed legislation would make nuclear plants cheaper to build.
The bill would reduce fees for companies that are proposing to build nuclear reactors.
It also seeks to quicken the process for approving reactors, setting and codifying a 25-month timeline for approval, and includes a provision establishing just 18 months for environmental review, The Hill noted.
The bill won overwhelming approval by the House in May. Now, many observers expect the entire package to be approved by the Senate this week.
But it has raised concerns in some circles, particularly a provision that would add to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's mission that its regulation should not needlessly limit the use of radioactive materials for use in nuclear energy.
"I just see this as inviting the industry to challenge every decision that the commission tries to make that has the potential to impose more than this minimum amount of regulation and could essentially paralyze it from actually working to improve nuclear safety and security," Edwin Lyman, nuclear power safety director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, told The Hill.
A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a question from The Hill about whether Biden supports the bill.
But the outlet noted it is unlikely that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer would bring a bill to the floor that Biden opposes.
Meanwhile, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates maintained that "nuclear has benefits beyond climate," which he said has prompted bipartisan support, according to CBS News.
He said Democrats see value in the clean energy source, while Republicans may take interest in energy security.
"Of all the climate-related work I'm doing, I'd say the one that has the most bipartisan energy behind it is actually this nuclear work," Gates said Sunday on "Face the Nation."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.