IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 124 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States 

should support the expansion of domestic nuclear energy and advanced 

nuclear technology as a viable source of power in order to promote 

United States nuclear energy leadership and global energy independence. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 14, 2023 

Mr. DONALDS (for himself, Mr. FLEISCHMANN, Mrs. CAMMACK, Mr. NEHLS, 

Mr. OWENS, Mr. MOORE of Alabama, Mr. FEENSTRA, Ms. MACE, Mr. 

CLINE, and Mr. WEBER of Texas) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in 

addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 

provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

the United States should support the expansion of domestic nuclear energy and advanced nuclear technology 

as a viable source of power in order to promote United 

States nuclear energy leadership and global energy independence. 

Whereas nuclear energy has generated one-fifth of the electricity used in the United States since 1990; 

Whereas the Secretary of Energy has stated that, ‘‘nuclear 

energy is clean energy and it is vital to creating goodVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:01 Feb 14, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR124.IH HR124

pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
2 

•HRES 124 IH 

paying jobs, supporting our energy transition, and saving 

our planet’’; 

Whereas the International Energy Agency determined that 

nuclear power forms the cornerstone of zero-carbon electricity generation; 

Whereas conventional nuclear energy plants are highly reliable and consistently operate, on average, over 92 percent 

of the time; 

Whereas the generation of electricity from nuclear energy is 

up to 2 times more reliable than the generation of electricity from natural gas and coal, and up to 3.5 times 

more reliable than the generation of electricity from wind 

and solar; 

Whereas nuclear reactors produce substantially more energy 

relative to their land footprint than solar and wind 

projects, which require over 30 times and 100 times, respectfully, the land area for the same generating capacity; 

Whereas 482,000,000 metric tons of carbon emissions were 

avoided by using nuclear energy in 2021; 

Whereas, in 2019, 476,000,000 metric tons of greenhouse 

gas emissions were not released into the atmosphere due 

to the utilization of nuclear energy in the United States, 

which is equivalent to removing 100,000,000 cars off the 

road; 

Whereas conversely, in 2014, Vermont’s Yankee Nuclear 

Plant closed and the State saw a 650,000-metric ton increase in carbon dioxide emissions within just 2 months; 

Whereas electricity demand throughout the United States is 

predicted to increase by approximately 34 percent by 

2050; 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
3 

•HRES 124 IH 

Whereas, as of July 8, 2020, there are 28 States in which 

at least 1 commercial nuclear reactor operates; 

Whereas many States around the United States have enacted 

nuclear energy-related laws and are in the process of 

adopting policies and appropriating funding for the expansion of nuclear energy in their State; 

Whereas nuclear energy facilities can repurpose retired fossil 

fuel power plants by using existing infrastructure and 

transitioning fossil fuel power plant workers that already 

understand the basics of operating the nuclear energy facility; 

Whereas, in 2022, nuclear energy supported over 475,000 

well-paying, sustainable, direct and indirect jobs throughout the American nuclear industry; 

Whereas building a conventional nuclear reactor employs up 

to 7,000 workers at peak construction; 

Whereas nuclear energy worker salaries are, on average, 50 

percent higher than the salaries of employees that work 

in other electricity generation facilities; 

Whereas the United States nuclear energy industry spends 

roughly $11,000,000,000 annually on labor, which is approximately $100,000,000 per reactor per year; 

Whereas, for every 100 jobs at a nuclear power plant in the 

United States, 66 other jobs are created in the local community; 

Whereas nearly 1 in 4 nuclear energy workers are veterans; 

Whereas nuclear energy adds approximately $60,000,000,000 

to the United States gross domestic product each year; 

Whereas, unlike most energy sources, nuclear power plants 

have up to 2 years of fuel stored securely on-site, which 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
4 

•HRES 124 IH 

makes nuclear power plants hardened against fuel-related 

supply chain disruptions; 

Whereas a uranium pellet the size of a pencil eraser contains 

the same amount of energy as 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas, 1,780 pounds of coal, or 149 gallons of oil; 

Whereas 5 uranium pellets generate enough electricity to 

power the average household annually, which compares to 

the same amount of electricity produced by 5 tons of 

coal; 

Whereas global uranium supply is vastly available and the 

United States can generate nuclear power at its current 

levels for more than a century with just the natural uranium ore deposits that have already been identified; 

Whereas nuclear power plants offer a level of protection 

against natural and adversarial threats that goes far beyond the protective measures taken at most other American energy generating facilities; 

Whereas nuclear power plants’ infrastructure and facilities 

are built to withstand extreme weather, as proven during 

past and recent hurricanes and freezing temperatures 

driven by polar vortex events; 

Whereas the safe operation of nuclear energy in the United 

States has resulted in no radiation-related deaths or longterm evacuation of surrounding communities; 

Whereas the utilization of conventional and advanced nuclear 

energy technologies will significantly reduce energy costs, 

although the initial investment burden of licensing and 

constructing any type of nuclear reactor will be substantial; 

Whereas the production of nuclear energy has become a much 

safer and more efficient process with the development 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
5 

•HRES 124 IH 

and commercialization of innovative advanced nuclear reactors; 

Whereas advanced nuclear reactors present uniquely innovative options for the sustainable generation of clean energy 

in the United States and around the world; 

Whereas a typical 1,000-megawatt nuclear power plant in the 

United States requires approximately one square mile of 

land to operate, however an advanced nuclear reactor requires about 3 times less land area compared to a conventional nuclear power plant, depending on the reactor 

type and the specific characteristics of the community; 

Whereas the Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulates 31 research and test reactors; 

Whereas approximately 98 universities in the United States 

offer a nuclear engineering program and several universities have expressed interest in advanced nuclear reactors as a power source for their campuses; 

Whereas more than 45 companies and research organizations 

across the United States have advanced nuclear energy 

projects underway; 

Whereas many advanced nuclear reactors, in comparison to 

conventional nuclear reactors, can operate at much higher temperatures without water, have built in safety features (such as automatic shutoff mechanisms), can operate autonomously without disruption for several years at 

a time, and have a naturally enhanced resistance to nuclear proliferation; 

Whereas low-emission heat and steam from advanced nuclear 

reactors can supply reliable, clean energy for hard-todecarbonize sectors, such as the industrial sector and 

chemical production sector; 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
6 

•HRES 124 IH 

Whereas the total amount of spent nuclear fuel produced over 

the tenure of the United States nuclear energy industry 

could fit within the bounds of a football field at a depth 

of less than 10 yards; 

Whereas spent nuclear fuel can— 

(1) be safely stored in a deep geological repository; 

(2) be repurposed and recycled using innovative 

technology; and 

(3) potentially be safely stored underground using 

techniques such as deep borehole drilling; 

Whereas certain advanced nuclear reactors have the capability to use spent nuclear fuel from another nuclear reactor as a fuel source; 

Whereas recycling spent nuclear fuel could significantly reduce the burden of storing spent nuclear fuel, which 

would make the nuclear fuel cycle more sustainable and 

further reduce the already-low carbon footprint of nuclear 

energy; 

Whereas 96 percent of spent nuclear fuel content is reusable 

energy, and recycling spent nuclear fuel can cut the use 

of natural uranium resources by 25 percent, reduce the 

volume of high-level waste slated for disposal by 75 percent, and reduce the waste’s toxicity by approximately 90 

percent; 

Whereas spent nuclear fuel can be reprocessed up to 3 cycles; 

Whereas, by 2050, energy produced by advanced nuclear reactors may account for a significant amount of the clean 

energy generated in the United States, with certain estimates predicting that up to 50 percent of total United 

States electricity generation could come from conventional and advanced nuclear energy sources; 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
7 

•HRES 124 IH 

Whereas the offsite component fabrication and modular manufacturing process for advanced nuclear reactors will likely lead to cheaper and faster installation, reduced regulatory burdens, and ultimately a streamlined commercial 

deployment of advanced nuclear reactors; 

Whereas advanced nuclear reactors offer seamless integration 

to complement other renewables within microgrids, balancing out variations in generation over time to reliably 

meet demand in the United States; 

Whereas, in the aftermath of a natural disaster when power 

outages persist, an easily transportable advanced nuclear 

reactor could provide electricity or heat for essential services, such as hospitals, airports, communications centers, 

government offices, and water purification facilities, instead of diesel generators, thereby producing a cleaner 

and more efficient source of power that can last up to 20 

years without refueling; 

Whereas nuclear medicine, including the use of medical radioactive isotopes, can be used to diagnose and treat different diseases with pinpoint precision, which will ultimately save American lives; 

Whereas radioactivity used for medical diagnostics and treatments is elementally the same as that used for nuclear 

power; 

Whereas medical isotopes are made in nuclear reactors; 

Whereas, with advances in nuclear science and technology, 

and new approaches to the medical application of radioisotope technology, outcomes for cancer patients have improved tremendously; 

Whereas nuclear power plants produce a vital resource in the 

global fight against COVID–19: Cobalt–60, which has 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
8 

•HRES 124 IH 

sterilized billions of pieces of medical equipment in hospitals on the front lines of the pandemic; 

Whereas nuclear radiation is used to treat food and kill bacteria, insects, and parasites that cause illness; 

Whereas the Armed Forces have intentions to utilize advanced nuclear reactors at United States military bases, 

both domestically and internationally, because of advanced nuclear reactor’s ability to generate clean electricity consistently and reliably in locations that experience severe weather patterns; 

Whereas the Armed Forces are currently using diesel for generators in these remote locations to provide electricity, 

such as in Alaska, which require refueling approximately 

every 72 hours; 

Whereas, since 1954, the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program 

has maintained and operated more than 100 naval nuclear reactors, serviced and supplied by thousands of 

American workers, to power United States aircraft carriers, submarines, and other military vessels; 

Whereas advanced nuclear propulsion provides an alternative 

clean energy source to power commercial ships to cut 

emissions and remove the costly refueling infrastructure 

needs for liquid-based energy carriers; 

Whereas floating nuclear barges are being designed and developed to supply energy to remote locations and areas 

impacted by a natural disaster; 

Whereas the advantages of using advanced nuclear propulsion 

include long intervals between refueling, faster transit 

speeds, production of heat or cooling for cargo, reduced 

draft allowing increased cargo capacity, eliminating the 

need to transport huge quantities of engine fuel, and reVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:01 Feb 14, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR124.IH HR124

pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
9 

•HRES 124 IH 

ducing the probability of environmental damage from fuel 

leakages; 

Whereas nuclear thermal propulsion and nuclear electric propulsion vehicles are to be made at one-third to one-half 

the size of comparable chemical propulsion vehicles, 

which would increase travel speeds and cut costs of space 

missions; 

Whereas nuclear thermal propulsion can be used to transport 

astronauts and cargo to Mars in 4 to 5 months, rapidly 

decreasing long term radiation exposure in space, as opposed to 7 to 9 months using traditional chemical fuels; 

Whereas the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

(NASA) and private companies are creating technologies 

that use advanced nuclear radioisotopes to channel heat 

into electricity, even in temperatures below -280o F on 

the lunar surface, for both manned and unmanned missions to Earth’s satellites, the Earth’s Moon, Mars, and 

deep space; 

Whereas NASA and the Department of Defense have programs in place to put a lunar nuclear reactor on the 

moon in the early 2030s to supply electricity for Artemis 

missions, since the lunar night is roughly 14 days and 

solar panels would not be able to generate power from 

the sun and energy storage is too large and costly; 

Whereas advanced lunar nuclear reactors can be used for future space missions to Mars, since Mars has dust storms 

that cover solar panels, rendering them useless, which recently led to the shut down of NASA’s Insight Mission 

after only 4 years; 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
10 

•HRES 124 IH 

Whereas nuclear energy may be used to desalinate highly 

salty waters and industrial wastewater to ultimately 

produce multiuse potable water; 

Whereas nuclear energy has the potential to cleanly power 

large-scale hydrogen production facilities and utilize direct heat from the nuclear reactor to assist with the hydrogen production process; 

Whereas advanced nuclear reactors offer the possibility of a 

clean source of energy to power energy intensive mining 

operations that are typically powered by diesel generators; 

Whereas advanced nuclear reactors can be coupled with other 

renewable sources of energy, such as wind and solar, to 

power electric railroads and electric vehicle charging stations; 

Whereas advanced nuclear reactors can produce clean, consistent, and reliable energy to power data centers which 

typically require large amounts of energy; and 

Whereas the future of cryptocurrency mining, which requires 

extensive energy output, will greatly benefit from utilizing 

a noncarbon-emitting, stable, and cost-competitive nuclear power source: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that, in order to meet the growing energy de3 mands of the United States in a domestically favorable 

4 fashion and to promote American nuclear energy leader5 ship while retaining the United States economic viability 

6 in the worldwide nuclear energy marketplace, it is nec7 essary to expand the use of nuclear energy by— 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
11 

•HRES 124 IH 

1 (1) embracing efforts to maintain the existing 

2 nuclear fleet and promoting efforts that seek to uti3 lize emerging innovative nuclear energy technologies, 

4 such as advanced nuclear reactors, to promote in5 creased energy output, improve public safety, more 

6 effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and al7 leviate the continuous challenge relating to storing 

8 spent nuclear fuel; 

9 (2) recognizing nuclear energy as one of the 

10 cleanest power sources in regard to greenhouse gas 

11 emissions, while simultaneously understanding nu12 clear energy’s capability of being coupled with other 

13 clean energy sources, and stressing the importance 

14 of nuclear energy being recognized on a level regu15 latory playing field that is similar to other clean en16 ergy generating sources; 

17 (3) supporting initiatives by the Department of 

18 Defense for the deployment of nuclear reactors to 

19 enhance energy resiliency and electricity assurance 

20 for critical military missions, systems, and assets in 

21 contested logistical environments where fuel supplies 

22 are targeted or denied; 

23 (4) addressing critical domestic gaps in the pro24 curement of nuclear reactor construction material, 

25 and resolving current barriers and obstacles that reVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:01 Feb 14, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR124.IH HR124

pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
12 

•HRES 124 IH 

1 late to a domestic supply of nuclear fuel and other 

2 nuclear supply chain challenges; 

3 (5) encouraging sustainable domestic mining of 

4 uranium, in addition to increasing uranium enrich5 ment, fabrication, and deconversion capabilities in 

6 the United States to efficiently secure America’s en7 ergy independence and power United States nuclear 

8 reactors without the need to rely on other countries; 

9 (6) actively increasing public awareness sur10 rounding the safety of nuclear energy and continu11 ously combating false information relating to nuclear 

12 power, including nuclear energy’s negative connota13 tion in the United States which originates from the 

14 only 3 nuclear accidents in the history of the world, 

15 including the only event that took place in the 

16 United States in March of 1979 at Three Mile Is17 land Nuclear Generating Station Facility, in which 

18 no deaths or medical symptoms were directly tied to 

19 the nuclear incident; 

20 (7) streamlining the regulatory process, pro21 viding the Nuclear Regulatory Commission the nec22 essary resources to effectuate positive change, and 

23 reducing the regulatory barriers that currently de24 rive from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s cau25 tious and traditionalistic approach to the licensing 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
13 

•HRES 124 IH 

1 and constructing of new nuclear reactors, which 

2 such regulatory approach is based on outdated tech3 nology standards dating back over 50 years when 

4 the agency was first established and solely focused 

5 on safely regulating conventional nuclear reactors, to 

6 ultimately bolster innovation and encourage the use 

7 of emerging technologies, such as advanced nuclear 

8 reactors, to secure America’s energy independence 

9 and allow for the greater exercise of free enterprise, 

10 including participation by America’s small busi11 nesses that seek to get involved in the nuclear indus12 try, without reducing safety precautions; and 

13 (8) promoting the use of new advanced nuclear 

14 technologies within energy, water, medicine, manu15 facturing, space, digital assets, transportation, and 

16 other public policy areas. 

Æ 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB