Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Reform Act

To amend the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to clarify the organization and duties of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Reform Act ACRS Reform Act 2. Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— (1) the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (in this Act referred to as the Commission Committee (2) the Commission staff should improve its preparation for engagements with the Committee to better optimize the review of pending application topics; (3) the Commission and Committee staff should collaborate and review practices to identify best practices that lead to efficient and effective Committee reviews; (4) the Committee should focus its reviews on novel and safety-significant issues in its review process; (5) the Committee shouldn’t heavily focus on reviewing the aspects of reactor technologies that are well known and well understood; (6) the Committee should recognize and understand that the Commission staff time is valuable in ultimately streamlining, and approving, nuclear reactor applications; (7) the Committee should perform a budget review to Committee staff to ensure it’s appropriately staffed to ensure it can meet the anticipated future influx of applications; (8) the Committee should be modernized by improving the internal processes associated with the Committee independent review process; (9) the Committee should consider modifying its Membership Balance Plan to ensure adequate expertise and experience, while simultaneously ensuring increased member diversity, including but not limited to establishing certain term limits to carry forth this intention; (10) Congress recognizes that the Committee originally provided significant value in providing an independent review of each application, but after decades of accumulating experience and vast changes in nuclear technology, the Committee no longer serves the same role as it originally did; and (11) Congress understands the Committee has the potential to play a valuable role in the Commission licensing review process, but its purpose, processes, and practices need to be improved, economized, and modernized. 3. Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Reform (a) Selection of ACRS Chairman Section 29 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 ( 42 U.S.C. 2039 by the Committee as its Chairman as the Chairman of the Committee by a majority of the members of the Commission (b) License applications (1) In general Section 182 b. of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 ( 42 U.S.C. 2232(b) The Advisory Committee (1) In general The Advisory Committee . (2) Limitation on review Section 182 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 ( 42 U.S.C. 2232 (2) Limitation on review With respect to the applications described in paragraph (1), the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards may only review such applications that present a novel issue or an issue of significant safety concern, based on a risk-informed determination by the Committee. . (c) Fee recovery exemption Section 102(b)(1)(B) of the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act ( 42 U.S.C. 2215(b)(1)(B) (iv) Costs associated with any reviews conducted by the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, established under section 29 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 ( 42 U.S.C. 2039 . (d) ACRS organization Section 29 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 ( 42 U.S.C. 2039 (1) by striking There is hereby (a) In general There is hereby ; (2) by adding at the end the following: (b) Prohibition on subcommittees The Committee established under subsection (a) may not form subcommittees. .

Summary: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Reform Act or the ACRS Reform ActThis bill modifies requirements concerning the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards. Among other duties, the committee currently advises the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on the hazards of certain nuclear facilities and reviews safety studies and reactor facility license applications. The bill limits the committee's review of such applications to those that present novel issues or issues of significant safety concern, based on a risk-informed determination by the NRC.The bill also prohibits the NRC from assessing and collecting fees for costs associated with any reviews conducted by the committee.Additionally, the bill requires the committee's chairman to be designated by a majority of the members of the NRC.Finally, the bill prohibits the committee from forming any subcommittees.