Statement on the draft FY 2021 funding bill issued by the House Appropriations Committee

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on September 23 announced its approval of Critical Decision 1 for the Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) project, a one-of-a-kind scientific user facility that would support research and development of innovative nuclear energy and other technologies.

As the voice of American nuclear engineers and scientists, ANS congratulates NuScale Power for receiving the first-ever final safety evaluation report for a small modular reactor issued by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Statement from American Nuclear Society’s Executive Director/CEO Craig Piercy:

The American nuclear professional community is deeply disturbed by alleged political corruption in Ohio related to the passage of House Bill 6. If the allegations are true, they represent a breach of public trust that should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

La Grange Park, IL– The American Nuclear Society (ANS) has introduced a new curated list of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) educational resources to its website. These collected resources can help educate ANS members and the nuclear science and technology community on the many facets of DEI.

The House Appropriations Committee held its full committee markup of the Energy and Water Development bill on July 13. (The Bill Report provides a more detailed funding breakdown.) The final bill passed the committee by a party line vote of 30-21. No schedule for Floor consideration of the bill has been set, but it is likely to happen next week or the week after.

The House Appropriations Committee yesterday released a draft of the fiscal year 2021 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies appropriations bill, calling for higher levels of funding for nuclear energy. The legislation would fund activities at the Departments of Energy and Interior, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and a number of related agencies, including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.

The U.S. Senate voted last week to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to S.4049, the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Debate on the legislation could take all this week, with hundreds of amendments already filed to the bill.

La Grange Park, IL – The American Nuclear Society (ANS) is proud to announce today its partnership with the Equal by 30 campaign. ANS joins over 145 other public and private sector organizations committed to taking concrete action toward achieving equal pay, equal leadership, and equal opportunities for women in the clean energy sector by 2030.

La Grange Park, IL – The American Nuclear Society (ANS) has selected Patrick Snouffer as the 2020 recipient of the Glenn T. Seaborg Congressional Science and Engineering Fellowship. Snouffer is currently a senior nuclear engineer at Bechtel National, Inc. in Reston, Va.