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The bill was introduced by Senators Alex Padilla, a Democrat,
John Cornyn, a Republican, and others.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
It is unclear whether fusion, which aims to replicate the
process that fuels the sun by fusing two light atoms together to
create energy, will ever be harnessed on Earth to generate
power.
If scientists and companies succeed, it could be a power source
that emits virtually no greenhouse gas emissions and does not
create large amounts of long-lasting radioactive waste.
Countries including Japan, the U.K. and China are also pursuing
fusion.
WHAT WOULD THE BILL DO?
A year ago, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission voted to
create a separate regulatory framework for fusion, different
than the one for nuclear fission, because there are fewer
concerns about waste and safety.
The Fusion Energy Act would ensure the development of a tailored
NRC regulatory framework geared toward supporting the growth of
commercial fusion. It would also require the NRC to report to
Congress within a year about licensing commercial fusion
machines.
KEY QUOTES
"We now need clear regulatory authority to scale up commercial
American fusion energy facilities and incentivize fusion
investments," said Padilla.
Cornyn said: "Fusion energy offers a potential clean, safe power
source that can help meet our nation’s energy needs. I am proud
to support advancements in fusion technology as part of Texas’
all-of-the-above energy economy."
WHAT'S NEXT?
A companion bill has already passed in the House of
Representatives. The bipartisan sponsors in the Senate are
working to include their bill in a nuclear package deal by House
and Senate committees.
(Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
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