Bill Flores: “I want to start by thanking Mr. Upton for yielding his time to me. I rise in support of H.R. 1760, the Advanced Nuclear…”

“I want to start by thanking Mr. Upton for yielding his time to me. I rise in support of H.R. 1760, the Advanced Nuclear Fuel Availability Act, a bill that I introduced with my friend, Mr. McNerney, from California. This bipartisan bill passed the House unanimously in the last Congress. It would ensure that America remains at the forefront of the global race to develop the next generation of nuclear reactor technologies. Nuclear energy generates approximately 20 percent of our country's always-on baseload electricity for our homes and businesses. Furthermore, because nuclear emits zero CO<INF>2</INF>, it is also America's largest source of clean and efficient energy. Most current-generation and legacy nuclear reactors in use today operate on a fuel that is generally enriched below 5 percent. The next generation of advanced nuclear reactors currently under development vary in size and technology compared to current reactors, and they would require a new type of advanced fuel. This fuel known as high-assay low-enriched uranium, or HA-LEU for short, is enriched at higher levels than what is available in the current commercial market. The bipartisan Advanced Nuclear Fuel Availability Act establishes a public-private partnership through the Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy to support the availability of HA-LEU for domestic commercial use. A March 2017, survey of advanced reactor developers based in the U.S.…”