A Republican bill with 1 Democratic cosponsor · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 224.
Cleared committee, waiting for its first floor vote
A committee approved it and it is on the calendar of the chamber it started in.
This is further than most bills get, and still no promise of a vote: the calendar is a queue, and the majority leadership decides what is called. A bill can sit here until the Congress ends.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- On Calendar
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the "Nuclear REFUEL Act of 2025," seeks to amend the Atomic Energy Act of 1954. It proposes a change to the definition of a "production facility." Specifically, it aims to exclude certain equipment or devices from this definition. This exclusion would apply to devices capable of reprocessing spent nuclear fuel if they do not separate plutonium from other transuranic elements.
Yes· 3 of 8
- Scored +3
Does this cut the pollution that drives climate change?
By facilitating more efficient nuclear fuel recycling, the bill supports the continued use of low-carbon nuclear energy.
- Scored +2
Is this likely to create jobs?
The expansion of nuclear fuel reprocessing capabilities may stimulate job growth within the nuclear energy sector.
- Scored +2
Would business owners be better off under this?
The bill provides a more streamlined regulatory path for nuclear energy businesses.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
- Modification of the "production facility" definition: The bill changes the definition within Section 11 v. of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to exclude equipment that reprocesses spent nuclear fuel without separating plutonium from other transuranic elements. (Section 2)
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No negative impacts are explicitly stated in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this cut the pollution that drives climate change? — By facilitating more efficient nuclear fuel recycling, the bill supports the continued use of low-carbon nuclear energy. Does this better protect air, water and wildlife? — The modification may aid in the more efficient management of nuclear waste through recycling. Does this reduce how much oil, gas and coal is produced? — Expanding nuclear capacity can reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
- Economy And Finance
- Is this likely to create jobs? — The expansion of nuclear fuel reprocessing capabilities may stimulate job growth within the nuclear energy sector. Is this likely to grow the economy? — By streamlining the regulatory definition for nuclear recycling, the bill may contribute to long-term energy sector growth.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would business owners be better off under this? — The bill provides a more streamlined regulatory path for nuclear energy businesses.
- Education And Technology
- Does this put more money into scientific research? — The bill supports the advancement of nuclear recycling technologies.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this give the federal government more power? — The bill modifies the regulatory scope of the Atomic Energy Act, which is federal law.
- 10/29/2025
- Committee on Environment and Public Works. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
- Committee on Environment and Public Works. Reported by Senator Capito without amendment. Without written report.
- Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 224.
- 6/12/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
2 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Sheldon WhitehouseDemocrat · Rhode Island