Senator Murray, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Accelerate the Development of Fusion Energy

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Todd Young (R-IN), introduced bipartisan legislation to accelerate the development of commercial fusion energy. The Fusion Energy Act would codify the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) regulatory authority over commercial fusion energy systems to streamline the creation of clear federal regulations to support the development of commercial production facilities.

Fusion energy has the potential to produce abundant clean electricity without harmful side effects like carbon emissions or long-lived radioactive waste. Fusion energy commercialization can be a key component in the United States’ efforts to fully decarbonize the grid by 2050.

“Fusion energy holds tremendous promise as a source of clean, cheap, and abundant energy—and Washington state is quickly becoming a global leader in the development of fusion. Our legislation will help provide the certainty needed to speed fusion research, development, and deployment—unlocking more clean power and bringing down energy costs for families. I’ll continue to work with my colleagues to realize the promise of fusion energy and ensure the United States, and Washington state in particular, maintain our leadership on this groundbreaking technology,” said Senator Murray.

On April 14, 2023, NRC voted to separate the regulatory frameworks of fusion and fission energy and create a unique regulatory framework for fusion energy. The Fusion Energy Act would ensure the development of a tailored NRC regulatory framework geared toward supporting the growth of the emerging commercial fusion energy sector. The legislation would also require the NRC to study and report to Congress within one year regarding licensing commercial fusion machines, including streamlining considerations.

Congressional Fusion Energy Caucus Co-Chairs Lori Trahan (D-MA-03), Don Beyer (D-VA-08), Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03), and Jay Obernolte (R-CA-23) passed companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

A one-pager of the bill is available here.

Full text of the bill available here.

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