ML25064A158
| ML25064A158 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 02/20/2025 |
| From: | Office of Public Affairs |
| To: | |
| References | |
| News Release-25-010 | |
| Download: ML25064A158 (1) | |
Text
No: 25-010 February 20, 2025 CONTACT: Christine Saah Nazer, 301-415-8200 NRC Proposes to Amend Licensing, Inspection, and Annual Fees for Fiscal Year 2025 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking public comment on its proposed fee rule for fiscal year 2025, which includes proposed changes to implement Section 201 of the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy Act of 2024 (ADVANCE Act).
The proposed fee rule, just published in the Federal Register, is based on the FY 25 budget request because a full-year appropriation has not yet been enacted for FY 25. The agency will update the final fee schedule as appropriate, including updates to reflect an enacted appropriation. The FY 25 budget request is $994.9 million and proposes the use of $20 million in carryover funds, making the total budget authority used in the FY 25 proposed fee rule
$974.9 million, an increase of $30.8 million from FY 24.
Under the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act, the NRC is required to recover approximately 100 percent of its total budget authority in FY 25, except funds for specific excluded activities. After accounting for the excluded activities and net billing adjustments, the NRC estimates that it must recover approximately $826.1 million in fees in FY 25. Of this amount, the NRC estimates that $216 million will be recovered through service fees under 10 CFR Part 170, and $610.1 million will be recovered through annual fees under 10 CFR Part 171.
Compared to FY 24, the proposed annual fees would decrease for the non-DOE uranium recovery licensee and for eight fee categories within the materials users fee class. The proposed annual fees would increase for the operating power reactors fee class, spent fuel storage/reactor decommissioning activities, non-power production or utilization facilities, transportation activities for DOE, the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act Program, and for 48 materials users fee categories. The proposed annual fees would remain stable for fuel facilities.
The proposed fee rule includes revisions to implement Section 201 of the ADVANCE Act, which includes the establishment of two hourly rates: 1) the professional hourly rate of
$323; and 2) the reduced hourly rate for advanced nuclear reactor applicants and pre-applicants of $146, for certain activities. Consistent with Section 201, the reduced hourly rate would be effective beginning Oct. 1, 2025.
The proposed rule includes detailed instructions on how to submit written comments to the NRC. Comments will be accepted through March 21, 2025.