{"format":1,"id":"119-hr-3978","congress":119,"number":"H.R. 3978","kind":"bill","group":"bills","title":"Nuclear REFUEL (Recycling Efficient Fuels Utilizing Expedited Licensing) Act","title_source":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","official_title":"To amend the definition of \"production facility\" in the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to exclude an equipment or device capable of reprocessing spent nuclear fuel in a manner that does not separate plutonium from other transuranic elements, and for other purposes.","titles":[{"type":"Official Title as Introduced","title":"To amend the definition of \"production facility\" in the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to exclude an equipment or device capable of reprocessing spent nuclear fuel in a manner that does not separate plutonium from other transuranic elements, and for other purposes."},{"type":"Short Title(s) from PCS (Placed on Senate Calendar) bill text","title":"Nuclear REFUEL (Recycling Efficient Fuels Utilizing Expedited Licensing) Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","title":"Nuclear REFUEL (Recycling Efficient Fuels Utilizing Expedited Licensing) Act"},{"type":"Official Title from EH (Engrossed in House) bill text","title":"To amend the definition of \"production facility\" in the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to exclude an equipment or device capable of reprocessing spent nuclear fuel in a manner that does not separate plutonium from other transuranic elements, and for other purposes."},{"type":"Display Title","title":"Nuclear REFUEL (Recycling Efficient Fuels Utilizing Expedited Licensing) Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Reported to House","title":"Nuclear REFUEL (Recycling Efficient Fuels Utilizing Expedited Licensing) Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Introduced","title":"Nuclear REFUEL (Recycling Efficient Fuels Utilizing Expedited Licensing) Act"}],"outcome":"passed_house","law_number":null,"introduced":"2025-06-12","chambers":{"house":{"status":"roll_call","date":"2026-11-09","vote":{"id":"119-2026-h315","question":"On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended","title":"Nuclear REFUEL (Recycling Efficient Fuels Utilizing Expedited Licensing) Act","result":"Passed","yea":397,"nay":2,"present":0,"not_voting":34,"source":"https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2026/roll315.xml"}},"senate":{"status":"pending","date":null,"vote":null}},"president":{"status":"not_yet","date":null},"vice_president_tie_breaker":null,"latest_action":{"text":"Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 695.","date":"2026-11-10"},"nominees":null,"amendments":[],"other_votes":[],"crs_summary":{"date":"2025-06-12","stage":"Introduced in House","blocks":[{"k":"p","t":"The following analysis is based on draft bill text that was made available by the House of Representatives and may differ from the bill text as introduced."},{"k":"h","t":"Nuclear REFUEL (Recycling Efficient Fuels Utilizing Expedited Licensing) Act"},{"k":"p","t":"This bill directs the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to license future recycling facilities that reprocess certain spent nuclear fuel (i.e., radioactive waste) under regulations for special nuclear material rather than regulations for production and utilization facilities. The bill applies to domestic facilities that reprocess spent nuclear fuel in a manner that does not isolate plutonium. Generally, such recycling facilities reprocess spent nuclear fuel into materials that may be reused as nuclear fuel for electricity."},{"k":"p","t":"While there are no commercial reprocessing facilities currently operating in the United States, the bill specifies which regulatory framework the NRC must use when issuing licenses to future facilities by excluding such facilities from the statutory definition of production facility. The licensing process under regulations for special nuclear material has fewer steps than the licensing process under regulations for production and utilization facilities."}],"words":173},"summary":{"main_subject":{"text":"Amends the definition of \"production facility\" in section 11 v. of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to add wording about reprocessing spent nuclear fuel in a manner that does not isolate plutonium.","cites":[{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3978/text/eh#H075BF8EAF8D1458584735530EF1C7C75"}]},"core_areas":["Definition of \"production facility\" in the Atomic Energy Act of 1954","Reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel"],"what_it_does":[{"text":"Provides that the Act may be cited as the \"Nuclear REFUEL (Recycling Efficient Fuels Utilizing Expedited Licensing) Act\".","cite":{"label":"Sec. 1","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3978/text/eh#H0B7228CCEE2B4CE7AB9A2C5684AD7BCE"}},{"text":"Amends section 11 v. of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2014(v)) by inserting \"or reprocessing\" after \"uranium enrichment\".","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3978/text/eh#H075BF8EAF8D1458584735530EF1C7C75"}},{"text":"Replaces the words \"separating the isotopes of uranium or enriching uranium in the isotope 235\" in section 11 v. with two items: (A) separating isotopes of uranium or enriching uranium in the isotope 235, or (B) reprocessing spent nuclear fuel in a manner that does not isolate plutonium.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3978/text/eh#H075BF8EAF8D1458584735530EF1C7C75"}}],"unexpected":[],"version":{"type":"Engrossed in House","date":"2026-11-09","rule":"passed","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3978/text/eh"},"current":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","approved":"2026-11-11","approved_by":"checks"},"sources":{"congress_gov":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3978","text":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3978/text"},"card":{"image":"card/item/119-hr-3978.png","v":"54a0e3df17b9","alt":"Votes on Record. H.R. 3978, 119th Congress: Nuclear REFUEL (Recycling Efficient Fuels Utilizing Expedited Licensing) Act. House: 397 Yea, 2 Nay. Senate: not yet considered. Outcome: Passed House, 9 Nov 2026."}}