House Energy and Commerce Committee

Biological and Environmental Research – Biological Systems Science

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program conducts peer-reviewed scientific research, involving studying health and environmental issues. In 2007, the DOE established three Bioenergy Research Centers (BRCs) in order to focus advanced biotechnology-based resources on biofuel production. According to the DOE, the BRCs are presently conducting research on processes needed for […]

Price-Anderson Act

Price-Anderson provides for the process of resolving liability claims in response to an accident at a commercial nuclear power plant. The act creates two tiers of liability coverage. The first tier requires commercial nuclear power plant owners to obtain enough private insurance to cover liability claims up to $375 million. If claims exceed the tier […]

Department of Energy Loan Guarantee Authority

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Loan Guarantee Program was created for the purpose of lowering the financial risk of large private sector commercial energy projects that use advanced technologies. Amendments to the program have expanded the list of eligible technologies to include: nuclear, certain coal, carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies, hybrid gas or diesel […]

Department of Energy Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program

The Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) uses taxpayer money to develop and demonstrate advanced reactors through cost-share agreements with the nuclear industry. There are three pathways through which industry partners can apply: (1) advanced reactor demonstrations, which will support the development of advanced nuclear reactors that are expected to be fully functional within seven years […]