Legislation
Below are federal bills that ClearPath Action supports.
Click below to dig more into legislation ClearPath has endorsed to provide the necessary federal oversight to spur next-generation nuclear, carbon capture, hydropower and other advanced clean energy technologies.
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- 116th Congress
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- Agriculture
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- Carbon Dioxide Removal
- Critical Minerals
- Direct Air Capture
- Enacted
- Energy Storage
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- Hydrogen
- Innovation
- Natural Gas
- Nuclear
- Steel
The Carbon Removal, Efficient Agencies, Technology Expertise (CREATE) Act of 2023 establishes the Interagency Group on Large-Scale Carbon Management in the National Science and Technology Council and a Federal Carbon Removal Initiative.
The Community and Hydropower Improvement Act would bolster the development and deployment of hydropower throughout the U.S. by streamlining the licensing process, increasing stakeholder engagement, expediting low-impact projects, and coordinating federal decision making.
The Nuclear Fuel Security Act provides the framework for expeditiously eliminating U.S. reliance on foreign adversaries for nuclear fuel imports through domestic nuclear fuel production and ally collaboration.
The Accelerating Deployment of Versatile Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act of 2023 provides a variety of procedures and programs to reinforce and revive the U.S. nuclear energy sector and global nuclear leadership.
The Mining Regulatory Clarity Act clarifies that a mining claim includes exploration and extraction activities for related activities on some public lands.
The Hydropower Clean Energy Future Act would expand clean, renewable, and affordable hydropower, by focusing on innovation and licensing efficiencies. The act also seeks to improve coordination and decision making among relevant stakeholders.
The Hydrogen for Ports Act would support the demonstration of hydrogen and ammonia fueled equipment at ports and for shipping applications.
The Hydrogen Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (HIFIA) would create a pilot financing program to provide grants and flexible, low-interest loans for retrofitted or new hydrogen transport infrastructure, storage projects, and refueling stations.
The Hydrogen for Industry Act would support commercial-scale demonstration projects for end-use industrial applications of hydrogen, including in the production of steel, cement, glass, and chemicals.
The Clean Energy Demonstration Transparency Act of 2023 would amend the bipartisan Infrastructure Bipartisan Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to include more rigorous reporting requirements to Congress for federally funded demonstration programs.
The International Nuclear Energy Financing Act directs senior U.S. officials at the World Bank and other International Financial Institutions (IFIs) to take actions in support of financing for global nuclear energy projects deployment.
The Carbon Utilization Parity Act increases the Section 45Q tax credit for carbon capture and utilization to match incentives for carbon capture and sequestration for both direct air capture (DAC) and the power and industrial sectors.
The Advancing Cutting-Edge (ACE) Agriculture Act of 2023 would reauthorize and reprioritize the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority (AGARDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s version of the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) and the Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), to support high-risk, high-reward, and long term research.
The Carbon Removal and Emissions Storage Technologies Act (CREST) expands the scope and competitiveness of American carbon dioxide removal (CDR) by developing solutions to remove carbon dioxide already in our atmosphere and launches a first-of-a-kind pilot program to incentivize competition and bring the best solutions to market.
The Biochar Research Network Act facilitates research to enhance efficient production and use of biochar to increase crop productivity, support rural communities, and sequester carbon.
The International Nuclear Energy Act sets a national strategic plan for the U.S. to promote engagement with ally partner nations. The bill develops a strong civil nuclear export strategy to compete against China and Russia.
ClearPath Action proudly supports H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act. This legislation would unleash American energy, lower costs, and get clean American energy produced sooner, while protecting the safety and environmental concerns of our communities. The bill is a comprehensive bill to modernize the permitting process for energy deployment
The International Nuclear Energy Act sets a national strategic plan for the U.S. to promote engagement with ally partner nations. The bill develops a strong civil nuclear export strategy to compete against China and Russia, and establishes a domestic uranium supply and reserve that will increase American energy security.
The Fission for the Future Act would drive the deployment of advanced nuclear reactors, particularly in communities with retiring or closed fossil fuel power plants.
The Carbon Removal and Emissions Storage Technologies Act (CREST) expands the scope and competitiveness of American carbon dioxide removal (CDR) by developing solutions to remove carbon dioxide already in our atmosphere and launches a first-of-a-kind pilot program to incentivize competition and bring the best solutions to market.
The Critical Minerals Classification Improvement Act removes the exclusion of fuel minerals from the definition of critical minerals, so critical minerals that have fuel uses – like uranium – can be included.
The Advancing Clean Hydrogen Deployment Act establishes a pilot program through the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management in consultation with the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to demonstrate a variety of new end-uses for hydrogen.
Energy Sector Innovation Credit Act would update the energy portion of the tax code by allowing cutting-edge technologies to gain commercial viability and upend the status quo without distorting the free market.
The American Nuclear Infrastructure Act is a broad bill that establishes multiple programs supporting both currently operating nuclear reactors as well as the next generation of reactor technologies.
The Nuclear Power Purchase Agreements Act would allow the Secretary of Energy to enter into long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) with new nuclear power plants in order to provide around-the-clock clean electricity to federal facilities.
The Federal Permitting Reform and Jobs Act aims to create a more efficient project review process, spur economic development, and create good-paying jobs.
The Steel Upgrading Partnerships and Emissions Reduction (SUPER) Act of 2021 strengthens the competitiveness of American manufacturing by developing technologies to reduce emissions of conventional steelmaking.
The Department of Energy Science for the Future Act would support important federal research facilities and activities that enable clean energy technologies.
The Carbon Capture Improvement Act authorizes the use of tax-exempt private activity bonds to help finance the purchase of carbon capture equipment at power plants, industrial facilities, and direct air capture facilities.
The Coordinated Action to Capture Harmful Emissions Act (CATCH Act) modifies the existing section 45Q tax credit, a federal credit that rewards qualifying facilities for using carbon capture technologies. The bill increases the credit value and eliminates the minimum capture eligibility requirements.
The Building U.S. Infrastructure through Limited Delays & Efficient Reviews (BUILDER) Act aims to create a more efficient project review process, reduce project costs, spur economic development, and create good-paying jobs.
Representative Schweikert’s bill modifies the existing section of the 45Q tax credit, a federal credit that rewards qualifying facilities for using carbon capture technologies. The bill increases the credit value, reduces the minimum capture eligibility requirements, and extends the duration of the credit. This legislation significantly enhances the federal carbon capture credit, increasing the relevance of carbon capture to more domestic industries, technologies and developers.
The One Federal Decision Act proposes to streamline the federal permitting and environmental review process for major projects.
The Hydropower Clean Energy Future Act modernizes the federal hydropower licensing process and promotes next-generation hydropower projects.
The Energy Storage Tax Incentive and Deployment Act would establish an investment tax credit (ITC) for energy storage used at businesses or homes. This will help make energy storage technologies more affordable while working to make a cleaner and more reliable grid.
The Clean Hydrogen Innovation Act of 2021 modifies existing statute for the Loan Program Office (LPO) to expand the types of clean hydrogen projects that qualify for low interest grants.
The Strengthening American Nuclear Competitiveness Act would streamline the export of U.S. nuclear energy technologies, improving the American civilian nuclear industry’s competitiveness in global markets.
The Advanced Nuclear Deployment Act would facilitate more efficient licensing reviews by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and enable long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) to allow the federal government to procure round-the-clock clean electricity and accelerate the deployment of nuclear technologies.
The Financing Our Energy Future Act makes a tax-advantaged structure available to more types of clean energy projects.
The Carbon Capture Modernization Act is a companion to other financing efforts to dramatically spur more deployment of carbon capture, utilization and storage technologies at coal and natural gas generation and other industrial facilities.
The Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) Tax Credit Amendments Act modifies the existing 45Q and 48A tax credits, which are federal credits that reward qualifying facilities for using carbon capture and direct air capture technologies.
The Storing CO2 and Lowering Emissions (SCALE) Act establishes programs to support the buildout of infrastructure needed to transport CO2 from where it is captured to where it can be utilized or securely sequestered underground.
The ACCESS 45Q Act modifies the existing section of the 45Q tax credit, a federal credit that rewards qualifying facilities for using carbon capture technologies.
The Modernize Nuclear Reactor Environmental Reviews Act directs the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to consider how to conduct more efficient environmental reviews.
The Nuclear Licensing Efficiency Act would streamline regulatory reviews to support the deployment of new nuclear technologies by directing the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to set specific review timelines and incorporate previously performed environmental reviews when available.
The American Critical Mineral Exploration and Innovation Act of 2020 provides a framework to expand critical minerals security in the US by improving domestic critical minerals capabilities. The bill does this through expanded resource assessment, streamlined permitting, and research and development (R&D) on advanced critical minerals development strategies and technologies.
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for an increased credit for carbon oxide sequestration for direct air capture facilities, and for other purposes.
The Energy Sector Innovation Credit creates tax incentives for breakthrough power generation and storage technologies across the clean energy spectrum. The bill would establish a single incentive system for promising new power technologies.
Enhancing Geothermal Production on Federal Lands Act will help remove barriers for geothermal activities on federal lands by streamlining the discovery and permitting process.
License Natural Gas (LNG) Now Act eliminates bureaucratic restrictions on liquified natural gas exports.
The bipartisan Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act would authorize privately owned interim storage options in the short-term as requested by stakeholders living near shut down nuclear plants.
This bill would create a new nuclear waste administration body to have politically independent control over nuclear waste management, similar to what the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is for nuclear safety and security.
The Energizing Technology Transfer Act improves the ability to pursue entrepreneurship opportunities at national labs and to commercialize the research breakthroughs the U.S. achieves.
ARPA-E Reauthorization Act of 2019 extends the authorization of the Advance Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) at the Department of Energy (DOE) to 2024.
The Integrated Energy Systems Act would establish a program to develop energy systems that can incorporate nuclear power plants with other sources of electricity to maximize the output of all low-emissions technologies.
The Nuclear Energy Research and Development Act focuses nuclear energy research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) programs around key issues that benefit both the current fleet of light-water reactors and future fleet of advanced reactors.
Modernizing our nuclear sector is vital to ensuring that our electric grid has plenty of zero-carbon flexible power. The Nuclear Energy Leadership Act takes necessary action to achieve these goals.
The Launching Energy Advancement through Innovations in Natural Gas (LEADING Act) directs the Department of Energy to conduct critical carbon capture research and development for natural gas power plant applications.
The Enhancing Fossil Fuel Energy Carbon Technology Act (EFFECT Act) provides the Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy with new resources and tools to develop clean technologies.
The BEST Act will reorient the federal grid scale storage research, development, and demonstration program around ambitious technology goals necessary to facilitate important breakthroughs for grid of the future.
Advancing Geothermal Innovation Leadership Act (AGILE) of 2019 is meant to encourage innovation to advance geothermal research and development.
This bill directs the Department of Energy to expand federal radiation research by establishing a basic research program into low-dose and low dose-rate radiation, aka radiation less than 100 millisieverts and 5 millisieverts per hour, respectively.
Advanced Geothermal Research and Development Act of 2019 would catalyze the DOE’s geothermal research research, development, and demonstration programs to facilitate technological breakthroughs needed to unlock the United States’ immense geothermal potential.
The Fossil Energy Research and Development Act (FE R&D Act) provides new programmatic direction for the Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy.
H.R. 3361 amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to reauthorize the Hydroelectric Incentive Program, which provides funding for retrofitting dams with hydroelectric generating capabilities as well as the Hydroelectric Efficiency Improvement Program.
Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Support Act facilitates research, education and implementation of combined heat and power (CHP) technology.
Modernizing our nuclear sector is vital to ensuring that our electric grid has plenty of zero-carbon flexible power. The Nuclear Energy Leadership Act takes necessary action to achieve these goals.
The bill builds on the bipartisan FUTURE Act, which was signed into law and expands and extends the key 45Q carbon capture tax incentive. It would further support carbon capture technologies through public-private partnerships, permitting improvements and innovative R&D.
Nuclear has long been the nation’s leading clean baseload source of power but faces challenges in the development and use of small modular reactors and other technologies that produce less waste and are more economically viable to manufacture.
NEICA authorizes the development of a versatile neutron source for advanced reactor testing and directs the Department of Energy to prioritize partnering with private innovators to test and demonstrate advanced nuclear reactor concepts.
Directs the Department of Energy to begin planning for a fast neutron source and provides for computational modeling support necessary for advanced nuclear engineering and ensures that the private sector will have access to existing national labs’ resources.
Directs the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to develop a technology-inclusive licensing plan that promotes safety without being prescriptive, while modifying the cost-recovery mechanism so utilities aren’t on the hook for other companies’ technologies.
Cuts federal reviews of small conduit (or energy-recovery) hydropower projects.
H.R. 2880 would streamline the federal licensing process for pumped storage hydropower facilities.
H.R. 2872 and S. 2655E establish a streamlined environmental review process for qualifying non-powered dam projects.
H.R. 3761 and S. 1535 extend and expand the Section 45Q tax incentive for projects that capture and store carbon from coal and natural gas power plants and other facilities.
Modify the 45(j) production tax credit to remove the 2021 deadline for new reactors to be placed in service and allow public-private partnerships more flexibility to utilize the credit.