WASHINGTON, DC -House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) and Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), the top Republican on the Environment and Public Works Committee, announced a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), regarding the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) cost estimating procedures. NRC’s cost estimates for a regulation failed the cost-benefit test in a recent case. The GAO report found that NRC staff failed to sufficiently follow the best practices to determine a reliable cost estimate for regulations.
Upton said, “Nuclear power is critical to an all-of-the-above strategy needed to meet our energy and environmental goals. To ensure this important clean energy source remains part of our energy mix, we need to be promoting balanced and effective policies that meaningfully enhance safety, and we cannot do that without accurate cost estimates."
“GAO’s report confirms my suspicion that NRC’s cost estimates are egregiously off target from the actual costs of implementing their regulations," said Vitter. “Nuclear safety is absolutely a priority, and at the same time, we must ensure that the consumers and businesses who bear the brunt of the regulatory burden are protected from unnecessary costs."
In May 2013, Upton and Vitter requested a report from the GAO on the methods and procedures currently being utilized by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to conduct cost analyses when developing and proposing new policies and regulations.
