Economic Recovery for Nuclear-Affected Communities Act
Sponsored By: Representative Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17]
Introduced
Summary
Economic recovery for nuclear-affected communities. This bill would create targeted tax, grant, and innovation tools to help towns with stranded nuclear waste or decommissioned civilian nuclear plants restart local economies and support housing.
Show full summary
- Families: Would create a First-Time Homebuyer Credit limited to defined nuclear-affected communities for purchases of a principal residence after enactment.
- Local governments and communities: Would offer two noncompetitive grant tracks. One pays $15 per kilogram of spent nuclear fuel stored at the plant. The other helps replace lost tax revenue, capped at $10 million per year and phasing down over eight years. A community may get only one grant per year and cannot receive both tracks in the same year.
- Innovators and planners: Would establish a prize competition with $500,000 awards and a pilot project funded from the Act. A board of experts would advise on design and the Administrator would report the winning proposal to Congress within 60 days.
*Would authorize roughly $1.3 billion in appropriations through 2036, increasing federal spending.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
First-time homebuyer credit limited
If enacted, the bill would retitle and limit the Section 36 first-time homebuyer credit to purchases of a principal residence in a designated "nuclear affected community." The credit would only apply to purchases made after the date of enactment. Buyers outside those designated areas would not qualify under this change.
Federal grants for nuclear communities
If enacted, the EDA Administrator would set up a noncompetitive grant program within 120 days. One track would pay $15 per kilogram of spent nuclear fuel stored at an eligible plant, paid once per local government each fiscal year. A second track would pay up to eight years of revenue-replacement aid for a qualifying calendar year between 2015 and 2025, with each year equal to the lesser of $10 million and a tiered percentage of the documented loss (80% in year 1, 70% in year 2, down to 10% in year 8). The bill would limit each community to one grant per calendar year and bar getting both tracks in the same year. The program would be funded at $110 million per year for FY2026–2031 and $120 million per year for FY2032–2036, subject to appropriation.
Who counts as an affected community
If enacted, the bill would define key terms for the programs. "Administrator" would mean the EDA head. An "eligible civilian nuclear power plant" would mean a plant being decommissioned or already decommissioned. A "nuclear affected community" would mean a unit of local government the Administrator finds contains stranded waste or an eligible plant. "Stranded nuclear waste" would mean spent fuel held on site in dry casks or pools.
Competition and pilot for site reuse
If enacted, the Administrator would run a national prize competition within 180 days to find community proposals to repurpose nuclear sites. Each winning prize would be $500,000. The Administrator could use another $500,000 to run a pilot based on the winner. An advisory board of at least nine experts would help design the competition. The Administrator would report the winning proposal to Congress within 60 days of the award.
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Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17]
NY • R
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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