WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Tuesday, readers! The August recess might be approaching, but that doesn’t mean news in D.C. is slowing down anytime soon. 

Permitting reform is back on the docket, with the House Natural Resources Committee leading discussions. We could be once again looking at a bipartisan piece of legislation, similar to the last Congress, as Chairman Bruce Westerman expressed hope that his party can find an agreement across the aisle.  

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Also in today’s edition of Daily on Energy, we touch on regulatory reforms Congress could pursue for the nuclear energy industry, primarily centered around the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

Welcome to Daily on Energy, written by Washington Examiner energy and environment writers Callie Patteson (@CalliePatteson) and Maydeen Merino (@MaydeenMerino). Email cpatteson@washingtonexaminer dot com or mmerino@washingtonexaminer dot com for tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and you’d like to sign up, click here. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email, and we’ll add you to our list.

PERMITTING REFORM REEMERGES ON THE HILL: Following the passage of President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, lawmakers are now turning their focus to permitting. 

In recent years, both Republicans and Democrats have said permitting reform is a priority and necessary to ensure that enough energy sources are brought online to meet demand. But agreement on reform legislation has proved elusive, in part because many Democrats are wary that Republicans may undermine the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, or NEPA, the bedrock environmental law that requires federal agencies to assess the environmental impact of projects, such as highways, pipelines, and renewable energy sources, before approving them. 

Some of those same obstacles were on display today at a hearing on reform hosted by House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman, titled “Permitting Purgatory: Restoring Common Sense to NEPA Reviews.” 

“This should be a bipartisan effort,” Westerman said in his opening statement. “It will be a bipartisan effort, because I think Republicans and Democrats alike see that the process needs to be fixed, not only to get some certainty in the project investment, but also to protect the environment, to achieve the goals that were put in place many congresses ago when NEPA was passed…” 

Some Democrats raised concerns that Republicans’ efforts to reform NEPA will weaken it, leading to more harm to the environment and favoring the fossil fuel industry. 

California Democrat Rep. Luz Rivas said it is “deeply unsettling to see how President Trump and his House Republicans are attacking our climate and our communities,” referring to the OBBBA. 

“I don’t think we should be dismantling NEPA. We need to properly fund it with science-driven expertise. The same hard-working experts that the Trump administration has fired,” Rivas said. 

Democratic Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell emphasized that her husband, John Dingell, played a significant role in the passage of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). She added that the act remains one of the country’s most effective tools for ensuring that communities nationwide have meaningful input on significant federal actions.

Dingell said there needs to be modern reform of NEPA, but Republicans continue to provide proposals seeking to weaken it. She added that she remains available to “honest and open conversation” to find a bipartisan solution to long-term NEPA reform that continues to protect communities and streamlines projects. 

THE LATEST ON AI AND NUCLEAR ENERGY: Another major U.S. national lab is looking to artificial intelligence to streamline the licensing and regulatory process for new nuclear power plants. 

The details: The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Lab is partnering with AI startup Atomic Canyon, using its AI technology to help the lab work through and accelerate complex procedures with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

The agreement was officially signed at the Nuclear Opportunities Workshop in Tennessee this week. The agreement outlines plans to use “high-performance computing” systems to develop “high-fidelity simulations” that ensure the safety of reactor designs while also accelerating the licensing process. 

Atomic Canyon’s tech will not be replacing human beings in finalizing and submitting licensing applications and other regulatory requirements, but will strengthen design safety and quicken the process entirely. 

“We’re entering into a new, radically more advanced era of nuclear power, and the demand for steady-state energy consumption is growing rapidly,” Tom Evans, ORNL’s lead scientist on the project, said in a statement. “Agreements like this are exactly how we can meet those demands through innovative approaches that accelerate the process by which nuclear power is brought to the grid.” 

Some background: The agreement comes one week after Microsoft announced a collaboration with the Idaho National Laboratory, which will also begin using AI to streamline the permitting and licensing process for new nuclear facilities. Similarly, this partnership focused on using AI capabilities to generate standard reports required in the licensing process. 

CALLS FOR REGULATORY REFORMS: As the tech industry is working on ways to accelerate part of the licensing and permitting process, Congress is facing pressure to make substantial changes to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to further speed up the timeline for building new nuclear power. 

The details: Energy expert and pro-fossil fuel lobbyist Alex Epstein appeared before the House Oversight Committee’s subcommittee on economic growth, energy policy, and regulatory affairs today accusing the NRC of having failed the nuclear energy industry. 

Epstein pointed to the lack of new construction of new nuclear reactors in the last several decades, claiming the NRC “criminalized” the carbon-free source of energy. 

“We need to recognize the NRC, as it exists, is a failure,” Epstein said. “Now that doesn’t mean that it necessarily shouldn’t exist…but we need radical, radical reforms. It needs to be done within the law.” 

The proposed changes: He has specifically called for Congress to utilize the Advance Act of 2024 to strip the NRC’s licensing process, such as by removing mandatory “uncontested” hearings. He also urged Republicans to require the NRC to use general environmental impact statements, requiring developers to only obtain a single and more broad environmental review for their reactor designs. Additionally, Epstein said the NRC should re-evaluate its radiation limits and open nuclear innovation zones on federal lands. 

PLUS…UK NUCLEAR PLANT SECURES FUNDING: Across the pond, the nuclear energy industry is also making headway, as the U.K. government has given the final green light for the construction of a new large reactor. 

The details: The Sizewell C nuclear power plant was approved today with a more than $51 billion (around £38 billion) investment, with the government acting as the largest equity shareholder in the project, with a 44.9% stake. Other investors include Canadian investment fund La Caisse, French energy major EDF, and U.K. gas company Centrica. 

“This is a public-private consortium. We as a Government are putting in money but that means that government – taxpayers – will get a return on that investment,” Chancellor Rachel Reeves said today, according to The Independent. 

MULTI-STATE TRANSMISSION PROJECT TO TURN TO FOSSIL FUELS TO SAVE FEDERAL BACKING: Invenergy’s Grain Belt Express project is reportedly looking to plug both natural gas and coal power into its proposed transmission line, as its original plans of relying on wind energy have put its federal funding under threat. 

The details: A source close to the company confirmed to Axios this week that Invenergy is in discussions to connect a gas-fired power plant and existing coal-fired generation onto the Grain Belt Express, a more than 800-mile transmission line across Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. Project developers previously only planned to use energy generated by large wind facilities in Kansas. 

Such a move would likely soften pushback from Republicans like Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who has labeled the project as a “green scam.” Earlier this month, Hawley claimed Energy Secretary Chris Wright offered his commitment to stop the project, which secured a $4.9 billion loan guarantee from the Department of Energy under the Biden administration. 

A source familiar with the company confirmed with Daily on Energy that Invenergy is looking at connecting both new gas power and existing coal generation to the project, adding that these discussions have been months in the making. Utilizing fossil fuels alongside wind power would affirm the company’s assertions that it is not necessarily a green project, but a highway for needed electricity. 

Invenergy has insisted that the transmission line aligns with the president’s energy agenda, saying it would add around five gigawatts of energy across four grid regions. 

“Built with American aluminum and supporting thousands of jobs, Grain Belt Express can deliver all forms of American-made energy and will further President Trump’s agenda: helping achieve American energy dominance and cementing our country’s victory in the AI race against China,” a project spokesman said in a statement to Daily on Energy. 

Amid the Trump administration’s separate attacks on the renewable energy industry – particularly wind power – attaching fossil fuels to the project could help the company secure the administration’s support. 

U.S. NEEDS A CRITICAL MINERALS STOCKPILE: As China has tightened its hold over the critical mineral and rare earth supply chains in response to the Trump administration’s sweeping tariffs, mining executives are calling for the U.S. to invest in its own stockpile of minerals. 

The details: Ramaco Resources CEO Randall Atkins spoke with the Financial Times this week, insisting that a critical minerals stockpile is “long overdue.” He pointed to tensions with China, saying the Asian superpower has effectively used critical minerals as a negotiating tactic with the U.S., leaving domestic industries vulnerable. 

Atkins said a critical minerals stockpile is “necessary” for the U.S., particularly as the Trump administration seeks to reduce its reliance on foreign imports. He noted that the Pentagon’s decision to take an ownership stake in rare earths producer MP Materials helps give assurance to the domestic industry. Atkins also indicated there could be similar partnerships seen in the future to further facilitate growth in the sector.  

“I don’t think the government wanted to see a US flagship rare earths producer go down,” Atkins told the outlet. “They were a very logical party to construct a model of a business relationship [with], and I do think [the government] will do it with others because it does make sense.” 

FLORIDA OFFICIALS SAY GREEN GROUPS FILED ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’ LAWSUIT IN WRONG COURT: Florida Division of Emergency Management executive director Kevin Guthrie asked a federal judge to block environmentalists’ request to halt the immigrant detention in Florida known as “Alligator Alcatraz” because the lawsuit was filed in the wrong court. 

In a court filing, Guthrie said that the property is owned by Miami-Dade County, which is under the Southern District of Florida jurisdiction, where environmentalists filed their lawsuit. But, he noted that the detention center itself is located in the Middle District of Florida. 

The Associated Press reported that Paul Schwiep, an attorney for the environmental groups, said during a virtual court hearing yesterday that the southern district was the proper venue since “a substantial portion of the events” took place in Miami-Dade County.

Last month, two environmental groups – Friends of the Everglades Inc. and Center for Biological Diversity – filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Florida Division of Emergency Management, and Miami-Dade County to block the build-out of the immigration center. 

The environmental groups argued that the project has failed to undergo a proper environmental review or a public comment period. The groups added that the detention facility, which is being built in the Florida Everglades, is home to endangered species.

The Associated Press said that, during Monday’s hearing, the judge stated she will hold a hearing on July 30 to consider whether the lawsuit was filed in the correct court. The judge will wait to rule on the environmental groups’ request to block the project until an Aug. 6 hearing in Miami.  

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