S. 2082

In plain English

Nuclear Recycling Efficient Fuels Utilizing Expedited Licensing Act of 2025 or the Nuclear REFUEL Act of 2025 This bill directs the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to license future recycling facilities that reprocess certain spent nuclear fuel (i.e., radioactive waste) under  regulations for special nuclear material rather than regulations for production and utilization facilities. The bill applies to domestic facilities that reprocess spent nuclear fuel in a manner that does not separate plutonium from other transuranic elements (i.e., certain radioactive elements). Generally, such recycling facilities reprocess spent nuclear fuel into materials that may be reused as nuclear fuel for electricity. While there are no commercial reprocessing facilities currently operating in the United States, the bill specifies which regulatory framework the NRC must use when issuing licenses to future facilities by excluding such facilities from the statutory definition of production facility . The licensing process under regulations for special nuclear material has fewer steps than the licensing process under regulations for production and utilization facilities.

Congressional Research Service summary from Congress.gov (not yet simplified).

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How South Carolina voted

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Who lobbied

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No lobbying reported on this bill in the reports we have loaded (January 2025 through September 2026). Lobbyists report each quarter, about 20 days after it ends, so any lobbying since October 2026 will be added once those reports are filed.