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S 4529
Introduced Re-checks Congress.gov for new actions and updates the bill's status, and fills in any sponsors, committees, or related bills that are missing. It does not re-pull sponsors/cosponsors/committees/related — those rarely change — and it skips all work if nothing has changed upstream, so it's cheap to click.

Build Nuclear with Local Materials Act of 2026

To require the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to allow the use of commercial-grade steel and concrete in non-safety-related structures at nuclear power plants, and for other purposes.

Introduced May 14, 2026

Latest action (May 20, 2026) Committee on Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Innovation and Safety. Hearings held.

Referred to
Environment and Public Works Committee Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Innovation and Safety Subcommittee Subcommittee
Policy area
Energy
Issues
Climate & Energy
Legislative subjects (4)
Administrative law and regulatory proceduresMetalsNuclear powerNuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

Summary
  • Requires the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to initiate a rulemaking within 90 days to authorize the use of commercial-grade steel and concrete in non-safety-related structures at nuclear power plants.
  • Allows the NRC to require stricter material standards only if it determines that stricter standards are necessary to protect public health, safety, or national security.
  • Establishes that the NRC must base any decision to require stricter standards on specific safety or security concerns related to common defense and public protection.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)
1 cosponsor

Actions (3)
  1. May 20, 2026 Committee on Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Innovation and Safety. Hearings held. · senate
  2. May 14, 2026 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. · senate
  3. May 14, 2026 Introduced in Senate

More bills on these subjects (8)

Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).

  • S 2296 — National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (shares 4 subjects)
  • HR 9612 — American Enrichment Deployment Act (shares 3 subjects)
  • HR 6938 — Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026 (shares 3 subjects)
  • S 1071 — National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (shares 3 subjects)
  • HR 4553 — Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 (shares 3 subjects)
  • S 1321 — Moab UMTRA Project Transition Act of 2025 (shares 2 subjects)
  • HR 9084 — Department of Energy Nuclear Transparency Act (shares 2 subjects)
  • HR 9171 — Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2027 (shares 2 subjects)

Text versions (1)
  • Introduced in Senate · May 14, 2026

Only one text version is on file, so there’s no earlier version to compare against yet.

Full text

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

May 14, 2026

Ms. Lummis (for herself and Mr. Kelly) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works

A BILL

To require the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to allow the use of commercial-grade steel and concrete in non-safety-related structures at nuclear power plants, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Build Nuclear with Local Materials Act of 2026”.

SEC. 2. USE OF COMMERCIAL-GRADE STEEL AND CONCRETE.

(a) In General.—Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (referred to in this section as the “Commission”) shall initiate a rulemaking that authorizes the use of commercial-grade steel and concrete in non- safety-related structures at nuclear power plants, unless, subject to subsection (b), the Commission determines that stricter material standards are necessary to address a specific safety risk.

(b) Determination.—The Commission may make a determination under subsection (a) that stricter material standards are necessary to address a specific safety risk if the Commission determines that not using a stricter material standard would be contrary to the common defense and security and adequate protection of the public health and safety (within the meaning of section 182 a. of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2232(a))). <all>

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