Sen. Jim Risch is seeking to revive legislation that would provide billions of dollars in federal backing for over-budget nuclear reactors, and this time, he has a prominent Democrat as a partner.
The Idaho Republican, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, plans to introduce the “Accelerating Reliable Capacity (ARC) Act of 2026” on Tuesday alongside Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), a leading nuclear energy advocate.
The bill, which resembles and shares the name of legislation Risch introduced in 2024, would authorize up to $3.6 billion to help offset cost overruns at three or more next-generation nuclear reactor projects.
“The U.S. must remain the undisputed global leader when it comes to nuclear energy,” Risch said. “To do so, we need advanced reactors that can meet growing energy demand here at home and that we can deliver to customers around the world.”
