Transcript Highlights:

• "Roll over, allowing them to purchase energy or have a credit, essentially, to not purchase energy.
• "Madam President, distributing energy is already in this very moment lowering energy costs.
• >> MADAM PRESIDENT, DISTRIBUTING ENERGY IS ALREADY IN THIS VERY MOMENT LOWERING ENERGY COSTS.
• energy costs.
• ENERGY COSTS.

Keywords: 993, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened, approved the prior journal, and then took up a series of utility and public service bills and resolutions. A resolution sponsored by Senator Scarcella-Spanton designating April 9, 2026, as Yellow Ribbon Day was adopted after remarks honoring veterans, active-duty service members, and their families. The chamber then moved through several Public Service Law measures focused on utility affordability, consumer protections, and PSC procedures, with some bills laid aside and others advanced. Among the bills passed were measures by Senators Mayer, Cleare, Hinchey, Comrie, and Parker. Debate on the Mayer bill centered on limiting utility expenses and fees recoverable in rate cases; supporters said it was part of a broader package to reform PSC practices, while opponents argued it would not lower current bills and had been softened from earlier versions. The Webb bill creating a residential utility usage monitoring program drew extended debate over whether it would meaningfully reduce costs, who would pay for the program, and whether it could lead to government monitoring of household usage; supporters said it would give consumers more control and transparency, while critics said it would not lower rates. The Gonzalez bill, which would add consumer protections during PSC investigations and delay shutoffs in certain circumstances, also passed after questions about whether it applied to rate cases, with the sponsor saying rate cases were explicitly excluded. Several members explained their votes, with supporters emphasizing affordability, transparency, and consumer protection, and opponents arguing the package would not address immediate rate relief and could burden ratepayers or encourage nonpayment. Senator Tedisco and others criticized PSC appointments and state energy policy, while Democratic sponsors argued the bills were part of a longer-term effort to reform utility regulation and address climate and affordability concerns. The chamber restored multiple bills to the non-controversial calendar before final votes, and the recorded results showed passage of the major utility bills by substantial margins, along with one amendment appeal being ruled nongermane and rejected.

Transcript Highlights:

• energy-wise.
• focused on renewable energy... ...and energy resiliency.
• focused on renewable energy.
• OEMR's funding base being from Department of Energy focused on renewable energy and energy resiliency
• I'm a big energy person.

Keywords: 989, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It's to generate your own energy.
• People want the energy, but they also don't want the results of having the energy.
• The issue is energy, and it will always be energy.
• company decides to purchase that energy, wouldn't that energy, Mr.
• in this state that will power a clean energy industry that can, like Facebook, use 100% energy.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> participants in resilient energy participants in resilient energy infrastructure. infrastructure
• and our total energy purchased and calculate how much that energy cost us.
• </c><00:14:05.680><c> purchased</c> energy and our total energy purchased energy and our total energy
• energy sold or energy as compared to the energy sold or energy purchased<00:14:20.480><c> to</c><00:
• their energy costs their energy costs that<00:23:46.240><c> they've</c><00:23:46.880><c> implemented

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The marriage credit, the wind energy conversion systems, and the solar energy systems are those that
• Wind energy conversion systems include any device which converts wind energy to a form of usable energy
• </c><01:03:31.119><c> The</c> energy policies passed in HR1. The energy policies passed in HR1.
• </c> uptake of renewable energy. uptake of renewable energy.
• clean energy credits, and federal grants under the Rural Energy for America Program.

Committee: House Taxes

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• Back in the early '40s, it started with the Atomic Energy Act and how to use atomic energy for peace,
• And so there's still a lot of energy there, potential energy.
• new energy...
• We've lost that energy security.
• It's a lot of energy.

Committee: Joint Advanced Nuclear Energy Committee

Keywords: 908, all

Transcript Highlights:

• energy to exclude renewables.
• Pretending solar and wind energy aren't even energy will look awfully dumb.
• For example, a recent analysis found litigation delayed fossil energy and clean energy projects by an
• independence or energy dominance.
• we could really move forward with a lot of new energy projects and clean energy projects.

Committee: Senate Environment and Public Works Committee

Keywords: environmental review, permitting process, infrastructure, bipartisan legislation, economic growth, Nucor, West Virginia

Summary: The meeting focused on critical discussions surrounding the need for modernizing the federal environmental review and permitting processes. Witnesses from various sectors, including Nucor, provided testimony on the delays and costs associated with current regulations, emphasizing the impact on infrastructure and economic growth. Major projects in West Virginia, such as the Corridor H and Coalfield Expressways, were highlighted as examples of initiatives stalled by excessive permitting hurdles, prompting calls for bipartisan legislation to streamline these processes while maintaining environmental protections. The committee expressed a commitment to address these issues immediately, highlighting the urgency to enhance efficiency in permitting to facilitate economic development.

Transcript Highlights:

• Lodi Energy Center's combustion turbine—hang on, I can back up there—Lodi Energy Center's combustion
• So at Energy Vault, we came up with a concept of going to a higher energy density solution with liquid
• So, energy is the driver.
• We combine waves and energy to turn waves into water.
• It uses 100 times less energy than upwelling.

Summary: The Select Committee on Climate Innovation and Infrastructure held a hearing focused on emerging technologies for climate resilience and infrastructure. The first panel discussed the Calistoga Resiliency Center, a utility-driven microgrid that keeps the city powered during public safety power shutoffs using hydrogen fuel cells, lithium-ion batteries, and liquid hydrogen storage. PG&E described microgrids as a resilience tool but emphasized that cost remains the main barrier to wider deployment. Energy Vault explained the project’s design, its ability to provide at least 48 hours of backup power on a small parcel of land, and its use of green hydrogen and battery storage to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. A Calistoga councilmember and NCPA representative also discussed the Lodi Energy Center hydrogen project, saying it could help decarbonize power generation and transportation, but that federal and state funding changes, tax credit timing, and other policy shifts have made the project difficult to advance. The Green Hydrogen Coalition supported the Calistoga model as a blueprint and urged policy changes to create demand and reduce barriers for renewable hydrogen, including addressing behind-the-meter rules and recognizing hydrogen in state energy planning. The second panel focused on water resilience and desalination, with the California Desal Association and Oneka Technologies discussing wave-powered desalination for the City of Fort Bragg. Cal Desal said California’s changing hydrology, reduced snowpack, and drought conditions make local water supply options increasingly important, but noted that conventional desalination is expensive and slow to permit. Oneka described its offshore, wave-powered system as a zero-electricity desalination technology that produces drinking water without greenhouse gas emissions and with limited land use, and said the Fort Bragg pilot is intended to demonstrate the technology under California conditions. The company and Cal Desal both stressed that permitting is a major obstacle, with the project requiring multiple agencies and a timeline far longer than in other jurisdictions. They also said the technology’s autonomous operation could improve water resilience because it does not depend on the electrical grid. The final panel featured the Climate Foundation’s marine permaculture proposal, which aims to restore kelp forests and support carbon removal and coastal food systems. The presenter said warming oceans and nutrient loss have devastated kelp forests along the California coast and argued that offshore platforms that raise and lower seaweed to access nutrients and sunlight could help regenerate ecosystems while producing food, feed, fertilizer, and carbon benefits. He said the technology has shown strong growth rates and storm resilience in other regions, but that California permitting remains a major hurdle, involving 17 state and federal agencies. He proposed a streamlined, code-based permitting approach for smaller projects and said the group is seeking matching funds to complete a first California pilot. Throughout the hearing, members and witnesses repeatedly highlighted the tension between innovation and the high cost, complexity, and length of California’s permitting and funding processes.

Transcript Highlights:

• STR 136 SD1/HD1 requests the Hawaii State Energy Office to convene a nuclear energy working group to
• Thank you. nuclear energy working group to study nuclear energy working group to study the<00:13:55.519
• </c><00:15:09.519><c> And</c> expensive form of energy? And expensive form of energy?
• The Energy Information commerce.
• And the renewable energy by 2045.

Committee: House Consumer Protection & Commerce

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection met on April 16, 2025, and heard three resolutions. STR 57 SD1 urged Congress to create a national reinsurance program to address insurance impacts from catastrophic natural disasters; there was no public testimony, and the committee later recommended passage without amendment. STR 198 SD1 encouraged Hawaii insurers and the Hawaii Property Insurance Association to pursue subrogation claims against polluters to reduce insurance costs for residents; again, there was no public testimony, and the committee recommended passage without amendment. The committee spent most of its hearing on STR 136 SD1/HD1, which would create a Hawaii State Energy Office nuclear energy working group to study advanced nuclear power technologies. The Public Utilities Commission and State Energy Office provided written testimony and answered questions. Testimony from 350 Hawaii, Energy Justice Network, and an individual witness opposed the measure, arguing nuclear power and small modular reactors are too expensive, unproven, slow to deploy, create unresolved safety and waste issues, and do not align with Hawaii’s renewable energy goals. Opponents also criticized the measure’s amendment process, saying it replaced the original contents without adequate public notice. During decision-making, the committee adopted the recommendation to pass STR 57 SD1 unamended and STR 198 SD1 unamended. For STR 136 SD1/HD1, the committee adopted a recommendation to pass the measure with amendments, including changing it to a one-year working group with an interim report in 2026 and a final report before the 2027 Legislature. The motion passed with one recorded no vote and some excused members, and the meeting adjourned afterward.

Transcript Highlights:

• We are also tasking the Department of Energy Resources with leading clean energy procurement going forward
• And the department decides energy costs a substantial burden.
• We relied on 40% of our energy input during that time from oil.
• The cost of energy is through the roof.
• charges. ...recover any public benefit energy charges.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The House opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and then took up several procedural matters, including adopting a resolution recognizing the work of Ukraine Forward and suspending Joint Rule 12 for a number of petitions. The chamber also scheduled several bills for later consideration, including measures on unemployment insurance for fluctuating work schedules, the Medical Society mission statement, a youth training wage, bridge and intersection namings, handicapped parking fines, public-way safety, excavation restoration, motor vehicle safety, and a Newton police age requirement. Two engrossed local bills were passed to be enacted: one authorizing retired police officers as special police in Plainville and another allowing Orange to increase its Board of Selectmen membership. The main policy debate centered on House No. 5151, An Act relative to energy affordability, clean power, and economic competitiveness. Supporters described it as a broad affordability and clean-energy package that would cut costs for ratepayers, reform Mass Save, speed clean-energy procurement and interconnection, return a portion of alternative compliance payments to customers, and address biomass and other energy issues. Opponents argued the bill relied too heavily on long-term programs and new administrative structures while offering little immediate relief, and raised concerns about costs being shifted to consumers, impacts on natural gas, and the pace of implementation. Several amendments were debated and rejected, including proposals to shift public benefit charges away from peak hours, pause public benefit charges for a year, require greater utility disclosure before rate increases, and add a forest-clearing penalty for solar development. One amendment to the energy bill was adopted: a consolidated amendment that included budget-billing consumer protections for gas customers, requiring notice and conservation recommendations when usage rises significantly. The House also adopted an amendment to a separate conservation-restriction bill for Hanson, changing a figure in the underlying law, and passed that bill to be engrossed as amended. The energy bill’s consolidated amendment passed by roll call, while several other amendments failed by roll call votes. The House observed multiple moments of silence honoring Jaden Booker, Thomas Skip Karam, former Freetown Police Chief Carlton Abbott, and former Representative and Senator William Q. “Biff” McLean, Jr.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so there's still a lot of, um, a lot of energy there, potential energy...
• So there's still a lot of energy there, a lot of energy there, a lot of usefulness there.
• new energy?
• And one is we have to have energy security, and we've lost it. We've lost that energy security.
• We've lost that energy security.

Summary: The meeting opened with remarks about the value of public engagement and the availability of presentation materials, then moved into a series of technical briefings from Idaho National Laboratory staff. Joe Renovitz described recent federal and DOE efforts to streamline nuclear regulation for advanced reactors, including NRC Part 53 and upcoming Part 57 rulemaking, DOE authorization updates, crosswalks between DOE and NRC requirements, and use of AI to speed licensing communications and document review. He emphasized that the goal is to align safety standards for advanced technologies, reduce rework for developers, and support deployment for commercial, defense, and research uses. In response to questions, he said there is no current plan to merge agencies, but there is more information-sharing and embedded NRC staff at DOE facilities; he also noted public outreach is supported through groups like GAIN and NEI. David Tolman then discussed the nuclear fuel cycle, covering uranium mining, conversion, enrichment, fuel fabrication, spent fuel storage, transportation, disposal, and recycling. He explained high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), DOE’s HALEU Availability Program, and the need to expand domestic enrichment, deconversion, and transportation capacity to support advanced reactors and the 2050 nuclear growth goal. He also reviewed used fuel management, including on-site storage at operating and shutdown reactors, the Center for Used Fuel Research at INL, a high-burnup research cask project, and the long-term repository question, which he said is ultimately political as well as technical. He outlined reprocessing approaches—aqueous/Purex, pyrochemical, and fluoride volatility—describing INL’s work on electrochemical processing of EBR-II fuel and noting industry interest from several companies in recycling technologies. Ashley Shields presented on AI for nuclear applications, describing INL’s use of generative AI, high-performance computing, and digital-twin tools to accelerate reactor design, licensing, operations, and materials development. She highlighted the Prometheus effort to pursue highly automated reactor design and operation, the large documentation burden for reactor licensing, and ongoing work on autonomous control, remote operation, and AI-assisted materials qualification through the Vulcan challenge and related data platforms. In questions, she said AI tools are used under data-governance and security controls, with different models chosen for different tasks, and argued that software engineers and human oversight remain necessary. The session ended with a brief recess announcement and a transition to a later presentation on critical minerals and materials.

Transcript Highlights:

• rather have clean energy.
• Nuclear energy is clean energy.
• rather have clean energy.
• We want energy that is as clean as possible, and this is 100% clean energy.
• We want energy that is as clean as possible, and this is 100% clean energy.

Summary: The Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee considered a full agenda of transportation, utility, aviation, and energy bills. HB 4045, amending the Jacksonville Aviation Authority charter, passed without questions or debate. HB 1075, which would require municipal utilities to allow outside property owners to connect when capacity exists and fees are paid, drew testimony from local government and municipal advocates who warned about conflicts with existing agreements, long infrastructure payback periods, and the risk of subsidizing nonresidents; despite concerns from Rep. Smith and others about municipal boundaries and cost, the bill passed, with Smith voting no. HB 519, as amended, authorizes golf cart crossings at signalized intersections on designated golf cart roads; it passed unanimously after lighthearted debate about golf carts and pedestrian crossings. The committee then took up HB 919, which creates a state definition for major commercial service airports and preempts airport naming authority, including renaming Palm Beach International Airport to Donald J. Trump International Airport subject to FAA, county, and trademark-related conditions. Palm Beach County supported the bill and an amendment clarifying implementation and trademark language, while Rep. Eskamani and others raised concerns about preemption and the timing of honoring a sitting president; the bill passed with several no votes, including Eskamani, Skidmore, and the ranking member. HB 1093, the Advanced Air Mobility and Infrastructure Act, would support eVTOL/vertiport development through tax exemptions, infrastructure funding flexibility, and statewide siting standards while preserving local zoning; supporters framed it as an economic-development and workforce bill, while Rep. Cheney raised taxpayer concerns. An amendment narrowing liability protections for vertiports co-located with public airports was adopted, and the bill passed with Cheney voting no. Finally, HB 1461 established a regulatory framework for advanced nuclear reactors, assigning oversight roles to the PSC, DOH, and DEP. Supporters argued the bill would improve energy reliability, affordability, and Florida’s leadership in clean, advanced energy, while an opponent from Deploy US urged strong consumer protections and cautioned against overbroad deregulation. Rep. Eskamani emphasized preserving PSC prudency review for ratepayer protection, and the sponsor said the bill was refined through committee discussion. After an amendment fixing technical issues and clarifying that one section applied to all nuclear, the bill passed favorably. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• of Energy restrictions on LNG exports and requiring the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approval
• </c> address the massive amount of energy address the massive amount of energy being<02:22:34.080><c>
• This is not energy independence.
• We have cheap energy. They keep disparaging the people that produce cheap energy.
• We have cheap energy. They keep disparaging the people that produce cheap energy.

Keywords: U.S. House of Representatives Floor Proceedings on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 1012, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:03:28.280><c> Council</c> energy Council energy Council this<00:03:30.560><c> bill</c><00:03:30.840
• </c><00:04:40.479><c> research</c> 268 million do in clean energy research 268 million do in clean energy
• </c><00:04:44.160><c> Authority</c> the clean sustainable energy Authority the clean sustainable energy
• </c> to benefit from North Dakota's energy to benefit from North Dakota's energy production<00:05:08.000
• But the McLean County Board adopted a zoning change that prohibited new energy generation, new energy

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• couple angels that visit our house and are willing to put their time, talent, and efforts, sweat equity
• I am the Director of the Office of Equity at the California Department of Social Services.
• to augment or supplement the services provided under the Immigration Services funding to support equity
• Okay, because as we talk about equity, and I remember when we were in the other room and during regular
• committee hearings, we was talking about diversity, equity, inclusion, and access.

Summary: The hearing began with opening remarks on the Governor’s May Revision for child care and human services, with committee members and advocates stressing that the budget should not be balanced on the backs of low-income families, children, and providers. Legislative members and public witnesses strongly opposed the proposed suspension of the child care COLA, reductions to the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program, and the lack of codified rate reform tied to the alternative methodology. Several speakers also urged more support for providers affected by the Eaton fire and other disasters, and called for child care to be funded at the true cost of care and for additional slots to be restored. Administration, LAO, and Department of Education staff described the child care proposal as maintaining existing funding levels while adding administrative resources to prepare for federally required prospective payment changes and single-rate reform. The administration said the May Revision would suspend the 2025–26 COLA and reduce Bridge Program funding to align with utilization, while the LAO raised questions about the size and purpose of the proposed rate-reform and prospective-payment funding and recommended rejecting a Department of Technology exemption. CDE supported continued early education investments but said it would need additional resources if prospective pay were extended to state preschool, and it objected to a proposed reallocation of preschool funds for inclusive education grants. The committee then moved to the IHSS portion of the May Revision. DSS outlined five major proposals: capping provider work hours at 50 per week, eliminating IHSS for undocumented adults age 19 and older, shifting certain Community First Choice reassessment penalties to counties, reinstating the Medi-Cal asset test as a conforming IHSS reduction, and automating the termination of IHSS when Medi-Cal eligibility ends. DSS also discussed funding to implement a federal HCBS access rule and a separate reassessment of IHSS administrative methodology that found counties would need additional administrative funding. Finance said the proposals were intended to slow program growth and improve sustainability, while the LAO said it was still analyzing the package and raised concerns about implementation, county workload, and the potential loss of services. Committee members and public commenters criticized the IHSS cuts, especially the overtime cap and the elimination of services for undocumented adults and people affected by the asset test. Advocates argued that IHSS workers and recipients depend on these services, that county administration is already underfunded, and that the proposals could destabilize vulnerable consumers. The chair closed by saying the committee would continue to fight for child care and would not pause on child care, and the meeting recessed before moving on to the remaining May Revision items.

Transcript Highlights:

• National Academies of Science, Engineering, Medicine cannabis policy impacts policy health and health equity
• National Academies of Science, Engineering, Medicine cannabis policy impacts policy health and health equity
• National Academies of Science, Engineering, Medicine cannabis policy impacts policy health and health equity
• 00:31:41.360><c> health</c><00:31:41.840><c> and</c><00:31:42.159><c> health</c><00:31:42.480><c> equity
• </c> impacts policy health and health equity impacts policy health and health equity of<00:31:44.159>

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Members of the committee, Mark Glick, Chief Energy Officer, State of Hawaiʻi Energy Office, we do stand
• </c><00:24:48.840><c> efficient</c> expeditiously use energy efficient expeditiously use energy efficient
• Energy Branch Chief, Maria, who's here as well as our Energy Efficiency manager, and so they could even
• energy energy alarm<00:38:30.880><c> the</c><00:38:31.040><c> elev</c><00:38:31.760><c> yeah</c><00:
• </c><00:41:09.400><c> resource</c> installing distributed energy resource installing distributed energy

Committee: Senate Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The joint hearing began with SB 133 on energy, which drew opposition testimony from James Abraham, who said the bill was unnecessary because the Public Utilities Commission had already opened a proceeding to investigate wheeling, including intergovernmental wheeling, and should be allowed to finish its collaborative process. The committees then moved to SB 161 on county permitting and inspection, where several agencies submitted written comments or opposition, while the Grassroots Institute and HCDA-related testimony supported the measure. Members raised concerns about accountability and whether state agencies would report back on projects approved under any permitting exemption, and witnesses suggested annual reporting or amendment language to address that issue. The hearing then turned to SB 232 and SB 588, both related to renewable energy permitting. Testimony on SB 232 was largely supportive, but Rocky Mold of the Hawaii Solar Energy Association said SB 232 was an older version of a bill and that SB 588 was the preferred, updated measure. Members discussed whether the bill should be limited to residential or behind-the-meter customer-sited systems rather than utility-scale projects, and Mold clarified that the proposal was intended for customer-sited systems, not utility-scale facilities. For SB 588, the Department of Land and Natural Resources warned that state or county laws inconsistent with the National Flood Insurance Program could jeopardize flood insurance eligibility and related federal assistance, while Mold argued the bill’s FEMA floodway exemption was needed to avoid blocking solar installations on existing structures. The chair expressed concern about risking federal funding and questioned whether the exemption could be narrowed without defeating the bill’s purpose. SB 412, also on renewable energy, received supportive testimony from the State Energy Office and others. Members questioned whether a single coordinating entity should compile agency assessments, and Mark Glick said the Energy Office could take on that role if given the duty and sufficient staff. The committee then discussed SB 635 on energy efficiency, which would require state agencies to use energy-efficient lighting. Mark Glick testified that much of the work was already underway through benchmarking and related contracts, and a DAGS representative said the state was already assessing 590 buildings over 10,000 square feet, with results expected around 2027. Members suggested amending the bill to require annual status reports so the committees could track progress and avoid duplication. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so there's still a lot of... ...So there's still a lot of energy there, a lot of energy there, a
• I think in the near term, getting better at using diverse sets of energy and to one energy ecosystem.
• And one is we have to have energy security, and we've lost it. We've lost that energy security.
• We've lost that energy security.
• It's a lot of energy. And look, right? It's a lot of energy.

Summary: The meeting opened with remarks about the value of public engagement and the quality of questions from the group, followed by a series of technical presentations from Idaho National Laboratory staff. Joe Renovitz described recent nuclear regulatory changes tied to presidential executive orders, including NRC Part 53 for advanced reactors, the forthcoming Part 57 for very small reactors, and DOE updates to reactor authorization standards. He emphasized efforts to align DOE and NRC processes, use risk-informed and performance-based licensing, support reactor deployment for AI/data centers and national security, and use AI to speed communications and crosswalks between DOE and NRC requirements. In response to questions, he said there was no plan to merge agencies, but rather to improve coordination and public outreach through groups like GAIN and NEI. David Tolman then discussed the nuclear fuel cycle, including uranium mining, conversion, enrichment, fuel fabrication, spent fuel storage, transportation, disposal, and reprocessing. He explained high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), why it is needed for advanced reactors, and DOE’s HALEU Availability Program and related investments in enrichment, transportation, deconversion, and supply chain development. He also covered spent fuel management, the possibility of centralized storage or a fuel-cycle campus, the Center for Used Fuel Research, and ongoing work on high-burnup cask testing and reprocessing technologies. Tolman described aqueous, pyrochemical, and fluoride-volatility reprocessing approaches, noting the advantages and waste characteristics of each, and said several companies are working with INL on these technologies. Ashley Shields presented INL’s AI and nuclear work, focusing on the Genesis initiative and the Prometheus effort to use AI to design, license, build, and operate reactors with far less human intervention. She described INL’s broad use of generative AI tools, the need to manage large volumes of legacy technical data, and applications in reactor design, materials discovery, autonomous laboratories, and digital twins. Shields said AI is being used to reduce the enormous documentation burden in nuclear licensing and to support autonomous or remotely operated reactor demonstrations, while stressing that humans remain in supervisory roles. In discussion, she addressed data security, model access, and the continued need for software engineers. The session then recessed briefly and resumed with Mitch Kerman beginning a presentation on critical minerals and materials.

Transcript Highlights:

• As you know, energy policy and energy pricing can be very complex. So, if you should have a...
• Rules around energy or touching energy. What is the workforce situation?
• It's not to say that we shouldn't mind energy efficiency... ...and go through energy efficiency needs
• I think we should continue to do that. ...continue to be an energy-dominant state and an energy exporter
• You raise them up when you have extra energy, and then when you're experiencing a low supply of energy

Committee: House Science, Technology & Telecommunications Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• Chris Wright to be Secretary of Energy.
• However, I was concerned to hear his belief that wind and solar energy represent unreliable energy sources
• Wright for Secretary of Energy.
• I am enthusiastic about what we heard about his vision on energy and viewing energy as an asset versus
• positive wind energy projects.

Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee