May 17, 2023

Manchin, Energy and Natural Resources Committee Clear Bipartisan America’s Outdoor Recreation Act, Nuclear Fuel Security Act, Other Legislation

Washington, DC – Today, the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a business meeting to consider one pending nomination and pending legislation.  

The motion to report Mr. David Crane’s nomination to be Under Secretary of Energy for Infrastructure at the U.S. Department of Energy resulted in a 13-6 roll call vote. The nomination will now move to the Senate floor for full consideration. 

The Committee considered 19 public lands, recreation and energy bills, including Chairman Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) America’s Outdoor Recreation Act of 2023 that was passed out of the Committee by a voice vote. 

During the business meeting, Chairman Manchin highlighted the bipartisan support behind America’s Outdoor Recreation Act.

“For years, many Senators have been working on outdoor recreation legislation and just on our committee, alongside myself and Ranking Member Barrasso, Senators Wyden, Heinrich, Risch, Cortez Masto, King, Hickenlooper, Daines, Cantwell, and Murkowski all have introduced bills focused on increasing opportunities related to outdoor recreation. All of these efforts are reflected in the bipartisan outdoor recreation package that we will be voting on shortly. The last time outdoor recreation legislation of this size and scale was enacted was in 1963. I’m very proud of this package and the good I believe it is going to do. To keep up with the record-breaking levels of demand, innovative approaches are needed to make our public lands more accessible, improve our recreation infrastructure and make it easier for businesses to locate in rural areas and thrive,” said Chairman Manchin. 

Chairman Manchin also highlighted the Nuclear Fuel Security Act of 2023, a bipartisan bill that would establish a nuclear fuel program with the purpose of onshoring nuclear fuel production.

“We must sever our reliance on Russian nuclear fuel. Russia dominates the global uranium enrichment market as they are willing to sell uranium below market value to achieve their geopolitical objectives. Due to this, the United States has become dependent on Russian enriched uranium to meet our commercial nuclear generation requirements. Ranking Member Barrasso and I, with this amendment, provide a complete approach to deal with our dependence on Russian nuclear fuel. The amendment supplements the Nuclear Fuel Security Act, which would establish a nuclear fuel security program at the Department of Energy to ensure we can meet the domestic demand of our current and future nuclear fleet, while also sanctioning Russian entities to ensure the market is not undercut by state subsidized Russian fuel. This approach will ensure our economic and energy security while simultaneously cutting off our reliance on Russian fuel,” said Chairman Manchin.

Below is the full list of legislation considered today.

  • S. 92, A bill to designate the outdoor amphitheater at the Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax, Virginia, as the "Rick Boucher Amphitheater"
  • S. 162, Smith River National Recreation Area Expansion Act
  • S. 199, Root and Stem Project Authorization Act of 2023
  • S. 440, Oregon Recreation Enhancement Act
  • S. 452, Nuclear Fuel Security Act of 2023
  • S. 534, Buffalo Tract Protection Act
  • S. 535, Bureau of Land Management Mineral Spacing Act
  • S. 593, Cerro de la Olla Wilderness Establishment Act
  • S. 612, Lake Tahoe Restoration Reauthorization Act
  • S. 623, A bill to amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to exclude certain payments to aged, blind, or disabled Alaska Natives or descendants of Alaska Natives from being used to determine eligibility for certain programs, and for other purposes
  • S. 683, Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Expansion Act
  • S. 706, Ruby Mountains Protection Act
  • S. 736, Chiricahua National Park Act
  • S. 776, M.H. Dutch Salmon Greater Gila Wild and Scenic River Act
  • S. 843, A bill to amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to authorize the use of funds for certain additional Carey Act projects, and for other purposes
  • S. 873, America’s Outdoor Recreation Act of 2023
  • S. 1260, University of Utah Research Park Act
  • S. 1466, A bill to adjust the boundary of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to include the Rim of the Valley Corridor, and for other purposes
  • S. 1540, A bill to amend the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to provide for circumstances under which reinitiation of consultation is not required under a land and resource management plan or land use plan under those Acts, and for other purposes

A list of amendments considered today can be viewed here.

To watch the business meeting in full, please click here.