Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Describing the United States' progress in nuclear as slow and inefficient, this executive order mandates a sweeping reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission ("NRC") to accelerate deployment of advanced nuclear technologies, in consultation with the NRC's Department of Governmental Efficiency ("DOGE") Team.
The order directs NRC to prioritize not only safety, health, and environmental considerations, but also the economic and national security benefits of increased nuclear power availability and innovation. Further, the order directs NRC to reorganize its structure, so as to expedite license processing, with targeted staff reductions and the creation of a dedicated team to draft new regulations.
The executive order also calls for NRC to reform and modernize its regulations. Key implementation deadlines and requirements include:
- By February 23, 2026 (9 months): The NRC must issue proposed rulemakings to comprehensively revise its regulations and guidance.
- By November 23, 2026 (18 months): Final rules and guidance must be issued to complete this overhaul.
Central to these reforms is the establishment of fixed, enforceable deadlines and fee caps for license evaluations and approvals, replacing the current nonbinding guidelines. The NRC must decide on new reactor construction and operation applications within 18 months, and on license renewals for existing reactors within 1 year, with shorter deadlines for specific reactor types where appropriate. While the order sets ambitious deadlines, it remains to be seen whether the NRC can realistically meet these targets, given the broad scope and huge complexity of the tasks before it.
As part of its reform, the NRC is also tasked with revisiting its approach to radiation safety, including reconsidering its reliance on the linear no-threshold ("LNT") model and the "as low as reasonably achievable" ("ALARA") standard. Instead, the NRC is directed to explore the adoption of "determinate, data-driven radiation limits" in consultation with the DOD, DOE, and Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA"). Environmental review procedures are to be updated to reflect recent Congressional amendments to NEPA and new federal energy policies. Additionally, the NRC is tasked with establishing an expedited approval pathway for reactor designs that have already been tested and proven safe by the DOE or DOD, focusing its review solely on new risks associated with NRC licensure.
Furthermore, the order instructs the NRC to make the licensing process for microreactors and modular reactors more efficient by adopting standardized applications and exploring the use of general licenses for certain technologies. It must also limit the circumstances under which design changes can be required once construction is underway, ensuring that such interventions are reserved for truly necessary cases. Oversight and security regulations are to be revised to eliminate unnecessary burdens, with a renewed focus on addressing only credible risks. Safety assessments should rely on clear, data-driven thresholds rather than "overly cautious" or outdated models. Additionally, the NRC must re-evaluate the length of renewed licenses, allowing for longer terms when justified by technological and safety improvements, and streamlining the public hearings process to reduce delays and improve efficiency.
Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base
This executive order's stated goal is to rapidly reinvigorate the U.S. nuclear industrial base to address urgent national priorities such as energy independence, national security, and technological leadership in fields such as artificial intelligence.
The Secretary of Energy, in coordination with other key agencies, must deliver a comprehensive report to the President by January 18, 2026, recommending strategies to strengthen the domestic nuclear fuel cycle. The report will address improvements in spent fuel reprocessing and recycling, legal and policy frameworks for transferring spent fuel to recycling facilities, optimal use of recovered materials, permanent waste disposal, identification of valuable isotopes, and the potential benefits of continuing operations at certain decommissioned facilities. It also must propose safe and secure methods for transporting advanced nuclear fuels and reactors, including any recommended necessary legislative changes.
To secure the nuclear fuel supply chain, the order sets several key near-term deadlines:
- By June 22, 2025 (30 days): The Secretary of Energy, in coordination with the Attorney General and the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, must use Defense Production Act authority to seek voluntary agreements with domestic nuclear companies for the procurement of low and high assay, low enriched uranium (LEU and HALEU).
- By August 21, 2025 (90 days): The Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense as appropriate, must update its excess uranium management policy and prioritize contracts for new fuel fabrication facilities.
- By September 20, 2025 (120 days): The Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the Chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Director of OMB, must develop a plan to expand domestic uranium conversion and enrichment capacity.
The order further directs the Secretary of Energy to halt the surplus plutonium dilute and dispose program (except as required in South Carolina), directing instead that surplus plutonium be processed for advanced reactor fuel.
The order also focuses on funding for restart, completion, uprate, or construction of nuclear electric generating facilities. To fulfill this goal, the Department of Energy ("DOE") is tasked with collaborating with the nuclear energy industry to achieve 5 gigawatts of power uprates at existing reactors and to have 10 new large reactor designs under construction by 2030. Federal funding and loan guarantees will prioritize restarting closed plants, increasing output at operating plants, completing suspended reactors, building new advanced reactors, and improving the fuel supply chain, with a focus on companies ready for near-term deployment. The Secretary of Energy and Secretary of Defense will also assess the feasibility of repurposing closed nuclear plants as energy hubs for military microgrids. By November 19, 2025 (180 days), the Secretary of Energy, in coordination with the Small Business Administration, must prioritize funding for advanced nuclear technologies.
The order addresses workforce development as well: by September 20, 2025 (120 days), the Secretaries of Labor and Education must expand participation in nuclear energy-related apprenticeships and technical education, encourage the use of federal workforce funds for nuclear skills, and prioritize nuclear-related training in grant programs. All federal agencies providing educational grants must consider nuclear careers a priority, and the Secretary of Energy must enhance access to research infrastructure at national laboratories for students and Department of Defense ("DOD") personnel.
Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the Department of Energy
In this executive order, the President directs the DOE to overhaul its process for testing advanced nuclear reactors. The Order's stated core objective is to accelerate the deployment of next-generation nuclear technologies—such as microreactors and small modular reactors—by streamlining DOE's review, approval, and environmental permitting processes.
The order does not acknowledge or address the significant non-regulatory challenges to siting, constructing and operating advanced nuclear reactors on the envisioned timelines. Technical uncertainties related to the scale-up and demonstration of new reactor designs, as well as the complexities of site selection and infrastructure development, can also impact the pace and feasibility of deployment. Other challenges include the need for substantial capital investment, supply chain constraints, workforce availability, and public acceptance.
Key implementation deadlines and requirements central to the order's strategy for accelerating advanced reactor deployment include:
- By July 22, 2025 (60 days): The Secretary of Energy must issue guidance defining what qualifies as a "qualified test reactor" for the purposes of expedited review and deployment.
- By August 21, 2025 (90 days): The Secretary must revise DOE and National Laboratory regulations, guidance, and procedures to expedite significantly the review, approval, and deployment of advanced reactors, ensuring that qualified test reactors can be operational at DOE-controlled facilities within two years of a substantially complete application.
- Upon receipt of a substantially complete application, the Secretary must establish a cross-functional team—including representatives from the Secretary's office, relevant National Laboratories, and the Office of General Counsel—to assist applicants and ensure expeditious processing, with all team members reporting directly to the Secretary.
- The Secretary much create a pilot program for constructing and operating at least three advanced reactors outside the National Laboratories, with the goal of achieving criticality (the state of a nuclear chain reaction when it is self-sustaining) in each by July 4, 2026. Apart from the time it would take to develop the pilot program, the technical and logistical hurdles involved in deploying advanced reactors on such a timeline should not be underestimated.
- By June 30, 2025: The Secretary, in consultation with the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, must reform DOE's rules for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act ("NEPA"), including the use of categorical exclusions and other expedited environmental review mechanisms for advanced reactor projects.
Deploying Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies for National Security
This executive order directs a rapid, government-wide mobilization to deploy advanced nuclear reactor technologies—such as Generation III+ reactors, small modular reactors, and microreactors—to ensure resilient, secure, and reliable energy for critical defense facilities and advanced computing infrastructure, including AI data centers. While not addressing the non-regulatory challenges of designing, permitting, constructing and operating advanced nuclear facilities on the timeframes mandated, it directs the DOD to begin operating a nuclear reactor at a domestic military base by September 30, 2028, and the DOE to expedite the siting and operation of advanced reactors at DOE facilities within 30 months. Again, achieving these deployment milestones will require overcoming not only regulatory but also significant non-regulatory challenges.
The order also requires the identification and release of at least 20 metric tons of high-assay low-enriched uranium for private sector projects, the establishment of domestic fuel supply chains, and the acceleration of nuclear fuel recycling and fabrication capabilities. To streamline deployment, the order calls for interagency coordination, expedited environmental reviews, and prioritization of security clearances.
Internationally, it tasks the Secretary of State with aggressively pursuing new agreements to expand U.S. nuclear exports and enhance the global competitiveness of American nuclear companies, while leveraging federal resources to support nuclear trade and financing. All actions are to be carried out in accordance with the highest safety, security, and nonproliferation standards.
Final Remarks
Viewed in their most favorable light, the four executive orders mark an ambitious effort to accelerate the deployment of advanced nuclear technologies and revitalize the domestic nuclear sector through sweeping regulatory, structural, and procedural reforms. By mandating strict deadlines, streamlining licensing, and emphasizing economic and national security benefits alongside safety, the orders addresses criticisms of inefficiency and inertia in the U.S. nuclear landscape. However, even if the vast scope of administrative and regulatory changes and actions dictated by the orders can be achieved within the strict timetables that permeate the order, the question remains whether the technology can be ready and implemented within the specified timetables.
Moreover, the directive to revise foundational safety models, reduce regulatory independence, and expedite approval processes will spark debate among industry experts and public interest groups, who caution that the pursuit of speed and innovation must not erode the NRC's core commitment to public health and safety. While the orders consistently reiterate adherence to safety requirements, the unprecedented scale and pace of these changes raise important questions about how the balance between efficiency, innovation, and rigorous oversight will be maintained as the U.S. nuclear sector enters this new era.
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