NRC Office of Public Engagement and Participation Act of 2025

The NRC Office of Public Engagement and Participation Act of 2025 would create a new, stand-alone Office of Public Engagement and Participation within the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The Office would be led by a Director and tasked with expanding and improving public participation in NRC licensing and other proceedings. Key duties include providing education and guidance to the public, acting as a liaison to public-interest advocates, increasing access to participation (including virtual attendance), and coordinating financial assistance for participants. The bill also establishes an Intervenor Trust Fund to pay reasonable legal and expert costs for eligible participants who face significant financial hardship but offer a substantial contribution to the record. The Director would operate with a degree of independence from individual NRC leaders, though under general Commission supervision, and the NRC would be required to publish rules and processes around compensation within 180 days of enactment. An annual Congress-facing report would track participation requests, compensation activity, and Office activities aligned with environmental justice recommendations. In addition to facilitating participation, the bill directs the Office to help implement environmental-justice-related recommendations from the NRC’s own prior review package (SECY-22-0025 and related documents) and to publish notices of compensation determinations in a centralized, accessible way. It preserves existing public-engagement standards and creates new mechanisms to provide up-front and ongoing financial support for intervenors, with funds drawn from a dedicated Intervenor Trust Fund, authorized as necessary and available until expended.