Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
This is Executive Order 14300 (signed May 23, 2025), directing a broad, fast-paced reform of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The order’s stated goal is to accelerate deployment of nuclear power—expanding U.S. capacity, encouraging new reactor types (small modular reactors, microreactors, Gen III+/IV), cutting regulatory time and cost, and restoring U.S. leadership in nuclear energy. To accomplish that, it orders a reorganization of the NRC, a wholesale rewrite of NRC regulations, firm deadlines for licensing actions, reduced advisory oversight in some areas, and reconsideration of long-standing radiation-protection standards. If implemented, the order could speed permitting and lower costs for nuclear developers, increase pressure on NRC staff and advisory bodies, and change how radiation risk is regulated in the U.S. It also raises likely legal, safety-culture, and oversight questions because the NRC is an independent agency and the order asks for rapid, significant changes that touch technical safety standards and long-established review processes.
Key Points
- 1Requires NRC reorganization and staffing changes: NRC must reorganize to prioritize rapid licensing and innovation, may carry out reductions in force, and must create a team of at least 20 officials to draft new regulations.
- 2Tight deadlines and fee caps for licensing: NRC must adopt binding deadlines (maximums) for decisions—no more than 18 months for new reactor construction-and-operation applications and no more than 1 year for renewal/continued-operation applications—and enforce them by capping the agency’s recovery of hourly fees.
- 3Rewrite regulations on a fast timeline: NRC must publish proposed rulemaking(s) within 9 months and issue final rules and guidance within 18 months, guided by the order’s policy priorities (expansion, speed, and use of new technologies).
- 4Reassess radiation-protection standards and oversight: The order directs NRC to reconsider reliance on the linear no-threshold (LNT) model and the “as low as reasonably achievable” (ALARA) standard, and to consider “determinate” (more fixed, data-backed) radiation limits. It also directs reduced scope for the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) and narrower ACRS review focus.
- 5Create expedited pathways and streamlined processes: Establish expedited approval for reactor designs already tested by DOE or DOD, set up high-volume licensing pathways for microreactors and modular reactors (including standardized applications and potential use of general licenses), set strict limits on when NRC can demand design changes during construction, revise Reactor Oversight Process and security rules to reduce “unnecessary burdens,” and streamline public hearings.