For the past decade, on behalf of the entire U.S. nuclear power industry, NEI has called for significant reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to enable the growth of safe, reliable, and affordable nuclear energy in the U.S. Last year, Congress saw the need and passed the strongly bipartisan ADVANCE Act to stimulate reform at the NRC, calling for enhanced efficiency while maintaining safety.
The ADVANCE Act successfully spurred change at the NRC in numerous areas, and the NRC has demonstrated that safety can be ensured far more efficiently for the operating fleet and for advanced nuclear technologies. To the credit of NRC leadership, change has already begun: licensing reviews are faster and fees are lower, changes in approach to environmental reviews are in process, and goals for improvement have been laid out. But there is much more to do.
On May 23, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14300, entitled “Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,” which called for many of the specific reforms that the industry had been proposing as part of a wholesale revision of the NRC’s regulations and guidance. So, the ball is on the tee, the jump ball is in the air, or the pitcher is on the mound. Any metaphor you want to use—it is game time!
Now, the hard work begins to modernize and right-size the NRC’s regulatory framework and streamline the processes that are used to implement those requirements. Last week, NEI published a roadmap entitled Accelerating NRC Reform detailing recommendations for a more deployment-oriented, risk-informed, and performance-based approach that continues to protect public health and safety.
The industry provides nearly 100 specific recommendations that would involve enhancements to more than 1,000 regulations, policies, and supporting guidance documents. The industry’s objective is to ensure safety while eliminating the significant level of unnecessary burden that has accumulated over the past 50 years, enabling more efficient processes and affordable electricity.
Among these recommendations there are seven focus areas that will greatly improve efficiency while maintaining safety:
- Streamline Licensing Actions – by enhancing the efficiency of NRC reviews and meeting licensee schedules
- Streamline Oversight and Inspection – by eliminating unnecessary inspection to reflect licensee performance
- Enhance Safety Focus – by using risk insights and eliminating unnecessary regulatory requirements and processes
- Accelerate Environmental Reviews – by removing unnecessary delays impacting urgent grid and industrial needs
- Reform Hearing Process – by providing for stakeholder participation while maintaining project timelines
- Modernize Security Framework – by restoring requirements to a level that is appropriate for a commercial facility
- Accelerate Deployment Pathways – by right-sizing requirements and streamlining approval processes
We believe these changes can be implemented in a manner that does not impede the ongoing regulatory activities associated with advanced nuclear design approvals and deployment. When adopted in total, these changes will maintain safety while enabling efficient deployment of advanced reactors, microreactors, power uprates, and fuel facilities and support far more efficient regulation of the long-term operation of all reactors.
The U.S. has a lot of work to do in order to achieve its energy and climate goals. With the rapid expansion of AI and data centers consuming massive amounts of energy, the time is now to expand nuclear—and fast. In order to maintain our energy security, we will need the safe, clean, and around-the-clock power that nuclear provides. To do all that, we’re going to need a regulator that’s dedicated to safety and efficiency. Now is the time, and the game clock is ticking. Let’s do it!
