Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission

               By the authority vested in me as President by the 
               Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
               America, it is hereby ordered:

               Section 1. Purpose. Abundant energy is a vital 
               national- and economic-security interest. In 
               conjunction with domestic fossil fuel production, 
               nuclear energy can liberate America from dependence on 
               geopolitical rivals. It can power not only traditional 
               manufacturing industries but also cutting-edge, energy-
               intensive industries such as artificial intelligence 
               and quantum computing.

               Between 1954 and 1978, the United States authorized the 
               construction of 133 since-completed civilian nuclear 
               reactors at 81 power plants. Since 1978, the Nuclear 
               Regulatory Commission (NRC) has authorized only a 
               fraction of that number; of these, only two reactors 
               have entered into commercial operation. The NRC charges 
               applicants by the hour to process license applications, 
               with prolonged timelines that maximize fees while 
               throttling nuclear power development. The NRC has 
               failed to license new reactors even as technological 
               advances promise to make nuclear power safer, cheaper, 
               more adaptable, and more abundant than ever.

               This failure stems from a fundamental error: Instead of 
               efficiently promoting safe, abundant nuclear energy, 
               the NRC has instead tried to insulate Americans from 
               the most remote risks without appropriate regard for 
               the severe domestic and geopolitical costs of such risk 
               aversion. The NRC utilizes safety models that posit 
               there is no safe threshold of radiation exposure and 
               that harm is directly proportional to the amount of 
               exposure. Those models lack sound scientific basis and 
               produce irrational results, such as requiring that 
               nuclear plants protect against radiation below 
               naturally occurring levels. A myopic policy of 
               minimizing even trivial risks ignores the reality that 
               substitute forms of energy production also carry risk, 
               such as pollution with potentially deleterious health 
               effects.

               Recent events in Europe, such as the nationwide 
               blackouts in Spain and Portugal, underscore the 
               importance of my Administration's focus on dispatchable 
               power generation--including nuclear power--over 
               intermittent power. Beginning today, my Administration 
               will reform the NRC, including its structure, 
               personnel, regulations, and basic operations. In so 
               doing, we will produce lasting American dominance in 
               the global nuclear energy market, create tens of 
               thousands of high-paying jobs, and generate American-
               led prosperity and resilience.

               Sec. 2. Policy. It is the policy of the United States 
               to:

                   (a) Reestablish the United States as the global 
               leader in nuclear energy;
                   (b) Facilitate increased deployment of new nuclear 
               reactor technologies, such as Generation III+ and IV 
               reactors, modular reactors, and microreactors, 
               including by lowering regulatory and cost barriers to 
               entry;
                   (c) Facilitate the expansion of American nuclear 
               energy capacity from approximately 100 GW in 2024 to 
               400 GW by 2050;
                   (d) Employ emerging technologies to safely 
               accelerate the modeling, simulation, testing, and 
               approval of new reactor designs;
                   (e) Support the continued operation of, and 
               facilitate appropriate operational extensions for, the 
               current nuclear fleet, as well as the reactivation of 
               prematurely shuttered or partially completed nuclear 
               facilities; and
                   (f) Maintain the United States' leading reputation 
               for nuclear safety.

               Sec. 3. Reforming the NRC's Culture. The Congress has 
               mandated that the NRC's ``licensing and regulation of 
               the civilian use of radioactive materials and nuclear 
               energy be conducted in a manner that is efficient and 
               does not unnecessarily limit--(1) the civilian use of 
               radioactive materials and deployment of nuclear energy; 
               or (2) the benefits of civilian use of radioactive 
               materials and nuclear energy technology to society.'' 
               Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear 
               for Clean Energy Act of 2024, Public Law 118-67, sec. 
               501(a). Just as the Congress directed, the NRC's 
               mission shall include facilitating nuclear power while 
               ensuring reactor safety. When carrying out its 
               licensing and related regulatory functions, the NRC 
               shall consider the benefits of increased availability 
               of, and innovation in, nuclear power to our economic 
               and national security in addition to safety, health, 
               and environmental considerations.

               Sec. 4. Reforming the NRC's Structure. (a) The current 
               structure and staffing of the NRC are misaligned with 
               the Congress's directive that the NRC shall not unduly 
               restrict the benefits of nuclear power. The NRC shall, 
               in consultation with the NRC's DOGE Team (as defined in 
               Executive Order 14158 of January 20, 2025 (Establishing 
               and Implementing the President's ``Department of 
               Government Efficiency'')), and consistent with its 
               governing statutes, reorganize the NRC to promote the 
               expeditious processing of license applications and the 
               adoption of innovative technology. The NRC shall 
               undertake reductions in force in conjunction with this 
               reorganization, though certain functions may increase 
               in size consistent with the policies in this order, 
               including those devoted to new reactor licensing. The 
               NRC shall also create a dedicated team of at least 20 
               officials to draft the new regulations directed by 
               section 5 of this order.

                   (b) The personnel and functions of the Advisory 
               Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) shall be reduced 
               to the minimum necessary to fulfill ACRS's statutory 
               obligations. Review by ACRS of permitting and licensing 
               issues shall focus on issues that are truly novel or 
               noteworthy.

               Sec. 5. Reforming and Modernizing the NRC's 
               Regulations. The NRC, working with its DOGE Team, the 
               Office of Management and Budget, and other executive 
               departments and agencies as appropriate, shall 
               undertake a review and wholesale revision of its 
               regulations and guidance documents, and issue notice(s) 
               of proposed rulemaking effecting this revision within 9 
               months of the date of this order. The NRC shall issue 
               final rules and guidance to conclude this revision 
               process within 18 months of the date of this order. In 
               conducting this wholesale revision, the NRC shall be 
               guided by the policies set forth in section 2 of this 
               order and shall in particular:

                   (a) Establish fixed deadlines for its evaluation 
               and approval of licenses, license amendments, license 
               renewals, certificates of compliance, power uprates, 
               license transfers, and any other activity requested by 
               a licensee or potential licensee, as directed under the 
               Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act, rather 
               than the nonbinding ``generic milestone schedules'' 
               guidelines the NRC has already adopted. Those deadlines 
               shall be enforced by fixed caps on the NRC's recovery 
               of hourly fees. The deadlines shall include: (1) a 
               deadline of no more than 18 months for final decision 
               on an application to construct and operate a new 
               reactor of any type, commencing with the first required 
               step in the regulatory process, and (2) a deadline of 
               no more than 1 year for final decision on an 
               application to continue operating an existing reactor 
               of any type, commencing with the first required step in 
               the regulatory process. The regulations should not 
               provide for tolling those deadlines except in instances 
               of applicant failure, and must allow a reasonably 
               diligent applicant to navigate the licensing process 
               successfully in the time allotted. Moreover, these are 
               maximum time periods; the NRC shall adopt shorter 
               deadlines tailored to particular reactor types or 
               licensing pathways as appropriate.
                   (b) Adopt science-based radiation limits. In 
               particular, the NRC shall reconsider reliance on the 
               linear no-threshold (LNT) model for radiation exposure 
               and the ``as low as reasonably achievable'' standard, 
               which is predicated on LNT. Those models are flawed, as 
               discussed in section 1 of this order. In reconsidering 
               those limits, the NRC shall specifically consider 
               adopting determinate radiation limits, and in doing so 
               shall consult with the Department of Defense (DOD), the 
               Department of Energy (DOE), and the Environmental 
               Protection Agency.
                   (c) Revise, in consultation with the Council on 
               Environmental Quality, NRC regulations governing NRC's 
               compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
               to reflect the Congress's 2023 amendments to that 
               statute and the policies articulated in sections 2 and 
               5 of Executive Order 14154 of January 20, 2025 
               (Unleashing American Energy).
                   (d) Establish an expedited pathway to approve 
               reactor designs that the DOD or the DOE have tested and 
               that have demonstrated the ability to function safely. 
               NRC review of such designs shall focus solely on risks 
               that may arise from new applications permitted by NRC 
               licensure, rather than revisiting risks that have 
               already been addressed in the DOE or DOD processes.
                   (e) Establish a process for high-volume licensing 
               of microreactors and modular reactors, including by 
               allowing for standardized applications and approvals 
               and by considering to what extent such reactors or 
               components thereof should be regulated through general 
               licenses.
                   (f) Establish stringent thresholds for 
               circumstances in which the NRC may demand changes to 
               reactor design once construction is underway.
                   (g) Revise the Reactor Oversight Process and 
               reactor security rules and requirements to reduce 
               unnecessary burdens and be responsive to credible 
               risks.
                   (h) Adopt revised and, where feasible, determinate 
               and data-backed thresholds to ensure that reactor 
               safety assessments focus on credible, realistic risks.
                   (i) Reconsider the regulations governing the time 
               period for which a renewed license remains effective, 
               and extend that period as appropriate based on 
               available technological and safety data.
                   (j) Streamline the public hearings process.

               Sec. 6. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order 
               shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or 
the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget 
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

                   (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with 
               applicable law and subject to the availability of 
               appropriations.
                   (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, 
               create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, 
               enforceable at law or in equity by any party against 
               the United States, its departments, agencies, or 
               entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any 
               other person.
                   (d) The Nuclear Regulatory Commission shall provide 
               funding for publication of this order in the Federal 
               Register.
               
                DONALD J. TRUMP

               THE WHITE HOUSE,

                   May 23, 2025.