Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Record date: 2025-05-29
( printed page 22587) Executive Order 14300 of May 23, 2025 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
What this record contains
- Federal Register document
- 2025-09798
- Publication date
- 2025-05-29
- Citation
- 90 FR 22587
- Issuing office
- Executive Office of the President
Official record excerpt
( printed page 22587) Executive Order 14300 of May 23, 2025 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; ( printed page 22588) (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
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