RELEASE: Four Nuclear Executive Orders Signed, and There is a Long Way to Go

WASHINGTON, DC, May 23 – Earlier today, President Trump signed four executive orders that pave the way for the United States’ nuclear industry to move forward. The executive orders (EOs) push for more efficient licensing at the NRC, building a resilient domestic supply chain, and advancing the deployment of nuclear energy in the US. Many of these directives align with the bipartisan policies set forth in the ADVANCE Act of 2024, and are already in process at the NRC. Not all of the provisions are feasible, and some are contradictory, but the orders represent a real commitment to support a large scale-up of nuclear energy.

The Breakthrough Institute (BTI) appreciates the White House’s attention and commitment to advancing the deployment of nuclear energy. These EOs show the determination of the current administration to ensure American energy abundance and national security. Nuclear power is an indispensable part of that.

In many cases, the executive orders say the quiet part out loud. Nuclear power is the largest source of firm, clean energy in the United States, and further growth of the industry will reduce overall electricity system costs. Regulation should not be one-sided and must be considered in balance with the risks of other energy sources. Nuclear energy helps to avoid thousands of excess pollution deaths a year in the United States, and millions more worldwide.

Executive Order Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base will build a great American nuclear ecosystem by enabling a domestic fuel supply chain, expanding workforce, prioritizing funding for nuclear plants uprates, restarts, and more.

The support of increased nuclear deployment through the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense is promising. However, it is unclear that licensing under DOE would be any easier than licensing under the NRC. Similarly, the Department of Defense has no recent experience in the deployment of nuclear reactors and technology. Additionally, the EOs’ call to restart shuttered reactors is an encouraging opportunity, but the DOE’s Loan Programs Office must be properly staffed and empowered to realize the smooth restart of reactors.

Executive Orders Ordering the reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Directs Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission directly call out to reform NRC’s overly risk-averse culture, structure, and regulations, setting an 18-month and 12-month deadline on licensing the new and existing reactors, respectively.

Those EOs will push the NRC to become more efficient in its licensing, but they also threaten to reduce the NRC’s workforce, independence, and resources. To enable high-volume licensing to meet the administration’s goal of 400 GW of new nuclear plants by 2050, the NRC will need at least 350 staff members whose full-time focus will be on licensing, even if licensing becomes twice as efficient as of now. The order correctly identifies that increases in staffing in certain areas, particularly licensing, may be necessary.

It also asks the NRC to reconsider, not outright eliminate, the linear-no-threshold radiation exposure model and As-Low-As-Reasonably-Achievable (ALARA) regulation. This is consistent with Congressional expectations in the ADVANCE Act, to not unnecessarily limit benefits to society, while ensuring safety. However, it is a big missed opportunity to finally align the NRC with a modern, risk-informed approach that directly reflects Congress’s 1990 Clean Air Act amendments emphasizing an “ample margin of safety”, as a numerical threshold that is consistent for radiological health risk and other regulated hazards. Reconsideration of safety and risk thresholds must consider what is in statute.

Executive Order Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the Department of Energy advocates for speeding up the development of advanced nuclear through pilot programs and streamlining environmental reviews.

The goal of 400 GW of nuclear capacity by 2050 is laudable and supports national security, but achieving that goal will require comprehensive and complementary strategies and ample resources. A series of executive orders is just a start. The administration must look not only to support the nuclear technologies but also provide an environment that enables the efficient deployment of nuclear energy.

In response to the EOs, Dr. Adam Stein, Director of Nuclear Energy Innovation at Breakthrough, noted, “These executive orders take bold steps to accelerate the deployment of nuclear energy in the United States, including supporting innovative technology, strengthening the fuel supply chain, and streamlining the licensing process. It also re-emphasizes the need to implement many of the requirements of the bipartisan ADVANCE Act to accomplish the modernization of the NRC, and directs reevaluation of regulations for alignment with the agency’s mission. However, a comprehensive strategy is still needed to bring the parts together. The clear negative health and environmental effects and risks of alternative energy sources should no longer be ignored when considering innovation, licensing, and deployment of nuclear energy.”

When the United States led the world in deploying nuclear energy, in 1954 Congress declared in the Atomic Energy Act that “the development, use, and control of atomic energy shall be directed so as to make the maximum contribution to the general welfare.” The nation needs a nuclear regulator that can license new nuclear reactors, and a federal government capable of enabling the industry to grow and maximize benefits to society—a position Congress reaffirmed in the ADVANCE Act last year. These executive orders are a positive sign that the Trump administration understands both the value of nuclear power and the important role that the federal government must play in its resurgence.

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Media Contact:

Adam Stein

Director of Nuclear Energy Innovation, Climate and Energy

adam@thebreakthrough.org