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NRC looks to streamline hearing timelines under new rule
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is set to expedite its Atomic Safety and Licensing Board adjudicatory hearings on most license applications, including those involving new reactors and license renewals.
This streamlining proposed rule, which aligns with other recent regulatory overhauls at the NRC, would enable the commission “to meet these deadlines for applications even when they are the subject of hearing requests by reforming its contested hearing process to accelerate timelines, simplify procedures, reduce burdens, while preserving due process.”
Background: President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) 14300, “Ordering Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,” requires NRC licensing actions to be completed within 12 months—or sooner; some past adjudications have extended well beyond this timeframe.
Furthermore, the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE) Act of 2024 includes a provision requiring the NRC for certain combined license applications to complete “any necessary public licensing hearings and related processes” in two years or less after docketing the application.
According to a recent NRC announcement, this proposed rule change would align with the EO, as well as do the following:
- Resolve evidentiary hearings within a few months.
- Start hearings as early as possible after a challenge is admitted for hearing. This would ensure any challenges filed later do not unnecessarily delay the NRC in its licensing decisions.
- Reduce discovery burdens for all parties and accelerate appeals.
- Ensure independent legal and technical judges would still preside over contested hearings, maintaining fairness for all parties and accurate decisions that protect public safety and security.
Quotable: “In response to Congressional and Executive action, the NRC has developed this proposed rule focused on streamlining the agency’s rules of practice and procedure. The proposed changes to the contested hearing process would reduce burden, increase clarity, and promote efficiencies in line with the deadlines established in accordance with the ADVANCE Act and EO 14300,” said the Federal Register notice, which was posted on March 3.
According to the FR notice, this proposed rule would generate cumulative undiscounted savings of $51.7 million to the agency and hearing participants, based on a five-year analysis from 2026 through 2030.
The NRC is accepting comments on this proposed rule. Comments can be submitted until April 2 at regulations.gov, referencing Docket ID NRC-2025-1501. Additional information can be found in the FR notice.
