Trump administration begins overhaul of the NRC

“My focus over the last five years has been to prepare the agency for anticipated change in the energy sector, while preserving the independence, integrity, and bipartisan nature of the world’s gold standard nuclear safety institution," Hanson added. "It has been an honor to serve alongside the dedicated public servants at the NRC. I continue to have full trust and confidence in their commitment to serve the American people by protecting public health and safety and the environment.”

Additional context: Hanson has more than two decades of government and private-sector experience in nuclear energy, fuel cycle, security, and radioactive waste issues. Prior to joining the NRC, he served as a staff member on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Energy and Water Subcommittee under Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.), and before that, he was a senior advisor in the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy. Hanson also was a consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he led multiple engagements for government and industry.

Hanson was nominated for an open seat on the NRC and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2020. In 2021, President Joe Biden named Hanson chair of the commission—but earlier this year Trump bumped Hanson and appointed commissioner David Wright to the top spot.

Just one year ago, the Senate passed Hanson’s renomination to the NRC for a five-year term that would have expired June 30, 2029.

Official statements: A spokesperson for the NRC confirmed Hanson's dismissal last Friday in an email to Nuclear Newswire. The statement from the NRC went on to say, "The NRC has functioned in the past with fewer than five commissioners and will continue to do so.”

The American Nuclear Society released a statement Monday afternoon, commending Hanson's service and adding, "A competent, effective, and fully staffed U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is essential to the rapid deployment of new reactors and advanced technologies. The arbitrary removal of commissioners without due cause creates regulatory uncertainty that threatens to delay America’s nuclear energy expansion."

The Nuclear Energy Institute also came out with a statement, similarly highlighting the need for a fully staffed commission and noting that the NRC "continues to set the global standard for nuclear regulation. The NRC’s reputation helps ensure public confidence that the nation’s nuclear fleet operates in a way that protects public health and safety."

How we got here: A February 18 EO kicked off potential changes to the regulatory space. That EO, “Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies” aims to bring independent regulatory agencies under the “supervision and control” of the president. Following that order, many foresaw that the administration would target the NRC, including Katy Huff, who coauthored an op-ed published by Scientific American shortly after the publication of the order.

At the ANS Annual Conference in Chicago on Monday, Nuclear Newswire talked with Huff, former assistant secretary for nuclear energy within the Department of Energy and current professor at the University of Illinois, about Hanson’s removal. “This type of move has a name—it’s called regulatory capture,” Huff said. “And unfortunately, when investigating the causes of some of the most serious accidents, such as Chernobyl and Fukushima, regulatory capture has been at the heart of mistakes people made.”

In May, President Trump signed four nuclear-specific EOs, setting the ambitious goal of quadrupling nuclear power in the U.S. by 2050 (the Biden administration had pledged previously to triple nuclear output by 2050). The four EOs outlined the policy to overhaul the nuclear power sector through supporting the nuclear industrial base, reforming testing, deploying Gen III and IV reactors through the DOE and Department of Defense by 2028, and (probably the most controversial) ordering the reform of the NRC.

Following the signing of the EOs, ANS convened an expert panel of advisors to look at each order and report back to our members. The group’s findings were shared on June 6. Overall, the they called the orders “a significant step forward” and an “extraordinary policy commitment by the Trump administration.”

Regarding the NRC reformation, the ANS Expert Advisory Group supported the EO's intent to modernize commission processes and align regulatory action with the timeframes required by today’s realities, as this relates to the ADVANCE Act; however, the group urged caution against initiating indiscriminate reductions in personnel through existing reduction-in-force processes. This approach, they said, would likely jeopardize NRC timeline commitments to existing applicants and create a chilled environment within the NRC—and an environment of regulatory uncertainty within the nuclear industry.

Speaking of RIFs: In addition to the many staff who have either retired or resigned from the NRC following the focus by the administration reduce the federal workforce are those whose terms are set to expire. NRC Chair David Wright was sworn in as commissioner for a second term on June 8, 2020, which is set to expire this month on June 30.

In a very last-minute move, the administration submitted the renomination for Wright just yesterday, June 16, to serve another five-year term. Until the nomination clears, the NRC will only have Annie Caputo, Bradley Crowell, and Matthew Marzano as commissioners.

Also of significance, an NRC spokesperson confirmed in an email to Nuclear Newswire that the NRC's executive director of operations, Mirela Gavrilas, has announced her retirement from the agency, effective June 28, 2025. In an email to staff, Gavrilas said that her 21 years at NRC was “filled with exciting and rewarding work” and gave her “enormous professional satisfaction.”

“I want to thank Mirela Gavrilas for her exceptional service to the agency and the public, and for inspiring the agency to strive for greatness,” Chair Wright said. “Her work has had a significant impact over the past two decades, and I am deeply appreciative of her dedication and leadership.”

Gavrilas has served as the NRC executive director for operations since July 2024, according to the NRC. The EDO is the highest-ranking NRC career position, responsible for overseeing the agency’s operational and administrative functions and serving as the chief operating officer. Prior to serving as the EDO, Gavrilas held many posts within the NRC since 2004, when she began her career there as an engineer in the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.

Bottom line: ANS past president Steve Nesbit (2021–2022), president of LMNT Consulting, said he was caught off guard by Hanson’s removal. “I’m surprised because this is an unprecedented action,” he said, “and I’m concerned because there wasn’t any justification provided, which raises questions about the independence of the NRC as a regulator.”

Referring to sweeping changes and realignment of priorities mandated by the bipartisan ADVANCE Act passed last year and last month's EO from the president, Nesbit added, “It’s probably the understatement of the century to say that the NRC is in a period of extreme change. This will just add to the uncertainty that the agency is already experiencing.”

In the opening remarks of the ANS Annual Conference on Monday morning, Piercy told the more than 1,400 people in attendance that the world wants more nuclear energy and the question asked of the nuclear community is "How fast can you deliver?"

But, to paraphrase Dickens, it seems like we are living through the best of times and the worst of times. Despite the scary headlines of institutional norms crumbling, the recent EOs show a positive shift in policy for nuclear. Achieving the ambitious goals laid out by the EOs and the Trump administration means more human and financial capital is needed to succeed. Piercy added that a full rebuild of the regulatory structure will likely inhibit the nuclear resurgence: "It's time we put away the meat cleaver and pull out the scalpel, because we need the NRC on the road to recovery."