On May 23, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14301, “Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the DOE,” which instructed the Department of Energy to create a Reactor Pilot Program (RPP)—a new system in which companies could pursue DOE authorization to build and test their first-of-a-kind nuclear technologies. EO 14301 set an ambitious goal for that program: three reactors achieving criticality by July 4, 2026.

A proposed rule from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission would update radiation protection regulations and remove “as low as reasonably achievable” (ALARA) language without changing specific radiation exposure limits that are based on the linear no-threshold (LNT) model of low-dose radiation health effects. A second proposed rule would reform reactor licensing, safety oversight, and siting practices with changes the agency said are the most significant in years.

The NRC unveiled the two proposed rules on July 1 and published them in the ADAMS public document library the same day. The rules have not, at this writing, been published in the Federal Register, but once they are, each rule will be open for public comment for 45 days.

Josh Freed

On top of the many celebrations planned for America’s 250th birthday, the Trump administration wants to mark a nuclear milestone as well: achieving criticality for at least three advanced reactor concepts by July 4, 2026.

But this wouldn’t really be a milestone. On a day of fireworks nationwide, it would just be more noise.

Third Way has celebrated the nuclear sector’s progress during the Trump administration and supported the goal of 400 GW of nuclear energy by 2050. Additionally, we think all five commissioners on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission have prioritized safety in new designs and defended an understaffed agency under pressure to bypass important processes.

Staff at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission have recommended the agency issue a construction permit to the Tennessee Valley Authority for its plans to construct a GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GVH) BWRX-300 reactor at the Clinch River site in Tennessee, according to the safety evaluation report published as part of the construction permit application process.

The recommendation to the commissioners is a boon for the project, which proposes constructing a 300-MWe boiling water reactor in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The June report—available in the NRC ADAMS library—presents the NRC staff’s review of TVA’s 2025 application and any additional information staff received through April of this year.

Updates from utility companies in Colorado and Arizona, nuclear legislation and discussions, and the potential Duane Arnold restart were among the news items in the month of June at the local and state levels.

Last week, Canadian nuclear and engineering company AtkinsRéalis announced that it has formally submitted a notice of intent to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission “to begin the licensing process” for its CANDU reactor technology in the United States.

Continuing its breakneck pace of introducing new rules and proposals, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission last week announced that it was proposing to amend its regulations under 10 CFR Part 61 governing the land disposal of low-level radioactive waste.

The proposed rule, which introduces a new risk-informed framework for LLW disposal in which sites can develop waste acceptance criteria based on site-specific characteristics, is one of several rules the NRC is seeking to finalize and issue in response to Executive Order 14300, “Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.”

In 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14300, “‘Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,” which directs the NRC to conduct a sweeping, multifaceted overhaul of its structure, culture, and regulations with the aim of facilitating increased deployment of new nuclear technologies and capacity.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's launching of its environmental review of Holtec International's two SMR-300 reactors at the Palisades site in Michigan and its proposed changes to fuel cycle and materials licensing regulations may have grabbed the most attention recently, but the agency has also announced multiple other updates in recent weeks.

Responding to several executive orders and the ADVANCE Act of 2024, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is proposing to modernize its fuel cycle and materials licensing requirements by amending its regulations for byproduct, source, and special nuclear material.

According to the agency, the sweeping regulatory changes are deregulatory in nature and aimed at accelerating the deployment of next-generation nuclear technologies with a streamlined licensing pathway for nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities and updated requirements for advanced reactor fuels.

EnCore Energy announced on June 18 that the Bureau of Land Management issued a final decision and approved the Dewey Burdock uranium project, authorizing the company to begin construction for the uranium in situ recovery project in southwestern South Dakota.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is set to prepare an environmental impact statement for its review of Holtec International’s application to site two Holtec SMR-300 reactors at the Palisades site in Covert, Mich. The two planned reactors would be known as Pioneer-1 and -2.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has renewed the operating licenses of Hatch-1 and -2 in under 12 months, the agency announced Friday.

Southern Nuclear’s application was accepted by the NRC in June 2025. The Baxley, Ga., facility’s two boiling water reactors are the second and third units to receive subsequent license renewals under the NRC’s new, streamlined process for renewing operating licenses in 12 months or less. Previously completed SLR proceedings took, on average, about two-and-a-half years.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is to prepare an environmental impact statement in its review of Orano Enrichment’s license application to build and operate a new uranium enrichment facility near Oak Ridge, Tenn., and is asking the public for comments on the scope of its environmental review.

The digital publication Politico held its Energy Summit on Wednesday, gathering several prominent speakers to discuss the U.S. energy agenda, including nuclear power’s role. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Ho Nieh was among those who took the stage.

While he had only about 20 minutes to speak at the gathering, which was also broadcast virtually, Nieh broached several topics with Politico reporter Kelsey Tamborrino, including small modular reactors, licensing, the agency’s recruitment and retention efforts, and the NRC’s status and operations as an independent regulator.

The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy turned its attention to nuclear permitting reform at a June 9 hearing—looking at a total of six proposals.

Mandatory hearings conducted as part of a Nuclear Regulatory Commission reactor licensing review will be held much sooner in the process, the agency announced Tuesday.

A provision states that uncontested hearings must be held at some point after 30 days of an application being docketed. Historically, the NRC has conducted these toward the end of its review of applications for construction permits, early site permits, and combined licenses. The change announced this week would have hearings be held sooner, about 30 days after an application is docketed.

The final executive session of the American Nuclear Society’s 2026 Annual Conference was titled “With Great Processing Power Comes Great Responsibility: Ethics and Opportunities for AI and Tomorrow’s Workforce.”

On June 1, the planned restart of Crane nuclear power plant (formerly Three Mile Island-1) received a boost when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved Constellation’s waiver request to transfer certain rights to the Middletown, Pa., plant.

Washington, D.C.-based Curio announced yesterday that it has submitted a letter of intent to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to establish a docket for preapplication engagement activities and ultimately the submittal and review of a license application to operate a spent nuclear fuel recycling production facility.

Once a docket is established, Curio will develop a license application to meet all applicable regulations for a nuclear fuel recycling facility under 10 CFR Part 70.