Newswire Policy

It has been 10 months since President Trump signed several executive orders that have reshaped the nuclear energy industry and set lofty goals for initiatives like the development and deployment of new nuclear technology.

One such initiative, the DOE’s Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program, calls for at least 3 of the 11 reactors in the program to achieve criticality by July 4, 2026. Some have questioned whether this target is feasible.

Attendees at last week’s 2026 Regulatory Information Conference, hosted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, saw extensive discussion of new reactor technologies, uprates, fusion, multiunit deployments, supply chain, and much more.

With the industry in a state of rapid evolution, there was much to discuss. Connected to all these topics was one central theme: the ongoing changes at the NRC. With massively shortened timelines, the ADVANCE Act and Executive Order 14300, and new interagency collaboration and authorization pathways in mind, speakers spent much of the RIC exploring what the road ahead looks like for the NRC.

Last May, President Trump issued Executive Order (EO) 14300, “Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,” which mandated that the NRC review and overhaul its rules within 18 months of the EO being issued.

At a public meeting on Thursday, NRC officials shared details and an overview of the rulemaking process, saying that they were on target to have these rules ready by the November 23 deadline.

The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy has launched a new initiative to meet the government’s goal of increasing U.S. nuclear energy capacity by boosting the power output of existing nuclear reactors through uprates and restarts and by completing stalled reactor projects.

UPRISE, the Utility Power Reactor Incremental Scaling Effort, managed by Idaho National Laboratory, is to “deliver immediate results that will accelerate nuclear power growth and foster innovation to address the nation’s urgent energy needs,” DOE-NE said in its announcement.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is looking for feedback on its proposed rule for fees for fiscal year 2026, which begins October 1. The proposal was published in the March 12 Federal Register.

Based on the FY 2026 budget request because a full-year appropriation has not yet been enacted for the fiscal year, the proposed request is $971.5 million, an increase of $27.4 million from FY 2025.

The American Bureau of Shipping has joined a joint development project with the HD Hyundai divisions of Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) and HD Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries (HD HSHI) to advance the conceptual design and assess the technical feasibility of a nuclear-powered electric propulsion system for large container ships.

The project, “Conceptual Design of a Nuclear-Powered Electric Propulsion System,” will focus on developing the basic design, electrical component specifications, and arrangement plans of a nuclear propulsion system for a 16,000-TEU ship (that is, a massive vessel designed to carry 16,000 20-foot-equivalent units). It would be the first nuclear-powered commercial container vessel.

Even a last-minute cancelation from Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright could not derail the optimism permeating day 1 of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s annual Regulatory Information Conference (RIC).

The optimistic theme came up several times during the morning plenary sessions that highlighted Tuesday’s agenda. The NRC commissioners who spoke said the optimism was a result of the “nuclear renaissance” they are encountering that feels different from past nuclear-related revivals that didn’t materialize.

The Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority (KNEDA) recently distributed its first awards through the new Nuclear Energy Development Grant Program, which was established last year. In total, KNEDA disbursed $10 million to a variety of companies that will use the funding to support siting studies, enrichment supply-chain planning, workforce training, and curriculum development.

The United States has a strong marketplace of ideas on future civil nuclear technology. President Trump wants to see 10 large reactors under construction by 2030 and has discussed making $80 billion available for that objective. Evolutionary small modular reactors based on light water reactor technology are on the market now, and the Tennessee Valley Authority expects a construction permit for a project at its Clinch River Site later this year.

Prompted by the ADVANCE Act and Executive Order (EO) 14300, “Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,” the NRC has recently made a number of changes aimed at increasing licensing efficiency.

Today, the agency is implementing another change to the same effect, rolling out a revision of its Differing Views Program (DVP). This revision aims to significantly reduce the time each differing view requires without compromising the NRC’s commitment to safety.

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.

Palo Verde, with three reactors and a combined capacity of about 4,000 MWe, is the only nuclear power plant in Arizona. But that could very well change soon if state officials have their way.

Much like other states in the West, Arizona believes nuclear energy is a vital component of the state’s future energy portfolio. At a special meeting of the Arizona Corporation Commission on February 24, commissioners, officials, and others in attendance showed broad bipartisan support for expanding nuclear energy.

It has been an unusually busy week in the world of West Coast nuclear legislative momentum. In California, a bill is aiming to effectively repeal the state’s nuclear moratorium, while in Oregon, new legislation would have the state create a nuclear feasibility study.

Now, in Washington state, legislators are introducing various measures to move new nuclear prospects forward. One motion requests that Gov. Bob Ferguson respond to the Department of Energy’s request for information regarding states hosting Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses.

Historical photo of Trojan nuclear power plant, ca. 1974. (Photo: DOE)

As concerns over growing energy needs persist, yet another state is reconsidering nuclear power. A piece of legislation is currently progressing through Oregon’s legislature that would direct the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) to conduct a study to assess the feasibility of deploying new power reactors in the state.

Proposed legislation in California could exempt certain reactor designs from the state’s long-standing moratorium on new nuclear generation, effectively ending the moratorium.

California Assembly Member Lisa Calderon (D., 56th Dist.) filed A.B. 2647 with the California State Assembly last week.

If the bill progresses and becomes state law, it could pave the way to increasing the number of nuclear reactors in the state in the future. Currently, Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant houses the only operational commercial nuclear reactors in California.

Craig Piercy
cpiercy@ans.org

I spent a fair amount of time over the holiday break pondering the makings of a good year for nuclear technology in 2026.

Last year was white-­hot. Between the fundamental upward shift in domestic electricity demand, the continuing proliferation of data center projects in all corners of the U.S., the increasingly voracious appetite of the financial markets for nuclear investment, and the Trump administration’s full-­throttle approach to nuclear policy, 2025 will likely be remembered as a significant, positive inflection point in the history of the harnessed atom.

I hope 2026 will be even better, but for it to be so, it will have to be different. It needs a seriousness about it, a scrape of the froth. Advanced nuclear energy technology is in a hardening phase at the moment, where the green shoots of innovation must now grow into robust commercial enterprises capable of scaling quickly and safely. Not everyone will succeed.

Gov. Tony Evers delivering his 2026 State of the State address. (Photo: Tony Evers/YouTube @Governor Tony Evers)

During his State of the State address on February 17, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announced the launch of a new nuclear siting study that will be undertaken by a partnership between the Public Service Commission (PSC) of Wisconsin and the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker issued a new executive order (EO) on February 18 directing both the Illinois Power Agency and the Illinois Commerce Commission to issue a notice of intent (NOI) to potential developers of new nuclear power plants.

The signing of that EO took place on the same day Pritzker delivered his 2026 State of the State address, in which he set a goal of building at least 2 gigawatts of new nuclear capacity in the state.

Sens. Jim Risch (R., Idaho) and Ruben Gallego (D., Ariz.) reintroduced the Accelerating Reliable Capacity (ARC) Act in the Senate on February 10.

According to the Department of Energy, it could take up to 10 deployments for a reactor design to become a mature commercial reactor. Getting from the first-of-a-kind (FOAK) to full commercial deployment is challenging, and the risks of higher costs and longer deployment timelines for early nuclear projects create significant uncertainty for investors. The ARC Act is designed to reduce that early deployment risk.

Nuclear is enjoying a bit of a resurgence. The momentum for reliable energy to support economic development around the country—specifically data centers and AI—remains strong, and strongly in favor of nuclear. And as feature coverage on the states in the January 2026 issue of Nuclear News made abundantly clear, many states now see nuclear as necessary to support rising electricity demand while maintaining a reliable grid and reaching decarbonization goals.

Earlier this week, ANS opened the application process for the 2027 Glenn T. Seaborg Congressional Science and Engineering Fellowship, offering ANS members an opportunity to contribute directly to federal policymaking in Washington, D.C. Applications are due June 5.

The Department of Energy has announced that it is establishing a categorical exclusion for the application of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) procedures to the authorization, siting, construction, operation, reauthorization, and decommissioning of advanced nuclear reactors.

According to the DOE, this significant change, which goes into effect today, “is based on the experience of DOE and other federal agencies, current technologies, regulatory requirements, and accepted industry practice.”

In the past week, two pieces of nuclear legislation moved forward in two Midwestern states.

In Wisconsin, a bill to create new tax credits for new power plants passed through the state Assembly and went to the Senate, while in Indiana, a bill to simplify the state approval process for new plants passed through the state Senate and went to the House.

Katy Huff, former assistant secretary of nuclear energy at the Department of Energy, recently wrote an op-ed that was published in Scientific American.

In the piece, Huff, who is an ANS member and an associate professor in the Department of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering at the University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign, argues that weakening Nuclear Regulatory Commission radiation regulations without new research-based evidence will fail to speed up nuclear energy development and could have negative consequences.

On January 15, in an 82–14 vote, the U.S. Senate passed an Energy and Water Development appropriations bill to fund the U.S. Department of Energy for fiscal year 2026 as part of a broader package that also funded the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

NASA and the Department of Energy have announced a “renewed commitment” to their mutual goal of supporting research and development for a nuclear fission reactor on the lunar surface to provide power for future missions. The agencies have signed a memorandum of understanding that “solidifies this collaboration and advances President Trump’s vision of American space superiority.”

Thursday was a busy news day for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, with three significant announcements.

In the span of a few hours, the NRC released the news of Ho Nieh’s promotion to chair, the reversal of the plan to sunset its aircraft impact assessment provisions, and new guidance for interagency collaboration.

New power reactors of any size can be now be sited in the state of Illinois, thanks to legislation signed by Gov. J. B. Pritzker on January 8. The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA)—which Pritzker says is designed to lower energy costs for consumers, drive the development of new energy resources in the state, and strengthen the grid—lifts the moratorium on new, large nuclear reactors that Illinois enacted in the late 1980s.

The U.S. nuclear industry is standing at its most volatile regulatory moment yet—one that will shape the trajectory and safety of the industry for decades to come. Recent judicial, legislative, and executive actions have converged to rewrite the rules governing the licensing and regulation of nuclear power reactors. Although these changes are intended to promote and accelerate the deployment of new nuclear energy technologies, the collision of multiple legal shifts—occurring simultaneously and intersecting with profound technological uncertainties—is overwhelming the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and threatening to destabilize investor and industry expectations.

The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy convened its first hearing of the year, “American Energy Dominance: Dawn of the New Nuclear Era,” on January 7, where lawmakers and industry leaders discussed how nuclear energy can help meet surging electricity demand driven by artificial intelligence, data centers, advanced manufacturing, and national security needs.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Nuclear Society (ANS) applauds the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of Douglas Weaver to serve as a commissioner of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC):

Cornyn

Padilla

Sens. Alex Padilla (D., Calif.) and John Cornyn (R., Texas) have introduced bipartisan legislation to formally establish the Office of Fusion at the Department of Energy. This move seeks to codify one of the many changes put forward by the recent internal reorganization plan for offices at the DOE.

Companion legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives by Reps. Don Beyer (D., Va.) and Jay Obernolte (R., Calif.), who are cochairs of the House Fusion Energy Caucus.

Details: According to Obernolte, “Congress must provide clear direction and a coordinated federal strategy to move fusion from the lab to the grid, and this legislation does exactly that.”

Pacific Gas & Electric has announced that the California Coastal Commission, the state agency in charge of protecting California’s roughly 840 miles of coastline, unanimously voted to approve the Act Consistency Certification and Coastal Development Permit for Diablo Canyon, a critical step in the utility’s work to extend the life of the nuclear power plant.

In April, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14270, “Zero-Based Regulatory Budgeting to Unleash American Energy,” which calls for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (along with the Department of Energy, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the Environmental Protection Agency) to issue a “sunset rule” to effectively nullify certain regulations in no more than five years.

In a recent press release, the Department of Energy announced an organizational realignment aimed at “expanding American energy production, accelerating scientific and technological leadership, and ensuring the continued safety and readiness of the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile.”

The U.S. nuclear industry is standing at its most volatile regulatory moment yet—one that will shape the trajectory and the safety of the industry for decades to come. Recent judicial, legislative, and executive actions are rewriting the rules governing the licensing and regulation of nuclear power reactors. Although these changes are intended to promote and accelerate the deployment of new nuclear energy technologies, the collision of multiple legal shifts—occurring simultaneously and intersecting with profound technological uncertainties—is overwhelming the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and threatening to destabilize investor and industry expectations.

As President Trump hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House on November 19, Energy Secretary Chris Wright confirmed that the United States and Saudi Arabia have signed a “historic” deal on cooperation in the civilian nuclear energy sector. The “Joint Declaration on the Completion of Negotiations on Civil Nuclear Cooperation” is seen as an important part to strengthen U.S. influence in the Gulf region to counter the influence of Iran, Russia, and China.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Nuclear Society (ANS) applauds the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of Ho Nieh to serve as a commissioner of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC):

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine recently announced the creation of the new JobsOhio Energy Opportunity Initiative, a $100 million fund that will be used in part to attract supply chain companies for small modular reactor manufacturing and for the creation of “nuclear energy center of excellence.”

The Trump White House has nominated seasoned nuclear regulatory expert Douglas Weaver for a commissioner seat on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. If confirmed, Weaver would fill the seat vacated by NRC commissioner Annie Caputo, who resigned in July.

Weaver’s nomination was sent earlier today to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. If confirmed, he would finish the remainder of Caputo’s term, which expires June 30, 2026.

Following a meeting last week with President Donald Trump, Japan has announced that it would provide up to $332 billion to support critical energy projects in the U.S., including the construction of nuclear reactor projects.

The Illinois General Assembly passed a clean energy bill on October 30 that would, in part, lift a 30-year moratorium on new nuclear energy in the state and create incentives for more energy storage.

Nieh

Ho Nieh, the Trump administration’s nominee to be a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and four new board members of the Tennessee Valley Authority were approved in a vote today by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and head to the Senate floor for a final vote.

The committee also voted to advance to the Senate floor the Nuclear REFUEL Act of 2025 (S. 2082), which would smooth the regulatory pathway for recycling used nuclear fuel.

President Donald nominated Nieh on July 30 to serve as NRC commissioner for the remainder of a term set to expire June 30, 2029, which was held by former NRC commissioner Chris Hanson, who Trump fired in June.

Two bills were introduced in the last several weeks aiming to address nuclear power at the end of life—decommissioning plants and recycling used fuel.

Craig Piercy
cpiercy@ans.org

While most big journeys begin with a clear objective, they rarely start with an exact knowledge of the route. When commissioning the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1803, President Thomas Jefferson didn’t provide specific “turn right at the big mountain” directions to the Corps of Discovery. He gave goal-oriented instructions: explore the Missouri River, find its source, search for a transcontinental water route to the Pacific, and build scientific and cultural knowledge along the way.

Jefferson left it up to Lewis and Clark to turn his broad, geopolitically motivated guidance into gritty reality.

Similarly, U.S. nuclear policy has begun a journey toward closing the U.S. nuclear fuel cycle. There is a clear signal of support for recycling from the Trump administration, along with growing bipartisan excitement in Congress. Yet the precise path remains unclear.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey wants to accelerate the state’s leadership in both fission and fusion, and earlier this month asked the University of Massachusetts–Lowell to develop road maps to support research, manufacturing, and deployment of advanced nuclear and fusion energy in the state to “affordably, reliably, and sustainably” meet growing electricity demand in New England.

Russia’s lower house of Parliament, the State Duma, approved a measure to withdraw from a 25-year-old agreement with the United States to cut back on the leftover plutonium from Cold War–era nuclear weapons.

During a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing today, Ho Nieh, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as a commissioner at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, was urged to maintain the agency’s independence regardless of political pressure from the Trump administration.

Hash Hashemian
president@ans.org

The theme of this year’s Winter Conference—already less than two months away—is “Building the Nuclear Century.” This focus reflects one of my chief goals during my presidency: streamlining the deployment of new power plants. However, I want to emphasize that this call to build extends far beyond a sole focus on new commercial reactors. As an industry, it’s critical that we keep momentum going across every area that supports the nuclear community.

So, while new reactor announcements are undeniably exciting and a logical benchmark to see the positive progress we’re making, we must continue to ensure that there is space to elevate, focus on, and celebrate crucial work in the fields of isotope production, waste management, public outreach, workforce training, and beyond. The call to build is a call to innovate and collaborate in every sector. It’s a call we need to follow.

The Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will furlough thousands of employees and operate at reduced capacity under a government shutdown that started after midnight on October 1 following a failed congressional vote on a short-term funding bill.