Chicago – May 24, 2025
President Trump signed a series of executive orders aimed at boosting nuclear power and restructuring the independent Nuclear Regulatory Commission during an Oval Office event on Friday.
“It’s time. It’s time for nuclear and we’re going to do it very big,” President Trump told reporters, while flanked by executives from the nuclear industry.
One order calls for major reforms at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the independent agency that oversees America’s nuclear reactors. The order calls for approvals of new nuclear reactor designs to be completed in no more than 18 months.
It also asks the agency to reconsider strict radiation standards that are currently used to ensure safety for workers and the public. Finally, it would require restructuring of the NRC itself and a wide-ranging revision of regulations to be conducted in conjunction with the White House and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
Some members of the nuclear industry applauded the reform. But others say the executive order has the potential to undermine nuclear safety.
