Nuclear Regulatory Commission updates processes to meet new demands

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Roll Call

Posted May 13, 2026 at 6:04am


Federal efforts to accelerate nuclear energy development are starting to pay off, government and industry experts say, as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission works through mandated updates to licensing processes and its mission.

The commission is responding to two actions: a 2024 law directing the NRC to develop processes that expedite the review and licensing of nuclear reactors and fuels, and a series of executive orders on nuclear energy from President Donald Trump almost a year ago, including one ordering structural and cultural changes at the NRC.

In the past month, new NRC Chairman Ho Nieh has made the rounds on the Hill and elsewhere to describe a “sea change” within the agency that he says will enable increased efficiency in nuclear energy development without losing focus on safety issues.

“Enabling is really a mindset,” Nieh told the House Energy and Commerce Energy Subcommittee on April 22. “It’s not a shortcut. It’s not a compromise. It’s just how we fulfill our safety authorities to benefit the American people.”. At the same time, Nieh said, the NRC’s new approach is about “adapting to new technologies” and “not force-fitting old technologies into old frameworks.”

Read more: https://rollcall.com/2026/05/13/nuclear-regulatory-commission-updates-processes-to-meet-new-demands/

[Cheezoholic]

1. We need to go back to the Biden era on electrical infrastructure only more aggressive at upgrading the grid

The US electrical grid is one of the most antiquated in the world because it was one of the first. There are parts of the grid that are 100+years old. You can build a million solar, wind, nuclear, fossil fuel, whatever generating stations. Almost half of it is lost in transmission. Add to that the cumulative waste of electricity at the end of the line and the efficiency is just horrible. If we can even think about 1.5 trillion spent in one year on defense, well you get the picture. We're still wasting money and resources like we were the entire 20th century.

[Miguelito Loveless]

2. In the time it will take to get

One nuclear plant built, we could be upgrading the grid and installing terewatts of solar and wind generation.

[DemocracyForever]

3. Nuclear power is NOT green

is what my engineer father taught me because no one has figured out what to do with the toxic waste.