President Donald Trump directed a significant overhaul of the United States’ nuclear power and safety regulation Friday, drawing cheers from industry advocates long frustrated by America’s stunted nuclear industry.
Trump signed four executive orders that direct a dramatic reorganization of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, allow for building reactors on Department of Defense and Department of Energy land, and speed up testing of new technologies at the national laboratories. One directive also attempts to strengthen the U.S. enriched uranium supply chain, which is currently dependent on Russia.
“These are things that Congress, us and many others have been wanting to push forward here, and we’re so excited to see them come to fruition,” said Jeremy Harrell, the chief executive officer of the conservative energy innovation group ClearPath Action. The group has been in talks with different parts of the administration about the shape of these orders and what Trump can do to advance the nuclear industry.