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NAM to NRC: Streamline Nuclear Energy Deployment

By NAM NewsroomSeptember 4, 2026

Nuclear energy is already powering America’s manufacturers—and according to the NAM, modernizing and streamlining the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s rules will help unleash even more of its potential to strengthen manufacturing growth.

What’s going on: In August, the NAM urged the NRC to advance three proposals to simplify reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act, update the reactor licensing process and reform the agency’s radiation protection framework.

On NEPA: “[O]pponents of major energy projects have used NEPA to pursue litigation and accordingly delay energy projects, which require on average 23 months to resolve,” the NAM told the NRC, which drafted a rulemaking that “significantly streamlines NEPA review requirements, reduces unnecessary regulatory burden and expands licensing efficiencies.”

  • NEPA reform has long been a top NAM priority.
  • The NRC should undertake its proposed changes to NEPA, the NAM said, adding that the commission’s draft rulemaking—which includes the use of categorical exclusions and new deadlines for reviews—“makes critical updates to its licensing and permitting procedures that will facilitate the deployment of new nuclear power to meet rising energy demand.”

On reactor licensing: The NAM also called on the NRC to move ahead with its draft updates to the reactor licensing process.

  • The proposed reforms, which include updates to key definitions used in reactor construction, safety oversight and siting practice changes, “would provide greater efficiency and certainty to industry to keep existing plants online and build new nuclear generation capacity of all types, which will bolster power supply for manufacturers in the United States,” the NAM said.

On radiation protection: The NAM further urged the NRC to adopt its proposed revisions to a radiation protection structure to get to “a more objective, risk-based framework, reducing regulatory hurdles and costs while maintaining the highest safety standards.”

  • The NAM asked the agency to build on the draft by taking several additional steps, including “more clearly adopt[ing] determinate radiation thresholds, limit[ing] subjective ‘as low as reasonably achievable’ (ALARA) obligations” and coordinating with the Environmental Protection Agency so that future radiation standards are predictable and consistent.

The last word: “Nuclear power and fuel supply chains are critical to America’s energy security and manufacturing strength,” NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons said.

  • “These commonsense regulatory proposals will modernize an outdated and overly burdensome regulatory regime while maintaining rigorous safety standards to help unleash the nuclear capacity manufacturers need to meet rising energy demand, strengthen manufacturing in America and supercharge the U.S. economy.”