Latest news with #NuclearRegulatoryCommission
CNBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
Trump's nuclear power push weakens regulator and poses safety risks, former officials warn
President Donald Trump's push to approve nuclear plants as quickly as possible threatens to weaken the independent regulator tasked with protecting public health and safety, former federal officials warn. Trump issued four sweeping executive orders in May that aim to quadruple nuclear power by 2050 in the U.S. The White House and the technology industry view nuclear as powerful source of reliable electricity that can help meet the growing energy needs of artificial intelligence. The most consequential of Trump's orders aims to slash regulations and speed up power plant approvals through an overhaul of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The NRC is an independent agency established by Congress in 1975 to make sure that nuclear reactors are deployed and operated safely. Trump accuses the NRC of "risk aversion" in his order, blaming the regulator for how few nuclear plants have been built in the U.S. over the past three decades. The president says that the NRC is focused on protecting the public from "the most remote risks," arguing that such a cautious approach to approving plants restricts access to reliable electricity. "We'll be very safe, but we'll be fast and safe," Trump said about expediting nuclear plants at a conference on energy and artificial intelligence in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. The president said his administration would get a "whole different group of people" to regulate the industry. But three former NRC chairs who spoke to CNBC say Trump is blaming the regulator that protects the public, when the industry's fundamental problem is that new nuclear plants are incredibly expensive to build. The chairs were appointed by Democratic presidents. CNBC also spoke to the chief of staff for a chair appointed by George W. Bush. Only two new reactors have been built from scratch in the U.S. over the past 30 years. Those new units at Plant Vogtle in Georgia came in $18 billion over budget and seven years behind schedule. Two reactors in South Carolina were canceled in the middle of construction in 2017 due to cost overruns. The mismanagement of the Georgia and South Carolina projects led to the bankruptcy of industry stalwart Westinghouse. Trump's intervention at the NRC threatens the independence that the regulator needs to protect the public interest, the former chairs said. If NRC independence is compromised, the regulator could become vulnerable to industry or government influence in ways that raise the risk of a nuclear accident, they warned. Trump's executive order is unprecedented in the history of the NRC and it is dangerous, said Allison Macfarlane, who led the NRC as chairperson from 2012 to 2014. The Fukushima nuclear accident is an example of what can happen when safety regulators are not independent, said Macfarlane, who was appointed by President Barack Obama. The 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan resulted in a severe accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. An investigation by Japan's parliament concluded that the accident was manmade and found that collusion between government, industry and regulators was the root cause. Japan's regulators and government focused on promoting nuclear power as safe and did not force the operator to implement measures that would have made the plant less vulnerable to a natural disaster, according to the 2012 investigation. In the wake of the accident, Japan shut down all of its nuclear plants for safety inspections, losing a power source that supplied 30% of the nation's electricity. "There was a massive impact on the economy and that is an issue of national security," Macfarlane said of the accident in Japan. "The reason why we have independent regulators, and by independent I mean free of industry and political influence, is to protect the public safety and to protect national security," she said. Trump's executive order seems more focused on approving reactors fast than safety, said Stephen Burns, who chaired the NRC from 2015 to 2017. The order requires the NRC to make final decisions within 18 months on applications to build and operate nuclear plants. It calls for the regulator to make decisions even faster when possible. "To the extent it's saying NRC is the problem and we're more concerned with deadlines than we are with the safety case — that's where it concerns me," said Burns, who was also appointed to the commission by Obama. The NRC is also ordered to undertake a "wholesale revision" of its regulations and work with the White House Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Government Efficiency to accomplish this. One of the goals of revising NRC regulations is to create a process to approve at a "high volume" microreactors and small modular reactors, advanced nuclear technologies that the industry believes will one day make plants cheaper and faster to build. But these advanced reactors often have designs that are very different from the existing U.S. fleet and present different safety profiles as a consequence, said Richard Meserve, who chaired the NRC from 1999 to 2003. These new designs have not been deployed in the real world, and some use different reactor coolants such as sodium or molten salt rather than light water in traditional plants. "We have very strict deadlines on reactors of a type that have not yet been thoroughly reviewed," said Meserve, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton. "To set deadlines seems to me to be very imprudent. There has to be a careful analysis that is guided by data that may not be available even for some of these reactors." And it's unclear what role OMB and DOGE are playing in revising the NRC's regulations. The NRC and White House declined to comment when asked whether OMB and DOGE would have the final say over how regulations are changed. OMB has always reviewed major NRC regulations as a matter of procedure, said Paul Dickman, who served as chief of staff for NRC chair Dale Klein, an appointee of President George W. Bush. (Klein, when asked to comment, referred questions to Dickman. CNBC also reached out to Kristine Svinicki, who was appointed as chair during Trump's first administration, but didn't hear back.) The question now is whether OMB and DOGE will also be passing judgement on the technical content of the regulations, Dickman said. The pair's undefined role in the review process introduces uncertainty that could make the NRC vulnerable to political interference, he said. "Are they going to reject something because they didn't like an opinion?" Dickman asked. "What's the basis of that? There's no guidelines for review." Trump is "committed to modernizing nuclear regulations, streamlining regulatory barriers, and reforming the Nuclear Regulatory Commission while prioritizing safety and resilience," White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said. The NRC is "working quickly to implement Executive Orders to modernize our regulatory and licensing processes while protecting public health and safety," spokesperson Scott Burnell said. Trump has also ordered a staff reduction at the NRC at a time when the regulator is now facing tighter deadlines and a major overhaul of its regulations, the former chairs said. An executive order that calls for staff cuts "is just another way to incentivize people to look for other jobs," Dickman said. "It's a loss of personnel and competency which is really probably the most worrisome part of all this stuff," Dickman said. A senior White House official told reporters in May that the size of the staff cuts had not been determined. The executive order does allow for staffing to increase for plant licensing. The NRC and White House declined to comment when asked by CNBC about the potential cuts and whether licensing staff would be beefed up. Last month, Trump fired NRC Commissioner Christopher Hanson, who was appointed by President Joe Biden. Hanson said in a statement that Trump terminated his position "without cause contrary to existing law and longstanding precedent regarding removal of independent agency appointees." The White House declined to comment when asked why Hanson was fired. "This is part of the overthrow of the NRC as an independent agency," Meserve said. Political interference, whether real or perceived, threatens undermine U.S. public confidence in nuclear power, Dickman said. Such interference would also tarnish the NRC's reputation as the international gold standard for approving reactors, which would make it more difficult for U.S. companies to sell nuclear technology abroad, according to Macfarlane, Burns and Meserve. "Public confidence in the safety of reactors is enhanced by the fact that there is an independent regulator that's separated from the political process," Meserve said. "There is a danger when you mix in political considerations and promotion along with the safety mission that the safety mission gets suppressed to some extent — and you could end up with some very bad mistakes being made."
CNBC
4 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
Westinghouse plans to build 10 large nuclear reactors in U.S., interim CEO tells Trump
Westinghouse plans to build 10 large nuclear reactors in the U.S. with construction to begin by 2030, interim CEO Dan Sumner told President Donald Trump at a roundtable in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. Westinghouse's big AP1000 reactor generates enough electricity to power more than 750,000 homes, according to the company. Building 10 of these reactors would drive $75 billion of economic value across the U.S. and $6 billion in Pennsylvania, Sumner said. The Westinghouse executive laid out the plan to Trump during a conference on energy and artificial intelligence at Carnegie Mellon University. Technology, energy and financial executives announced more than $90 billion of investment in data centers and power infrastructure at the conference, according to the office of Sen. Dave McCormick, who organized the event. Trump issued four executive orders in May that aim to quadruple nuclear power in the U.S. by 2050. The president called for the U.S. to have 10 nuclear plants under construction by 2050. He ordered a "wholesale revision" of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's rules and guidelines. The U.S. has built only two new nuclear reactors over the past 30 years, both of which were Westinghouse AP1000s at Plant Vogtle in Waynesboro, Georgia. The project notoriously came in $18 billion over budget and seven years behind schedule, contributing to the bankruptcy of Westinghouse. The industry stalwart emerged from bankruptcy in 2018 and us now owned by Canadian uranium miner Cameco and Brookfield Asset Management. Westinghouse announced a partnership with Google on Tuesday to use AI tools to make the construction of AP1000s an "efficient, repeatable process," according to the company.
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
US nuclear regulator asks job seekers political questions
WASHINGTON - A job notice posted by the US nuclear power regulator asks applicants political questions as the administration of President Donald Trump seeks to increase influence over an independent agency. The posting, seen by Reuters on July 14, asks applicants how their commitment to the US Constitution and founding US principles inspired them to pursue the job. The specific opening is for a senior operations engineer serving as an inspector in the division of operating reactor safety at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Also among the questions asked are how applicants would use their experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness, and, 'How would you advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role?'. Mr Trump has been trying to speed up NRC approvals of nuclear power plants as the United States faces the first hike in power demand in 20 years, driven by the boom in artificial intelligence and data centres. The Republican president signed executive orders in May seeking to overhaul the NRC and directing the agency, which was founded as a regulator independent of the executive branch, to rule on new licences within 18 months. Mr Scott Burnell, an NRC spokesperson, said on July 14 that the agency was 'following Office of Personnel Management requirements regarding job postings', referring to the US government's human resources agency. Under previous US administrations, questions in NRC job postings typically emphasised the applicant's work experience pertaining to operating a nuclear reactor, not an applicant's political opinions, said a person who works at the agency who requested anonymity. In addition, a former chairman of the NRC told Reuters on July 14 that the questions on the posting amount to a political litmus test. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump arms Ukraine and threatens sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil Multimedia From local to global: What made top news in Singapore over the last 180 years? Singapore Turning tragedy into advocacy: Woman finds new purpose after paralysis Singapore HSA intensifies crackdown on vapes; young suspected Kpod peddlers nabbed in Bishan, Yishun Opinion Sumiko at 61: When beauty fades, why do some accept it better than others? Singapore Man charged over distributing nearly 3 tonnes of vapes in one day in Bishan, Ubi Avenue 3 Singapore Man allegedly attacks woman with knife at Kallang Wave Mall, to be charged with attempted murder Singapore Ex-cop charged after he allegedly went on MHA portal, unlawfully shared info with man 'If I saw something like this as Chairman, I would tell the staff to replace them immediately with relevant professional questions, not something that reads like a lost chapter from Animal Farm on how to destroy professional expertise in government,' said Mr Greg Jaczko, who served as NRC chairman from 2009 to 2012 under former President Barack Obama. Mr Jaczko was referring to George Orwell's 1945 satirical novel. In the current job posting at issue, not all of the six questions were related to politics. One, for example, asks how work ethics have contributed to the applicant's achievements, another asks them to confirm that they did not use AI in their responses. Mr Trump last month fired Mr Chris Hanson, a Democratic NRC commissioner, a move that was criticised by nearly 30 former NRC officials and employees. Mr David Wright, the current NRC chair, told a Senate committee last week that a representative from Mr Trump's Department of Government Efficiency is working within the NRC on reforming the agency. REUTERS
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump fires Democratic member of nuclear energy safety commission
President Trump on Friday fired a Democratic member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), which the commissioner says is illegal. In a Monday post on LinkedIn, Christopher Hanson said that Trump had fired him from the independent commission that regulates nuclear power safety. 'Late on Friday, President Trump terminated my position with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission without cause, contrary to existing law and longstanding precedent regarding removal of independent agency appointees,' Hanson said. Hanson was notified of his termination through an email that was sent on Friday evening. The email did not contain any information about why he was being let go. Previously, the commission had a 3-2 Democratic majority. Commissioners are appointed by the president and serve five-year terms. Hanson, despite being a Democrat, was actually nominated by Trump in 2020. A White House spokesperson defended his firing in a written statement. 'All organizations are more effective when leaders are rowing in the same direction. President Trump reserves the right to remove employees within his own Executive Branch who exert his executive authority,' said spokesperson Anna Kelly. In a separate statement, the NRC acknowledged that Hanson is no longer with the agency but did not provide additional information. 'We can confirm that former Chair and Commissioner Christopher T. Hanson's service on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission ended Friday, June 13. The NRC has functioned in the past with fewer than five commissioners and will continue to do so,' the agency said. The move comes as the White House has also sought to push Democrats out of other independent commissions and boards, including the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. While presidents typically appoint members to these panels, they operate independently from any given administration, unlike other federal agencies whose appointees answer directly to the president. A judge ruled last week that Trump's firing of three Democrats from the CPSC was illegal. Hanson, in his LinkedIn post, said that he had been working to 'prepare the agency for anticipated change in the energy sector, while preserving the independence, integrity, and bipartisan nature of the world's gold standard nuclear safety institution.' 'It has been an honor to serve alongside the dedicated public servants at the NRC. I continue to have full trust and confidence in their commitment to serve the American people by protecting public health and safety and the environment,' he added. The firing also comes as the Trump administration seeks to overhaul the nuclear safety agency. The president signed an executive order in April that called on the NRC to reconsider its safety standards, lamenting that they are are too stringent. That order also called for a shorter timeline for environmental reviews and a quadrupling of the nation's nuclear power capacity by 2050. Safety advocates criticized Hanson's firing. 'President Trump's firing of Christopher Hanson from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is only his latest outrageous move to undermine the independence and integrity of the agency that protects the U.S. homeland from the types of nuclear power plant disasters that devastated the former Soviet Union and Japan,' said Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, in a written statement. 'Hanson is a dedicated public servant and a strong supporter of the NRC's public health and safety mission. The loss of such a highly knowledgeable and fair-minded individual will imperil the public from coast to coast as the White House continues to compromise the safety and security of the U.S. nuclear fleet,' Lyman added. —Updated at 1:41 p.m. EDT Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
DOGE staffer takes on Trump reform role at independent Nuclear Regulatory Commission
A staffer with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has now taken on a key role at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), which President Trump has sought to reduce and reform despite its independent status. David Wright, whom Trump has renominated for a spot on the commission, told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that 'there is currently one staff member detailed to the NRC from [the Department of Energy].' Wright, in written responses to questions from the Senate panel viewed by The Hill this week, said that the staffer is detailed to the Office of the Executive Director for Operations and is in charge of implementing Trump's executive order to reform the commission. A source familiar told The Hill the DOGE lead at NRC is named Adam Blake and that he is in charge of implementing Trump's orders, adding that part of this responsibility includes handling reductions in force at the agency. The source said in a Signal message this appointment is 'not normal' and that nothing similar has happened in the commission's history. The NRC is an independent agency that regulates the safety of nuclear energy reactors. Presidents can nominate commissioners to the panel, but it does not answer directly to the president the way other administrative agencies do. Energy Department spokesperson Andrea Woods noted that Trump's executive order 'directs the NRC to work with DOGE to reform the organization's structure and accelerate permitting.' The order states that the NRC 'shall, in consultation with the NRC's DOGE Team … reorganize the NRC to promote the expeditious processing of license applications and the adoption of innovative technology.' DOGE staffers have infiltrated various federal agencies in the first six months of Trump's term. Many of those agencies answer to the president, unlike the NRC, which is independent. DOGE staffers have reportedly been spotted at least one other independent agency, the Federal Trade Commission. NRC spokesperson Maureen Conley said in a written statement the agency is 'working quickly to implement the Executive Orders reforming the agency' but declined to provide specifics on DOGE. 'We look forward to continuing to work with the Administration, DOE, and DOD on future nuclear programs,' Conley said. The Trump administration has been broadly supportive of advancing nuclear energy — including by minimizing safeguards such as environmental review in order to get more nuclear power on the grid. Trump's executive order seeks to further that goal. It also calls for layoffs at the agency. It additionally says that personnel at the NRC's Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, which provides advice on hazards and radiation protection, 'shall be reduced to the minimum necessary' to comply with law. The NRC, meanwhile, has had a tumultuous few weeks as the White House recently fired Democratic Commissioner Christopher Hanson last month. In his written responses, Wright told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that the DOGE staffer has met with senior staff but that he himself was 'not present for any conversations between the one staff member and senior staff related to reassignment.' He also said that as a detailee from the Department of Energy, the staffer does not report to anyone within the NRC. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) blasted what he described as 'a Department of Energy hostile takeover of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission' during a meeting this week when Wright's nomination was advanced to the full Senate. Whitehouse also questioned whether there is anyone who holds the staffer to account. 'So who, then, supervises this DOGE staffer? Who holds this staffer to account? Is this staffer above the Chairman?' Whitehouse said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
