The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued two final rules under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) aimed at streamlining environmental reviews while maintaining environmental compliance. NRC said these regulatory changes reflect its broader initiative to modernise and optimise its NEPA review process in line with President Trump’s May 2025 Executive Order 14300, Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
These two final rules update categorical exclusions and finalise the new reactor generic environmental impact statement (GEIS). “Finalising these rules strengthens our ability to assess environmental impacts in a smarter, more consistent, and more predictable way,” said Executive Director for Operations Mike King. “By focusing our time on the most significant issues for people and the environment, we continue protecting communities while enabling the safe and efficient deployment of nuclear technologies to meet our rapidly growing energy needs.”
The first final rule, issued on 30 March, eliminates the preparation of environmental assessments for certain licensing, regulatory, and administrative actions that do not significantly affect the environment. “Eliminating these unnecessary environmental assessments reduces administrative burdens and accelerates regulatory decisions,” NRC said.
The second final rule affirmed recently establishes the new reactor GEIS framework for all reactor types and will simplify future reviews. The GEIS uses plant and site parameters to identify environmental issues common to new reactors and those issues needing project-specific analysis. NRC said it is conducting a comprehensive review of its environmental regulations and plans to release another proposed rule for public comment in the near future.
