Trump signs executive orders to boost nuclear power, speed up approvals

By MATTHEW DALY and JENNIFER McDERMOTT WASHINGTON AP President Donald Trump signed executive orders Friday intended to quadruple domestic production of nuclear power within the next years a goal experts say the United States is highly unlikely to reach To speed up the growth of nuclear power the orders grant the U S resource secretary authority to approve advanced reactor designs and projects taking authority away from the independent safety agency that has regulated the U S nuclear industry for five decades The order comes as demand for electricity surges amid a boom in energy-hungry information centers and artificial intelligence Tech companies venture capitalists states and others are competing for electricity and straining the nation s electric grid We ve got enough electricity to win the AI arms race with China Interior Secretary Doug Burgum revealed What we do in the next five years related to electricity is going to determine the next years in the industry Still it s unlikely the U S could quadruple its nuclear production in the timeframe the White House specified The United States lacks any next-generation reactors operating commercially and only two new large reactors have been built from scratch in nearly years Those two reactors at a nuclear plant in Georgia were completed years late and at least billion over budget Trump is enthusiastic At the Oval Office signing Trump surrounded by industry executives called nuclear a hot industry adding It s time for nuclear and we re going to do it very big Burgum and other speakers mentioned the industry has stagnated and has been choked by overregulation Mark this day on your calendar This is going to turn the clock back on over years of overregulation of an industry revealed Burgum who chairs Trump s newly formed Vitality Dominance Council Related Articles What issues to watch as big beautiful bill moves to the Senate Trump s organization is divided on how to tackle the president s vow to ease sanctions on Syria Ishiba says he and Trump agreed in a phone call to a productive round of business talks Trump relishes uttering the outlandish Here s where various of his the greater part showstopping comments stand Apple has had scarce incentives in the past to start making iPhones in US The orders would reorganize the independent Nuclear Regulatory Commission to ensure quicker reviews of nuclear projects including an -month deadline for the NRC to act on industry applications The measures also create a pilot effort intended to place three new experimental reactors online by July months from now and invoke the Defense Production Act to allow crisis measures to ensure the U S has the reactor fuel needed for a modernized nuclear potency sector The administration is focused on boosting nuclear as affordable reliable safe and secure power mentioned Michael Kratsios director of the White House Office of Science and Hardware Agenda The executive orders send a signal that America will build again Kratsios reported Capacity Secretary Chris Wright echoed that sentiment on social media posting that more reliable secure and affordable potential sources like geothermal nuclear and natural gas are the key to remaining the world s potency powerhouse Trump has signed a spate of executive orders promoting oil gas and coal that warm the planet when burned to produce electricity Nuclear reactors generate electricity without emitting greenhouse gases Trump stated reactors are safe and clean but did not mention weather benefits The order to reorganize the NRC will include vital staff reductions but is not intended to fire NRC commissioners who lead the agency David Wright a former South Carolina elected official and utility commissioner chairs the five-member panel His term ends June and it is unclear if he will be reappointed Critics have trepidations Critics say the White House moves could compromise safety and violate legal frameworks such as the Atomic Potential Act Compromising the independence of the NRC or encouraging it to be circumvented entirely could weaken the agency and make regulation less effective revealed Edwin Lyman director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists Purely put the U S nuclear industry will fail if safety is not made a priority he explained President Donald Trump signs an executive order regarding reinvigorating the nuclear industrial base in the Oval Office of the White House Friday May in Washington AP Photo Evan Vucci President Donald Trump silences his mobile phone which rang two times as he was speaking to reporters after signing executive orders regarding nuclear potency in the Oval Office of the White House Friday May in Washington AP Photo Evan Vucci President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after signing executive orders regarding nuclear resource in the Oval Office of the White House Friday May in Washington AP Photo Evan Vucci Show Caption of President Donald Trump signs an executive order regarding reinvigorating the nuclear industrial base in the Oval Office of the White House Friday May in Washington AP Photo Evan Vucci Expand A number of countries are speeding up efforts to license and build a new generation of smaller nuclear reactors to meet a surging demand for electricity and supply it carbon-free Last year Congress passed provision that former President Joe Biden signed to modernize the licensing of new reactor technologies so they can be built faster This month the power company in Ontario Canada began building the first of four small nuclear reactors Valar Atomics is a nuclear reactor developer in California Founder and CEO Isaiah Taylor announced nuclear expansion and innovation in the United States has been slowed by too much red tape while Russia and China are speeding ahead He disclosed he s greater part excited about the mandate for the Vigor Department to speed up the pace of innovation The NRC is at present reviewing applications from companies and a utility that want to build small nuclear reactors to begin providing power in the early s As of now the NRC expects its reviews to take three years or less Radiant Nuclear is a clean resource startup based in El Segundo California that is building a nuclear microreactor Chief Operating Officer Tori Shivanandan mentioned the administration s advocacy for the advanced nuclear industry will help ensure its success and the executive orders mark a watershed moment for nuclear power The Associated Press weather and environmental coverage receives financial assistance from multiple private foundations AP is solely responsible for all content Find AP s standards for working with philanthropies a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP org