"Paving the way" for the development of nuclear energy: Trump administration proposes to relax environmental review of nuclear reactors
U.S. nuclear regulators this week proposed narrowing the scope of environmental reviews required by federal law for new and renewed nuclear reactor licenses. It is understood that the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is the basic law in the field of environmental protection in the United States, and on Wednesday (July 8), the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) proposed a number of adjustments to this rule. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission proposed that it would reduce the scope of environmental review of new and renewed nuclear reactors, modify regulations on the radiation impact of nuclear power plants, and adjust reactor safety standards.
U.S. nuclear regulators this week proposed narrowing the scope of environmental reviews required by federal law for new and renewed nuclear reactor licenses. It is understood that the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is the basic law in the field of environmental protection in the United States, and on Wednesday (July 8), the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) proposed a number of adjustments to this rule. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission proposed that it would reduce the scope of environmental review of new and renewed nuclear reactors, modify regulations on the radiation impact of nuclear power plants, and adjust reactor safety standards. President Donald Trump has set a goal to quadruple U.S. nuclear power generation capacity by 2050 to meet surging power demand driven by data centers, electric vehicles and the cryptocurrency boom. Ho Nieh, chairman of the U.S. NRC, said, "For many years, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been implementing requirements that far exceed the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. Therefore, this adjustment actually brings us back to what is required by the National Environmental Policy Act." Ho Nieh pointed out, "Dust, noise, air impacts, non-radioactive water bodies or non-radioactive impacts, these are all situations that are outside our regulatory authority, so we will no longer deal with such matters in the future." Additionally, the proposal would eliminate the practice of regular public comment on draft environmental impact statements. In this regard, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission believes that this will shorten the window period for public participation and review. The public can only express their opinions at the early stage of the assessment process and before the environmental impact has been determined. Ho Nieh later described the move in a written statement as “strengthening environmental protection while making the permit review process more efficient and the results more predictable.” Kimyata Savoy, chief environmental review and permitting officer at the NRC, said the proposal would save applicants and the agency approximately $135 million in costs associated with new or renewed licenses. However, Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear energy safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a non-profit science advocacy group in the United States, said that this measure deprives the public of access to popular science information. Lyman said, “If National Environmental Policy Act-related assessments are no longer conducted, the public will not even know or understand the serious harm of potential accidents.” (