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House subcommittee debates faster licensing for small and micro modular reactors while experts warn on safety and independence of NRC
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Summary
Witnesses and members sparred over executive orders and congressional steps to speed licensing for small modular reactors and micro modular reactors, with proponents urging regulatory overhaul and opponents stressing the need to preserve the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's independence and rigorous safety standards.
At a hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform’s Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy and Regulatory Affairs, lawmakers and three witnesses debated whether and how to speed deployment of advanced nuclear technologies while protecting public health and safety. Chair Burlinson opened the hearing by saying, "A new age for nuclear power has started." (Chair Burlinson, opening statement.)
The hearing centered on competing views of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s role: witnesses pushing aggressive licensing reforms and supporters of the NRC’s current, more deliberate approach who warned that rapid deregulation could undermine safety and public confidence. Alex Epstein, president and founder of the Center for Industrial Progress, urged sweeping changes at the NRC to remove what he called unnecessary delays and costs. "The NRC has been 1 of the greatest failures in policy history," Epstein said, and he recommended four immediate steps including (1) mapping and trimming licensing steps, (2) making general environmental impact statements (GEIS) the default for standardized reactor designs, (3) reexamining the linear no-threshold (LNT) radiation model and ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) doctrine, and (4) creating nuclear innovation zones on federal land to speed testing.
Joshua Smith, energy policy lead at the Abundance Institute, supported easing regulatory barriers but emphasized that licensing is only one bottleneck. Smith pointed to permitting, transmission and interconnection delays as systemic obstacles and highlighted state-level activity, noting that "Governor Spencer Cox in Utah signed a memorandum of understanding with Valor Atomics to develop an SMR within Utah by 07/04/2026." Smith urged coordination of licensing reform with permitting and grid reforms so projects can move from demonstration to deployment without being shifted abroad.
Stephen G. Burns, former chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, warned that speeding the process must not come at the cost of independent, science-based regulation. Burns described the NRC’s role as central to public confidence and international credibility, saying the United States has maintained "the largest fleet of nuclear reactors in the world" under the current safety framework. He warned that a schedule-driven regulatory approach or steps that appear to undercut the NRC’s independence could damage both safety and U.S. reactor vendors' reputations.
Members pressed witnesses on specifics. Ranking Member Frost recalled historical failures and cautioned against a blanket rollback of safeguards: "The Trump administration is putting these possibilities in jeopardy by crippling the NRC and directing the agency to literally rubber stamp, quote, rubber stamp nuclear projects to get them done as soon as possible," Frost said, arguing that the NRC's rules have helped prevent accidents for more than 45 years and citing Hanford and Fukushima as lessons in government and industry failures.
Witnesses and members discussed concrete regulatory proposals referenced in testimony and the hearing record: the Advance Act (as referenced by witnesses), recent presidential executive orders directing a faster NRC review clock (including an 18‑month target for reactor license rulings cited by panelists), making GEIS the default for standardized designs, and pursuing a National Academy review of low-dose radiation science to reassess the LNT/ALARA framework. The Idaho National Laboratory and other studies were cited as recommending legislative changes to enable general licenses after first-of-a-kind demonstrations.
The hearing also touched on demand-side drivers and economics. Epstein and others argued that data center demand makes reliable baseload generation critical: Epstein cited a Department of Energy projection that data centers could account for about 12% of U.S. electricity consumption by 2028. Representative Minh cited U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates for levelized costs of energy (LCOE) referenced during questioning: advanced nuclear at about $110 per megawatt-hour (2023 baseline), with projected declines for solar and onshore wind under certain scenarios.
No formal committee actions or votes were taken at the hearing. Members and witnesses repeatedly framed next steps as legislative oversight and coordination: several speakers recommended further hearings that include Department of Energy modeling and Oak Ridge National Laboratory expertise, and Burns emphasized the need to ensure sufficient NRC staffing to handle new licensing workloads.
The subcommittee concluded by reserving five legislative days for members to submit additional materials and questions for the record and said it will continue oversight of advanced nuclear licensing and deployment.
