Federal executive orders aim to speed U.S. nuclear deployment; Utah official briefs committee on implications

Dusty Monks, director of nuclear programs at the Utah Office of Energy Development, told the Public Utilities, Energy and Technology Committee that four recent presidential executive orders direct a sweeping effort to revive U.S. commercial nuclear energy and cited national security and energy resilience as the core motivation. "In conjunction with domestic fossil fuel production, nuclear energy can liberate America from dependence on geopolitical rivals," Monks said, reading from the orders. He added the orders call the U.S. commercial deployment of nuclear technology "all but stopped domestically" and note that "87% of reactors installed since 2017 are based on designs from two foreign countries."

Monks said the orders seek regulatory certainty, stronger domestic fuel-cycle…