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Senator Curtis presses NRC for clearer licensing path as Utah eyes advanced nuclear
Summary
Senator Curtis questioned an NRC official on how the commission can help Utah advance advanced nuclear projects and give applicants clearer expectations for licensing. The NRC official emphasized its role as a safety regulator, pledged transparency and pointed to lessons from early work with NuScale.
At a Senate hearing, Senator Curtis pressed an unidentified Nuclear Regulatory Commission official on how the agency can work with Utah and other state partners to accelerate licensing for advanced nuclear reactors and provide clearer rules for applicants.
Curtis said Utah "aspires to be a centerpiece in, nuclear" and noted that fostering first movers requires certainty. "I was really proud, last congress in the house to have my bill, the Advanced Nuclear Reactor Prize Act, become law as part of the Advance Act," he said, adding that for emerging technologies "the clear rules of the road are not just helpful, but really mandatory." The senator asked how the NRC can ensure startups and utilities "know what to expect as they navigate the licensing process."
An NRC official, who spoke at the hearing but was not named on the record, replied that the commission is a safety regulator and not a participant in utilities' financial decisions. The official said the NRC is committed to early collaboration with states and applicants, explaining that agency staff will "have discussions early" about technologies and permits and will convene focused teams to manage reviews. "We learned how to, you know, put core teams together, tiger teams together ... and to project manage each one of them," the official said, citing lessons learned from the agency's early work with NuScale.
On transparency, the official said the NRC should be explicit about requirements and share information with applicants so they understand what is needed to obtain a decision. "We've gotta be transparent," the official said. "We shouldn't hide it. ... If we know the answer to what an applicant might need to get a decision reached by us, we've gotta share that information with them."
Curtis said the Advance Act and related executive orders aim to give applicants efficiency and clarity. The senator asked the witness how prior experience on the commission had prepared them for the role and for working with states. The NRC official spoke about personal leadership lessons, saying experiences as a mayor and a cancer survivor shaped his approach to leading people and supporting communities during regulatory work.
The exchange ended when Senator Curtis thanked the witness and yielded his time after running out of time. No formal action on licensing policy or rulemaking was recorded in the hearing transcript.
