May 2025: TRUMP PRESIDENCY "A Huge Day For The Nuclear Industry": Trump Signs Orders To Fast Track SMR Development & Deployment

"A Huge Day For The Nuclear Industry": Trump Signs Orders To Fast Track SMR Development & Deployment
"President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders designed to fast-track the development and deployment of advanced nuclear reactors on Friday culminating a dramatic policy shift aimed at revitalizing the U.S. nuclear energy sector.
Flanked in the Oval Office by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Trump declared nuclear power “a hot industry” and praised it as “very safe and environmental.”
Burgum called it “a huge day for the nuclear industry,” and added, “Mark this day on your calendar. This is going to turn the clock back on over 50 years of over regulation of an industry.”

These orders aim to strip away what the administration describes as decades of regulatory overreach that have stifled innovation and stagnated the industry. “America’s greatness has always come from innovation,” Burgum said. “We led post-World War Two in all things nuclear. But then we’ve been stagnated. We’ve choked it with over regulation.”
The first of Trump’s executive orders directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to accelerate research and development, speed up reactor testing at national labs, and initiate a two-year pilot program for reactor construction.
A second order clears regulatory hurdles for the DOE and the Department of Defense (DOD) to build reactors on federal land — efforts that will bypass the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) entirely by using the agencies’ own regulatory authority.
The third order takes direct aim at the NRC itself. It mandates “a total and complete reform of NRC culture to reorient to ensure reactor safety and promoting the development and adoption of nuclear technology.” The order sets a new requirement that the commission rule on new license applications within 18 months, far faster than the current average of five years.
The fourth nuclear-focused order targets America’s uranium supply chain, aiming to “reinvigorate” the domestic nuclear industrial base. It calls for expanded uranium mining and enrichment, while also instructing Energy Secretary Scott Wright to evaluate policies for nuclear material recycling and reprocessing. A senior official explained, “That means America will start mining and enriching uranium and expanding domestic uranium conversion and enrichment capacity.” Nonproliferation and security considerations will guide those efforts.
With energy demands soaring due to AI and data center growth, industry giants like Microsoft, Oracle, Google, and Amazon are now investing in or exploring small modular reactors to power their operations. The administration sees this as a critical opportunity for the U.S. to lead again. “Nuclear energy is necessary to power the next generation technologies that secure our global industrial, digital, and economic dominance, achieve energy independence, and protect our national security,” a White House official said." 

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