A recent report from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for 2024 reveals a disturbing acceleration in efforts to usher in a new generation of unproven and potentially hazardous advanced nuclear reactors. This push has been significantly amplified by a May 23rd White House Executive Order from President Donald J. Trump, which explicitly directs the NRC to "reform" its regulations to reduce barriers and rapidly promote nuclear power. These aggressive moves come despite critical new research, published in May 2022 by Stanford and the University of British Columbia, revealing that the much-touted small modular reactors (SMRs) will actually exacerbate the nation's already dire nuclear waste crisis.
The NRC's 2024 "Significant Advanced Reactor Accomplishments" report, combined with the new White House directive, paints a concerning picture of regulatory bodies actively dismantling safeguards in the name of a "nuclear renaissance." While the NRC frames these "accomplishments" as progress, and the White House touts "energy independence" and "economic growth," a closer look exposes a dangerous path toward widespread deployment of untested reactor designs with significantly reduced oversight and an increased burden of highly radioactive waste.
Regulatory Loopholes and Accelerated Approvals Raise Red Flags
The new Executive Order dramatically intensifies the NRC's existing efforts to loosen regulatory requirements. The report highlights the NRC's 2024 activities, now underscored by the White House's direct mandate:
- "Micro-Reactor Licensing and Deployment Considerations: Fuel Loading and Operational Testing at a Factory": This initiative, detailed in SECY-24-0008, seeks to bypass traditional onsite safety reviews by allowing fuel loading and operational testing of microreactors at factories. The Executive Order further cements this by directing the NRC to establish an "expedited pathway for approving reactor designs that have been safely tested by the Department of Defense or Department of Energy" and a "process for high-volume licensing of microreactors and modular reactors, including allowing for standardized applications." This could lead to a rapid proliferation of potentially dangerous reactors with dangerously reduced oversight, increasing the risk of incidents during manufacturing, transport, and deployment.
- Revised Siting Guidelines: Regulatory Guide (RG) 4.7, Revision 4, now includes "alternative approaches to the population-density criterion." This means that advanced reactors, including microreactors, could be sited closer to densely populated areas. The White House directive to "balance safety concerns with the benefits of nuclear energy for our economy and national security" suggests that traditional population-density concerns may be further deprioritized.
- "Technology-Inclusive" Licensing: The issuance of nine interim staff guidance documents from the Advanced Reactor Content of Application Project (ARCAP) and RG 1.253 aims to create a "technology-inclusive" framework for non-light-water reactors. The Executive Order's emphasis on "comprehensively revising its regulations and guidance documents" will likely accelerate this trend, potentially leading to a one-size-fits-all approach to licensing that overlooks unique risks associated with diverse and novel reactor designs.
- "Alternative Physical Security Requirements": The proposed rule (89 FR 65226) seeks to establish "voluntary alternatives" to some physical security requirements for advanced reactors. Coupled with the Executive Order's directive to "reduce regulatory barriers" and "reconsider regulations limiting license terms," this rollback of security measures could leave nuclear facilities increasingly vulnerable to sabotage or attack, with catastrophic consequences.
- Arbitrary Deadlines and "Science-Based" Radiation Limits: The Executive Order explicitly directs the NRC to establish "fixed deadlines for evaluation and approval of licenses, including an 18-month deadline for construction and operation of new reactors and a 12-month deadline for continued operation of an existing reactor." Furthermore, it mandates "adopting science-based radiation limits, instead of relying on flawed radiation exposure models," and "revising regulations governing compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act." These directives suggest a forced acceleration of approvals and a reinterpretation of safety standards, potentially at the expense of thorough review and robust environmental protection.
These changes, driven by direct presidential order, demonstrate a deliberate weakening of safety standards, allowing the nuclear industry to cut corners in the name of "efficiency" and "streamlining," with a stated goal of expanding U.S. nuclear energy capacity from around 100 GW today to 400 GW by 2050.
Untested Designs Moving Toward Construction, Faster
The NRC's 2024 report detailed the issuance of construction permits for several non-light-water reactors, now under the shadow of the White House's urgent mandate:
- Abilene Christian University Molten Salt Research Reactor: A construction permit was issued on September 16, 2024. Molten salt reactors present unique challenges, including the corrosive nature of the salt and the potential for radioactive contamination within the coolant itself. The full implications of these challenges are still being researched, yet construction is moving forward, now with an even stronger push for rapid deployment.
- Kairos Hermes 2 Test Reactors: Two construction permits were issued on November 21, 2024. These test reactors, utilizing novel designs, are being fast-tracked without comprehensive understanding of all potential failure modes or long-term operational risks. The Executive Order's focus on "expedited pathways" means even less time for thorough safety assessments.
The NRC's rapid approval of these construction permits, amplified by the White House's directive, greenlights facilities that are essentially experimental, with inherent uncertainties that could lead to unforeseen accidents, now under even tighter deadlines.
Unresolved Waste Crisis Looms Larger Than Ever – Worsened by SMRs
While the NRC busies itself with licensing new reactor designs, and the White House declares a "National Energy Emergency" to "unleash innovation," the fundamental problem of nuclear waste remains dangerously unaddressed. Even more concerning, Stanford-led research published on May 31, 2022, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, directly refutes industry claims that small modular reactors (SMRs) will reduce waste.
According to study lead author Lindsay Krall, a former MacArthur Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), "Our results show that most small modular reactor designs will actually increase the volume of nuclear waste in need of management and disposal, by factors of 2 to 30 for the reactors in our case study." This finding stands in "sharp contrast to the cost and waste reduction benefits that advocates have claimed for advanced nuclear technologies."
The study highlights that SMRs, due to their smaller size, experience greater "neutron leakage," leading to significantly more radioactive "activated" structural materials. "We found that small modular reactors will generate at least nine times more neutron-activated steel than conventional power plants," said study co-author Rodney Ewing, the Frank Stanton Professor in Nuclear Security at Stanford. Furthermore, the spent nuclear fuel from SMRs will be discharged in greater volumes per unit energy extracted, be far more complex, and possess higher long-term radiotoxicity (at least 50% higher for plutonium after 10,000 years).
This means that while the NRC's 2024 report mentions research into "Storage and Transportation of Molten Salt Reactor Wastes," this comes too late and now directly conflicts with the new Stanford findings. The waste problem is not a future concern; it's a current crisis, compounded by every new reactor. Each new reactor, regardless of its "advanced" label, will inevitably generate highly radioactive waste that will remain dangerous for hundreds of thousands of years, with no permanent disposal solution in sight. This accelerating push for more nuclear power, without a viable waste solution and in the face of evidence that new designs increase waste, simply magnifies the toxic burden that will fall on future generations, a toxic legacy of today's short-sighted decisions.
More Research, More Risk, No Solutions – Just More Speed and More Waste
The NRC's research activities, while presented as advancements, often highlight the very unknowns and risks associated with these technologies. For instance, reports on "Preliminary Assessment of Models for Generating Predictions of Long-Term Corrosion in Molten Salts," "Effect of Fission Products on Degradation of Structural Materials in Molten Salt Reactors," and "Examining Graphite Degradation in Molten Salt Environments" underscore the fact that critical material degradation issues are still being studied, even as construction permits are issued for these types of reactors. The Executive Order's demand for faster licensing means that even less time will be allocated to fully understanding and mitigating these risks, putting the cart even further before the horse, building facilities before fully understanding their vulnerabilities and now with the clear scientific warning that they will produce more waste.
A Dangerous Path Forward for Ohio
The NRC's 2024 report, now irrevocably shaped by the May 23rd White House Executive Order and contradicted by independent scientific analysis, is not a testament to progress, but rather a blueprint for significantly increased nuclear risk and an escalating waste crisis. By aggressively pushing for regulatory exemptions, streamlining approvals for unproven designs, and failing to adequately address the profound challenges of nuclear waste – a problem worsened by the very technologies being promoted – the NRC, under direct presidential command, is putting Ohio and the nation on a dangerous path.
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