The Trump administration has revised internal Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear safety and security directives that govern a DOE-run pathway for advanced reactor projects, including a pilot program aimed at bringing at least three reactors to “criticality” by July 4, 2026. NPR reports the updated directives were not publicly posted at the time of its review and were shared with companies participating in the program, prompting criticism from former regulators and safety advocates even as DOE says it is cutting unnecessary burden without weakening safety.
Executive orders signed by President Donald Trump on May 23, 2025 directed the Energy Department to create a pilot program to approve at least three reactors with a stated goal of achieving criticality by July 4, 2026, and to assign support teams to applicants.
NPR reported that, over subsequent months, DOE revised more than a dozen internal “orders” that set requirements for reactor operations, including safety systems, environmental protections, site security and accident investigations. According to NPR’s analysis, the new versions removed more than 750 pages compared with earlier iterations—cutting the documents to roughly one-third of their previous length.
Among the changes described by NPR:
- DOE removed explicit references to the radiation-protection principle known as “As Low As Reasonably Achievable,” or ALARA. In response to NPR, DOE said the underlying ALARA standards had not changed even though references were removed.
- The updated directives dropped a requirement to designate a “cognizant system engineer” for each critical safety system—an accountability role intended to ensure a single engineer maintains deep familiarity with systems whose failure could contribute to severe accidents. DOE told NPR that the requirement was an unnecessary burden and that it uses other processes to ensure safety.
- DOE also removed a requirement to use “best available technology” to protect water supplies from radioactive discharges.
The most dramatic reductions, NPR reported, appeared in safeguards and security guidance. NPR said multiple security directives totaling more than 500 pages were consolidated into a 23-page order, removing detailed provisions on topics including firearms training, emergency drills, limits on security officers’ work hours, and specifications for physical barriers protecting nuclear material.
NPR also reported that the revised orders reduced record-keeping requirements and increased the amount of radiation exposure a worker can receive before an official accident investigation is triggered.
The changes drew criticism from outside experts interviewed by NPR. Christopher Hanson, who chaired the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) from 2021 to 2025 before being fired by Trump, told NPR that relaxing nuclear safety and security standards without public visibility was unlikely to build the public confidence the industry needs. Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, told NPR he believed the revisions weakened oversight that has helped prevent a major U.S. nuclear accident like Three Mile Island.
DOE, responding to NPR, said it did not remove requirements significant to security and characterized the revisions as a “user friendly” streamlining. DOE also said it planned to post the updated directives publicly later in 2026.
The pilot program is aimed at advanced reactor designs that DOE can authorize under its own authorities, rather than through the NRC’s public licensing process. The May 2025 national-security-focused executive order cited the need for reliable, high-density power for defense and advanced computing infrastructure, including artificial intelligence.
Private-sector interest in advanced reactors has been rising, including from technology companies seeking firm, around-the-clock power for data centers. NPR reported that companies such as Amazon, Google and Meta have publicly pointed to nuclear power—including small modular reactor concepts—as a potential long-term energy source for AI-driven demand, and noted that Amazon and Google are financial supporters of NPR.
