Authored by Evgenia Filimianova via The Epoch Times,
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on July 8 proposed narrowing environmental reviews for new and renewed nuclear reactor licenses, a move the agency said would reduce costs, as the Trump administration pushes to expand nuclear energy.
In this aerial view, the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant stands in the middle of the Susquehanna River near Middletown, Pa., on Oct. 10, 2024. Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesThe proposal would change how the NRC implements the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), limiting reviews to environmental effects that fall within the agency's legal authority.
The NRC described the proposal as the "most comprehensive update to its environmental review regulations in decades," adding that it would remove outdated requirements and make the licensing process more efficient.
NRC Chairman Ho Nieh said the proposal, which is open for public comment until Aug. 21, would better align the agency's environmental reviews with what Congress intended under NEPA.
He told reporters: "For many, many, many years, NRC did much more than required by law in the National Environmental Policy Act. So this really brings us back to what NEPA demands, nothing more, nothing less."
Nieh also said, "By concentrating on impacts the NRC can address, we'll strengthen environmental protection while making licensing reviews more timely and predictable."
He said that the NRC proposes to lim
