The U.S. nuclear power regulator has proposed narrowing the scope of environmental reviews required under federal law for licenses for new and renewed reactors. This proposal is part of several changes the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is making to its rules.
Background
President Donald Trump aims to put the U.S. on a path of quadrupling U.S. nuclear power capacity by 2050 to meet power demand that has been surging due to the boom in data centers, electric vehicles, and cryptocurrencies.
Other recent NRC proposals include changing a rule protecting people from radiation from power plants and security standards at reactors. Ho Nieh, the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, stated that the NRC proposes to limit areas where it does not have authority over effects on the environment, such as construction of nuclear plants.
The proposal also eliminates routine solicitation of public comments on draft environmental impact statements. The public would still have opportunities to comment during other parts of the approval process, the NRC said.
Cost Savings
The proposal is expected to save applicants and the NRC about $135 million in costs for new or renewed licenses, according to Kimyata Savoy, the NRC’s chief environmental review and permitting officer.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
