NRC cuts post-9/11 nuclear security inspections by 50%

On April 9, 2026, the NRC Commission voted to reduce security inspection resources by roughly 50 percent. This cut directly affects the Force-on-Force inspection program created after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The program required independent NRC-led security drills at all U.S. nuclear power plants every three years. Force-on-force hours will drop from 287 annual hours to between 149 and 170 hours.

The NRC voted to phase out agency-led security drills by 2028. Starting in 2028, nuclear plants will conduct security exercises without independent NRC leadership. Plant employees will run the entire drill. ELEdwin Lyman, a nuclear physicist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, called it a dog-and-pony show, akin to a professional wrestling match.

Eight of the original 11 security inspection procedures created post-9/11 are being retired. The NRC approved replacing these with two new annual inspections called Security Operations and Security Performance. Cybersecurity inspections will continue on a triennial schedule instead of biennial.

The NRC's April 2026 vote included an overall reduction of 38 percent in safety inspection resources and 56 percent in emergency preparedness inspection time. The changes align with Trump administration executive orders calling for streamlined nuclear regulation and accelerated reactor deployment.

The Trump administration pressure to accelerate nuclear power development is driven by electricity demand from artificial intelligence data centers. By 2026, global data center electricity consumption is projected to reach 1,000 to 1,100 terawatt-hours. DOGE staffers have removed over 100 NRC employees and roughly one-third of the nuclear office at DOE. SCSeth Cohen, a 31-year-old lawyer with no significant nuclear policy experience, was appointed chief counsel for nuclear policy at DOE.

In January 2026, NPR discovered that the Trump administration had secretly rewritten nuclear safety rules without public notice. The DOE changed multiple safety directives and shared them privately with nuclear companies. The rules eliminated requirements to protect groundwater, wildlife, and plants from radioactive contamination.

The NRC's top legal officer was replaced by DTDavid Taggart, an oil-and-gas attorney from 🎺Louisiana. Taggart is a co-founder of the Bradley Murchison law firm. He was recognized as Lawyer of the Year for Oil and Gas Law in 2022 and previously worked as acting general counsel at DOE under DOGE.

Chairman HNHo Nieh was designated NRC chair by President Trump on January 8, 2026. Nieh previously served as Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at Southern Nuclear. In 2025, Trump removed Democratic NRC Commissioner CHChristopher Hanson. The removals gave the NRC a 3-2 Republican majority. The two Democratic commissioners have expressed concerns about being fired.

The Force-on-Force inspection program didn't exist before 2001. After September 11, Congress mandated that every U.S. nuclear power reactor undergo regular independent security testing. For over 25 years, the program worked. The April 2026 NRC vote effectively reverses this post-9/11 safeguard.

The cuts come amid rising geopolitical tensions. In February 2026, the U.S. and Israel launched military strikes on Iran. ELEdwin Lyman stated the NRC's decision occurred amid ongoing security threats to U.S. critical infrastructure, including those arising from the Iran conflict.