Trump administration secretly weakened nuclear safety rules to speed up reactor construction

The Trump administration secretly rewrote nuclear safety directives at the Department of Energy over the fall and winter of 2025-2026, according to documents obtained exclusively by NPR. None of the new orders have been made public.

The changes accelerate the Reactor Pilot Program, which aims to build at least three new experimental commercial nuclear reactors by Jul. 4, 2026. Trump signed an executive order creating the program shortly after his inauguration.

The new rules alter groundwater protections by replacing the strict requirement to protect water from radiological contamination with consideration must be given to avoid contamination. Similar rollbacks affect discharges into public sewers and the environment.

DOE orders can legally be changed internally with no public comment period, unlike federal regulations. The orders have historically been made public via a DOE database, but the new versions haven't been published.

Former DOE Office of Nuclear Energy head KHKathryn Huff said the timeline is aggressive. Research reactors typically take at least two years to build from when construction begins, she said.

The safety review team reports directly to the Secretary of Energy, raising concerns that senior officials could pressure lower-level staff to speed safety evaluations. The team includes representatives from the Secretary's office, General Counsel, and Office of Nuclear Energy.

The Reactor Pilot Program expands DOE regulatory authority beyond government property to include all reactors built as part of the program, including DOE-contracted reactors built outside national laboratories.