How is nuclear energy regulated in the US?

In the US, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission licenses and oversees reactors, and its rigor deserves credit for nuclear's strong safety record. The flip side — and this is a pointed view we label advocacy — is that decades of 'regulatory ratcheting,' often justified by overly cautious radiation assumptions, added cost and delay without matching safety gains.

The genuinely good news is that this is being fixed. The 2024 ADVANCE Act passed with broad bipartisan support specifically to modernize and speed up licensing for new and advanced reactors. Smart, proportionate regulation plus a faster path to 'yes' is exactly the unlock the industry has needed.