To build nuclear faster, energy dept. pitches bypassing environmental laws
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) wants to exempt advanced nuclear power facilities from one of the nation’s key environmental laws. With electricity demand surging, the exemption would speed up the permitting process, but it would also eliminate an avenue for opponents to resist projects they believe will cause harm.
The DOE filed the regulatory change on Monday to establish a “categorical exclusion for authorization, siting, construction, operation, reauthorization and decommissioning of advanced nuclear reactors.” The filing opens up a 30-day public comment period, after which the DOE can decide whether to apply the 1970 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to a nascent type of nuclear reactor technology.
In its filing, the DOE argued that decades of research and improved safety features in advanced reactors justify circumventing the typical environmental review process.
Advanced nuclear prototypes “incorporate passive safety mechanisms, improve the physical architecture of reactor designs, increase reactor operational flexibility and performance and reduce risk in fuel disposal,” the DOE said.
The U.S. faces staggering growth projections for electricity demand, driven largely by artificial intelligence data centers. The Trump administration views advanced nuclear plants, with more fuel-efficient reactors and small, modular designs, as a necessary part of meeting future electricity demand. But the technology isn’t yet at commercial scale.
What is the normal NEPA process?
NEPA requires federal agencies to assess the environmental impacts of major projects before granting approval. The process typically includes heavily researched environmental impact statements, and analysis of alternative approaches. It also requires multiple public comment periods and tasks agency staff with reviewing and responding to concerns.
Critics argue the law has become a weapon for delaying or killing projects through lengthy legal challenges, even for projects with a minimal environmental impact. Environmental groups counter that weakening NEPA removes crucial safeguards and silences communities most affected by industrial development.
Multiple legislative efforts for “permitting reform” have contemplated changes to NEPA. But it remains a cornerstone of how energy projects — from power plants to transmission lines and wind farms — are approved.
Is advanced nuclear different?
Compared to large-scale nuclear power plants of decades prior, advanced nuclear reactors can use more highly enriched fuels. Rather than water, many designs employ alternative coolants such as liquid sodium, molten salt or helium gas, allowing them to operate at higher temperatures and lower pressures.
Advanced nuclear reactor designs, including small modular reactors can be manufactured at a factory and assembled where power is needed, rather than relying on a unique design for each power plant.
While the technology has generated hype and investment, there are no commercial advanced reactors currently in operation. And the DOE’s proposed exemption of a technology that has no established safety track record is likely to come under fire from critics of the Trump administration’s approach to environmental policy.
The public comment period on the DOE’s filing ends March 4, 2026.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
