The White House has laid out a path to integrate itself into US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) decision-making, and the agency may not always know why the White House has chosen to intervene in specific agency actions, according to a May 20 memo obtained by Energy Intelligence. The White House campaign to erode the NRC's independence comes alongside fresh fears that President Donald Trump might fire some or all of the five NRC commissioners. The renomination of current NRC Chair David Wright, a Republican nominee whose term expires on Jun. 30, was not among this week's batch of White House nominations sent to Congress, as many had expected.
Ever since a Feb. 18 executive order asserting White House control over nominally independent federal agencies, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) has held weekly meetings with NRC staff, Energy Intelligence understands. OIRA, which is part of the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB), is meant to receive "all proposed and final significant regulatory actions," under the February order.
Energy Intelligence previously reported that the OMB has already told the NRC it is no longer independent. The May 20 memo, which circulated among NRC staff, details the extent to which OIRA intends to insert itself into agency decision-making. OIRA "has a desire to work with career staff and to stay informed about what the agency is doing because there are 'competing priorities' from various Executive Branch councils/organizations," read the memo, which listed the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), the National Economic Council, the White House chief of staff, the National Security Council and the Energy Dominance Council. The latter is led by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright and has a promotional function when it comes to nuclear energy.
