Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the Department of Energy

The order directs the Secretary of Energy to issue guidance defining a "qualified test reactor," revise departmental regulations and procedures to significantly expedite approval and deployment of advanced reactors, and ensure that qualifying reactors can be operational within two years of a substantially complete application. It creates a dedicated applicant-assistance team for each qualifying project, reporting directly to the Secretary. It also directs the Secretary to establish a pilot program for reactor construction and operation at sites outside the National Laboratories, with a goal of achieving nuclear criticality in at least three reactors by July 4, 2026.

The order also directs the Secretary, in consultation with the Council on Environmental Quality, to reform the Department's environmental review rules under the National Environmental Policy Act by June 30, 2025, including by creating categorical exclusions, relying on existing site analyses, and determining which Department functions fall outside NEPA's scope. The order explicitly states it does not alter the authority of the Department of Defense and does not itself change any controlled-substance or commercial power licensing law.

Private companies and research entities seeking to design, build, and test advanced nuclear reactors under Department of Energy oversight; the Department's National Laboratories, particularly Idaho National Laboratory; and industries such as data centers, microchip manufacturing, and healthcare that could eventually use advanced reactor power.

Companies developing advanced reactor technologies — small modular reactors, microreactors, Generation IV designs — gain a federally mandated fast-track review process and a new pilot pathway to achieve operational reactors outside traditional National Laboratories, potentially years sooner than current procedures allow.

Implementation flows in stages: the Secretary first issues qualifying criteria (60 days), then revises regulations and procedures to enforce a two-year approval-to-operation timeline (90 days), then reforms NEPA environmental review rules (by June 30, 2025). For each qualifying applicant, a cross-departmental team reporting directly to the Secretary is assembled to shepherd the application. The pilot program runs in parallel, targeting criticality in three reactors by July 4, 2026. The Secretary coordinates throughout with the DOGE team lead, OMB, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy.