Executive Order Category Rationale

Justification

This executive order's primary purpose is to reform the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to dramatically expand America's nuclear energy capacity from 100 GW to 400 GW by 2050. The order explicitly states its goal to "facilitate increased deployment of new nuclear reactor technologies" and "reestablish the United States as the global leader in nuclear energy." While the order does reform a government agency (the NRC), the fundamental subject matter is energy infrastructure development and nuclear power expansion. The order's core focus is on accelerating nuclear energy production as critical infrastructure for national and economic security, including powering "cutting-edge, energy-intensive industries such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing." The extensive regulatory reforms directed in Section 5 are mechanisms to achieve the primary goal of expanding nuclear energy infrastructure, not ends in themselves.

Secondary relevant categories

• Government Reform & Efficiency
• Regulatory Reform & Oversight