US nuclear regulator's overhaul of rules to run well into 2027, its chief says
XLU•NRC chief rejects claims of weakened independence
Trump last year signed four executive orders on nuclear power that seek to shorten the approval time.
In a report on global nuclear security published on Tuesday, the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a think tank, said the orders had "compromised the political independence and oversight authority" of the NRC by, among other things, requiring changes in regulation to be submitted to the White House for approval.
Nieh rejected that assertion.
"There is no reduction in our independence. We are part of the federal government. Like all executive branch agencies, we follow the general policies set by the administration," Nieh said.
"We make and we own our regulatory decisions, and that hasn't changed. So I know it's provocative to say that the NRC is not independent, but I reject that assertion because I'm in it. I see what's happening."
