How will federal govt protect nuclear safety in an anti-regulatory climate?

NRC oversight has been crucial to the industry's overall positive safety record

The Trump administration and congressional Republicans have undertaken a wide-ranging effort to shrink the federal government’s regulatory footprint. Much attention has focused on high-profile targets, such as the Environmental Protection Agency. But this trend also has major implications for other agencies.

One example is the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which oversees safety across a complex, privately owned network of nuclear power plants, used fuel storage facilities and other sites related to civilian uses of nuclear energy.

As a researcher studying communication in energy and environmental settings, I have followed the NRC’s work with