Uncle Sam dangles nuclear campuses for states while watering down safety rules

The Department of Energy (DOE) is inviting US states to host "Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses" to revitalize atomic power amid reports the agency has weakened safety rules governing the way nuclear sites operate. The DOE issued a Request for Information (RFI) on Wednesday, seeking responses from states that may be interested in hosting the campuses, which will operate a "full‑cycle nuclear ecosystem." In practice, this means these sites will be expected to provide facilities for atomic waste reprocessing and disposal, in addition to fuel fabrication and enrichment. They may also serve as locations for nuclear reactors and co‑located datacenters powered by them. News site Politico reported last week about talk of the Trump administration planning to steer "billions, if not hundreds of billions" in funding toward developing a domestic nuclear fuel cycle program to support rapid expansion of reactor construction. The DOE denied this at the time, according to other sources. States are invited to indicate by no later than April 1 their interest in hosting potential Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses, and provide feedback on the incentives and other support they require. In return, the DOE seeks information on approaches that prioritize private capital and the state's own funding, with only time‑limited federal support. It also expects "robust financial assurances" to protect federal taxpayers from open‑ended liabilities – meaning Washington doesn't want to pick up the tab if it all goes horribly wrong. Last year, the DOE named ten companies it will work with to test and fast-track advanced atomic reactor projects, outside the scope of the agency's national laboratories, in line with President Trump's Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program. California representative Mike Levin praised the new scheme, saying it is a meaningful and long-overdue step toward dealing with spent nuclear fuel. "For interested states, these campuses could deliver significant economic and job-creation benefits. The proposed campuses would support key functions across the nuclear fuel lifecycle, including fuel fabrication, enrichment, reprocessing used nuclear fuel, and waste disposal," he said in a statement. But states considering the move should perhaps think carefully. A report from nonprofit media organization NPR claims the DOE has secretly rewritten nuclear safety directives governing atomic energy sites, significantly watering down the rules. Trump says he got a deal for rare earths in Greenland, but they won't come easy Trump promises nuclear datacenter permits in 3 weeks, calls Greenland 'big beautiful ice' Trump wants big tech to pay for big beautiful power plants Trump Media jumps aboard the speculative nuclear fusion bandwagon The changes were made to streamline the development of a new generation of nuclear reactors, which the Trump administration wants building to ensure there is enough power for all the new-build AI datacenters that are popping up, as well as growing electricity use in other sectors. Hundreds of pages of requirements relating to security at reactors have simply been cut, according to NPR, and requirements for keeping records were trimmed. The level of radiation a worker can be exposed to before an official accident investigation gets triggered has been increased, and protections relating to groundwater and the environment weakened. For example, protection of groundwater is no longer described as a "must," replaced by wording that says companies must give "consideration" to "avoiding or minimizing" radioactive contamination. The Register asked the DOE to comment. Advocacy group the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) criticized the move. "This deeply troubling development confirms my worst fears about the dire state of nuclear power safety and security oversight under the Trump administration," UCS director of nuclear power safety Dr Edwin Lyman said in a statement. "The Energy Department has not only taken a sledgehammer to the basic principles that underlie effective nuclear regulation, but it has also done so in the shadows, keeping the public in the dark," he added, stating that regulations were developed over the course of many decades, incorporating lessons learned from painful events such as the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters. Any new reactor designs will have to secure licenses from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) before they are used to commercially produce power, the UCS points out. However, the NRC has agreed to restrict the scope of its additional safety and security reviews for facilities that have received DOE authorization. ®