[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 102 (Thursday, May 29, 2025)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 22581-22586]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-09796]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 102 / Thursday, May 29, 2025 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 22581]]
Executive Order 14299 of May 23, 2025
Deploying Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies
for National Security
By the authority vested in me as President by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States of
America, it is hereby ordered:
Section 1. Background. The United States faces a
critical national security imperative to ensure a
resilient, secure, and reliable energy supply for
critical defense facilities designated under section
824o-1(c) of title 16, United States Code, and other
mission capability resources. Advanced computing
infrastructure for artificial intelligence (AI)
capabilities and other mission capability resources at
military and national security installations and
national laboratories demands reliable, high-density
power sources that cannot be disrupted by external
threats or grid failures. These facilities and
resources' vulnerability to energy disruption
represents a strategic risk that must be addressed.
Advanced nuclear reactors include nuclear energy
systems like Generation III+ reactors, small modular
reactors, microreactors, and stationary and mobile
reactors that have the potential to deliver resilient,
secure, and reliable power to critical defense
facilities and other mission capability resources.
However, despite its promise, such technology has not
been utilized in the United States at the scale or
speed necessary to meet the Nation's urgent national
security requirements, while our adversaries are
rapidly exporting and deploying such technology around
the world.
The Federal Government must utilize its full authority
to accelerate the secure and responsible development,
demonstration, deployment, and export of United States
designed advanced nuclear technologies to bolster
readiness and enhance American technological
superiority. Additionally, the United States must
further enhance our ability to export our nuclear
technology to our allies and commercial partners,
strengthening our shared ability to combat reliance on
foreign adversaries through the use of safe, secure,
and safeguarded nuclear technologies. Therefore, we
must unleash the domestic nuclear industrial base and
position American nuclear companies as the partners of
choice for future energy growth throughout the world.
Sec. 2. Policy. It is the policy of the United States
to:
(a) ensure the rapid development, deployment, and
use of advanced nuclear technologies to support
national security objectives, such as the protection
and operation of critical infrastructure, critical
defense facilities, and other mission capability
resources;
(b) enable private sector investment, innovation,
development, and use of advanced nuclear technologies
in the United States, recognizing their benefit to
national security, by aligning incentives across the
Federal Government to fully leverage federally owned
uranium and plutonium resources declared excess to
defense needs, related nuclear material, supply chain
components, and research and development
infrastructure; and
(c) coordinate regulatory efforts across the
Department of Defense and the Department of Energy,
ensuring that these agencies optimize resources and
risk allocation in accordance with their respective
missions sets.
Sec. 3. Deployment and Use of Advanced Nuclear Reactor
Technologies at Military Installations. (a) The
Secretary of Defense, through the Secretary of the
Army, shall establish a program of record for the
utilization of nuclear
[[Page 22582]]
energy for both installation energy and operational
energy. The Secretary of Defense, through the Secretary
of the Army, shall commence the operation of a nuclear
reactor, regulated by the United States Army, at a
domestic military base or installation no later than
September 30, 2028. The Secretary of Defense shall
designate the Secretary of the Army as the executive
agent for both installation and operational nuclear
energy across the Department of Defense.
(b) The Secretary of Energy shall provide technical
advice, as requested, to the Secretary of Defense on
the design, construction, and operation of any advanced
nuclear reactor on a military installation pursuant to
this order.
(c) The Secretary of State shall provide advice to
the Secretary of Defense on any international legal
requirements, or any necessary modification to
international agreements or arrangements, relevant to
this order.
(d) Within 240 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of Defense shall, in coordination with the
Secretary of Energy, the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB), and the Secretaries of the
military departments, prepare and submit to the
Assistant to the President for National Security
Affairs recommendations for legislative proposals and
regulatory actions regarding the distribution,
operation, replacement, and removal of advanced nuclear
reactors and spent nuclear fuel on military
installations.
Sec. 4. Deployment and Use of Advanced Nuclear Reactor
Technologies at Department of Energy Facilities. (a)
The Secretary of Energy shall initiate the process for
designating AI data centers within the 48 contiguous
States and the District of Columbia, in whole or in
part, that are located at or operated in coordination
with Department of Energy facilities, including as
support for national security missions, as critical
defense facilities, where appropriate. The electrical
infrastructure, including both nuclear and non-nuclear
power generation infrastructure, needed to operate such
shall be considered defense critical electric
infrastructure, for purposes of this order and
subsequently across all applicable statutes,
regulations, and directives or other non-regulatory
statements of policy, as appropriate and consistent
with applicable law.
(b) Within 90 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of Energy shall designate one or more sites
owned or controlled by the Department of Energy within
the United States, including national laboratories, for
the use and deployment of advanced nuclear reactor
technologies.
(c) The Secretary of Energy shall utilize all
available legal authorities to site, approve, and
authorize the design, construction, and operation of
privately funded advanced nuclear reactor technologies
at Department of Energy-owned or controlled sites for
the purpose of powering AI infrastructure, other
critical or national security needs, supply chain
items, or on-site infrastructure. The Secretary of
Energy shall prioritize early site preparation and
authorization activities with a goal of operating an
advanced nuclear reactor at the first site no later
than 30 months from the date of this order.
Sec. 5. Uranium and Related Materials for Reactors
Referenced in this Order. (a) Within 90 days of the
date of this order, the Secretary of Energy shall
identify all useful uranium and plutonium material
within the Department of Energy's inventories that may
be recycled or processed into nuclear fuel for reactors
in the United States.
(b) The Secretary of Energy shall release into a
readily available fuel bank not less than 20 metric
tons of high assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) for any
project from the private sector which receives
authorization to construct and operate at a Department
of Energy-owned or controlled site and that is
regulated by the Department of Energy for the purpose
of powering AI and other infrastructure. The Secretary
of Energy shall retain such stockpiles of fuel as are
necessary for tritium production, naval propulsion, and
nuclear weapons as well as other existing national
security obligations and therefore draw from other
caches of Department of Energy-owned
[[Page 22583]]
material to provide HALEU for the fuel bank pursuant to
this section. To the extent feasible, the Secretary of
Energy shall implement plans to ensure that a long-term
supply of enriched uranium is available for the
continued operation of the projects referenced in this
first sentence of this subsection, including through
the establishment of domestic fuel fabrication and
supply chains to reduce reliance on foreign sources of
fuel.
(c) The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of
Energy shall utilize all available legal authorities to
site, approve, and authorize the design, construction,
and operation of privately-funded nuclear fuel
recycling, reprocessing, and reactor fuel fabrication
technologies at identified sites controlled by their
respective agencies for the purpose of fabricating fuel
forms for use in national security reactors, commercial
power reactors, and non-power research reactors.
Sec. 6. Interagency Coordination. The Secretary of
Defense and the Secretary of Energy shall execute any
useful contract or agreement under any of their
respective authorities to support implementation of
this order, including contracts or agreements for
technical advisory support from the Department of
Energy at Department of Defense installations for
research, development, design, acquisition,
specification, construction, inspection, installation,
certification, testing, overhaul, refueling, operation,
maintenance, supply support, and disposition of
advanced nuclear reactor technologies in support of
mission assurance objectives for critical
infrastructure and to ensure military readiness and
support from the Department of Defense to identify
novel uses of advanced nuclear reactor technologies for
defense applications and testing at Department of
Energy-owned or controlled sites.
Sec. 7. National Environmental Policy Act Compliance.
The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Energy
shall consult with the Chairman of the Council on
Environmental Quality regarding:
(a) applying the Department of Defense's and the
Department of Energy's established categorical
exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., for the construction of
advanced nuclear reactor technologies on certain
Federal sites within the United States and for any
other appropriate measures for the purposes of
implementing this order;
(b) adopting other executive departments and
agencies' (agencies) categorical exclusions for the
same purposes;
(c) establishing new categorical exclusions for the
same purposes;
(d) seeking to utilize other agencies' emergency
and other permitting procedures for the siting and
construction of advanced nuclear reactor technologies;
and
(e) developing alternative arrangements for
compliance with NEPA in emergency situations as
appropriate for the same purposes.
Sec. 8. Promoting American Nuclear Exports. (a) The
Secretary of State or the Secretary of State's designee
shall:
(i) lead diplomatic engagement and negotiations for Agreements for Peaceful
Nuclear Cooperation pursuant to section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of
1954, 42 U.S.C. 2153 (123 Agreements);
(ii) aggressively pursue at least 20 new 123 Agreements by the close of the
120th Congress to enable the United States nuclear industry to access new
markets in partner countries;
(iii) aggressively renegotiate 123 Agreements set to expire within the next
decade;
(iv) fully leverage the resources of the Federal Government to promote the
United States nuclear industry in the development of commercial civil
nuclear projects globally; and
(v) lead engagement with the Congress regarding the progress and reporting
of negotiating 123 Agreements.
[[Page 22584]]
(b) The Secretary of Energy shall expeditiously
review and, subject to the concurrence of the Secretary
of State and after consultation with the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, the Department of Commerce, and
the Department of Defense, adjudicate export
authorization requests to facilitate United States
technological leadership. The Secretary of Energy,
subject to the concurrence of the Secretary of State
and after consultation with the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, the Department of Commerce, and the
Department of Defense, shall approve or deny each
technology transfer export authorization request within
30 days of receipt of a complete application and
completion by the Department of Energy of the required
accompanying analysis, excluding any time period
waiting for (i) concurrence from the Department of
State; and (ii) retransfer and nonproliferation
assurances to be received from the government of the
country where the export is proposed to be sent.
(c) Within 90 days of the date of this order, the
Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
and the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy
shall, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the
Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Commerce,
the Secretary of Energy, the Director of OMB, the
Assistant to the President for National Security
Affairs, and the Chair of the National Energy Dominance
Council, determine a strategy which addresses:
(i) optimizing the value of the United States International Development
Finance Corporation to provide equity and other financing of American
nuclear energy technology;
(ii) increasing the effectiveness of the United States Trade and
Development Agency, as consistent with law, by expanding grant financing
for United States nuclear technology pilots, fuel supplies, and project
preparation to recently graduated high income economies of national
strategic interest;
(iii) leveraging the Export-Import Bank of the United States and other
relevant agencies to increase financing for projects utilizing United
States civil nuclear technology exports throughout the project lifecycle;
(iv) holding trade missions and reverse trade missions and leveraging other
trade promotion tools to remove trade barriers and increase the market
competitiveness of the United States nuclear industry; and
(v) achieving competitive parity in the global market for high-level
advocacy and representation from the Federal Government to foreign
governments of potential import countries to include alignment on nuclear-
related bilateral issues, focusing on countries with the highest
probability of nuclear deployment within the next 4 years based on industry
assessment and established commercial criteria such as the strength of the
country's financial and regulatory system.
(d) Within 90 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of the Treasury shall, in consultation with
the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Commerce, the
Secretary of Energy, the Director of OMB, the Director
of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the
Chair of the National Energy Dominance Council, and the
Assistant to the President for Economic Policy,
determine a strategy that:
(i) leverages United States participation in the multilateral development
banks to support client country access to financial and technical
assistance for the generation and distribution of nuclear energy and a
reliable fuel supply; and
(ii) supports such assistance at relevant institutions to make financial
support available on competitive terms, strengthen the capacity of such
institutions to assess, implement, and evaluate nuclear energy projects,
and support adoption of nuclear energy technologies and fuel supply chains
that meet or exceed the quality standards in the United States or a country
allied with the United States.
(e) Within 90 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of State or his designee shall, in
consultation with the Secretary of Commerce and
[[Page 22585]]
the Secretary of Energy, and after review by the
Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
and the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy,
implement a program to enhance the global
competitiveness of American nuclear suppliers,
investors, and lenders to compete for nuclear projects
around the globe, including actions to:
(i) expedite the conclusion of intergovernmental agreements on nuclear
energy and the fuel supply chain with potential export countries;
(ii) promote broad adherence to the Convention on Supplementary
Compensation for Nuclear Damage;
(iii) identify statutory and regulatory burdens on exports of American
nuclear technology, fuel supplies, equipment, and services that are not
addressed by this or other Executive Orders and recommend appropriate
remedial action; and
(iv) encourage favorable decisions by potential import countries on the use
of American nuclear technology, fuel supplies, equipment, and services.
Sec. 9. Prioritization of Nuclear Clearances. The
Secretary of Defense, through the Defense
Counterintelligence and Security Agency and in
consultation with the Secretary of Energy, shall
prioritize the issuance as appropriate of Department of
Energy and Department of Defense security clearances
including ``L'', ``Q'', ``SECRET'', ``TOP SECRET'',
``RD'', ``CNWDI'', and ``SCI'' to support the rapid
distribution and use of nuclear energy and fuel cycle
technologies.
Sec. 10. Other Provisions. Nothing in this order shall
be construed to impair or otherwise affect OMB
functions related to procurement actions and related
policy. This order shall be carried out subject to the
budgetary, legislative, and procurement processes and
requirements established by the Director of OMB, and
coordinated with OMB, as appropriate, prior to the
initiation of any new program, obligation, or
commitment of Federal funds or submission of any
legislative or procurement proposal arising from this
order. This order shall be carried out in a manner
which adheres to applicable legal requirements,
conforms with nonproliferation obligations, and meets
the highest safeguards and safety and security
standards.
Sec. 11. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order
shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or
the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with
applicable law and subject to the availability of
appropriations;
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not,
create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural,
enforceable at law or in equity by any party against
the United States, its departments, agencies, or
entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any
other person.
[[Page 22586]]
(d) The Department of Energy shall provide funding
for publication of this order in the Federal Register.
(Presidential Sig.)
THE WHITE HOUSE,
May 23, 2025.
[FR Doc. 2025-09796
Filed 5-28-25; 8:45 am]
Billing code 6450-01-P