[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 102 (Thursday, May 29, 2025)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 22595-22599]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-09801]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 102 / Thursday, May 29, 2025 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 22595]]
Executive Order 14302 of May 23, 2025
Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base
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. Purpose. The United States originally
pioneered nuclear energy technology during a time of
great peril. We now face a new set of challenges,
including a global race to dominate in artificial
intelligence, a growing need for energy independence,
and access to uninterruptible power supplies for
national security.
It took nearly 40 years for the United States to add
the same amount of nuclear capacity as another
developed nation added in 10 years. Further, as
American deployment of advanced reactor designs has
waned, 87 percent of nuclear reactors installed
worldwide since 2017 are based on designs from two
foreign countries. At the same time, the Nation's
nuclear fuel cycle infrastructure has severely
atrophied, leaving the United States heavily dependent
on foreign sources of uranium as well as uranium
enrichment and conversion services. These trends cannot
continue.
Swift and decisive action is required to jumpstart
America's nuclear energy industrial base and ensure our
national and economic security by increasing fuel
availability and production, securing civil nuclear
supply chains, improving the efficiency with which
advanced nuclear reactors are licensed, and preparing
our workforce to establish America's energy dominance
and accelerate our path towards a more secure and
independent energy future.
Sec. 2. Policy. It is the policy of the United States
to expedite and promote to the fullest possible extent
the production and operation of nuclear energy to
provide affordable, reliable, safe, and secure energy
to the American people, to power advanced nuclear
reactor technologies, as defined in 42 U.S.C.
16271(b)(1)(A), and to build associated supply chains
that secure our global industrial and digital
dominance, achieve our energy independence, protect our
national security, and maximize the efficiency and
effectiveness of nuclear fuel through recycling,
reprocessing, and reinvigorating the commercial sector.
Sec. 3. Strengthening the Domestic Nuclear Fuel Cycle.
(a) Within 240 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of Energy, in coordination with the Secretary
of Defense, the Secretary of Transportation, and the
Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB),
shall prepare and submit to the President, through the
Chair of the National Energy Dominance Council and the
Director of the Office of Science and Technology
Policy, a report that includes:
(i) a recommended national policy to support the management of spent
nuclear fuel and high-level waste and the development and deployment of
advanced fuel cycle capabilities to establish a safe, secure, and
sustainable long-term fuel cycle;
(ii) a review of relevant statutory authorities to identify any legislative
changes necessary or desirable to achieve the national policy recommended
under subsection (a)(i) of this section;
(iii) an evaluation of the reprocessing and recycling of spent nuclear fuel
from the operation of Department of Defense and Department of Energy
reactors and other spent nuclear fuel managed by the Department of Energy,
along with a discussion of steps the Department of Defense
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and the Department of Energy are taking or must take to improve such
reprocessing and recycling processes;
(iv) an analysis of legal, budgetary, and policy considerations relevant to
efficiently transferring spent nuclear fuel from reactors to a government-
owned, privately operated reprocessing and recycling facility;
(v) recommendations for the efficient use of the uranium, plutonium, and
other products recovered through recycling and reprocessing;
(vi) recommendations for the efficient disposal of the wastes generated by
recycling or reprocessing through a permanent disposal pathway;
(vii) a recommended process for evaluating, prior to disposal, nuclear
waste materials for isotopes of value to national security, or medical,
industrial, and scientific sectors;
(viii) a reevaluation of historic and current nuclear reprocessing,
separation, and storage facilities slated for decommissioning and that are
identified as having valuable materials, isotopes, equipment, licenses,
operations, or experienced workers, and that may have potential fuel cycle
or national security benefits if operations are continued or increased; and
(ix) a program to develop methods and technologies to transport,
domestically and overseas, used and unused advanced nuclear fuels and
advanced nuclear reactors containing such fuels in a safe, secure, and
environmentally sound manner, including any legislation required to support
this initiative.
(b) Within 120 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the Chair of
the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Director of
OMB, shall develop a plan to expand domestic uranium
conversion capacity and expand enrichment capabilities
sufficient to meet projected civilian and defense
reactor needs for low enriched uranium (LEU), high
enriched uranium (HEU) and high assay, low enriched
uranium (HALEU), subject to retention of such
stockpiles as are necessary for tritium production,
naval propulsion, and nuclear weapons. The plan shall
be implemented based on the timeframes set forth in the
plan.
(c) The Secretary of Energy shall halt the surplus
plutonium dilute and dispose program except with
respect to the Department of Energy's legal obligations
to the State of South Carolina. In place of this
program, the Secretary of Energy shall establish a
program to dispose of surplus plutonium by processing
and making it available to industry in a form that can
be utilized for the fabrication of fuel for advanced
nuclear technologies.
(d) Within 90 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the Secretary
of Defense as appropriate, shall update the Department
of Energy's excess uranium management policy to align
with the policy objectives of this order and the
Nuclear Fuel Security Act, factoring in the national
security need to modernize the United States nuclear
weapon stockpile. The Secretary of Energy shall
prioritize contracting for the development of fuel
fabrication facilities that demonstrate the technical
and financial feasibility to supply fuel to qualified
test reactors or pilot program reactors within 3 years
from the date of such applications.
(e) Within 30 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of Energy, in coordination with the Attorney
General and the Chairman of the Federal Trade
Commission, shall utilize the authority provided to the
President in section 708(c)(1) of the Defense
Production Act of 1950 (DPA) (50 U.S.C. 4558(c)(1)),
which has been delegated to the Secretary of Energy
pursuant to Executive Order 13603 of March 16, 2012
(National Defense Resources Preparedness), to seek
voluntary agreements pursuant to section 708 of the DPA
with domestic nuclear energy companies. The Secretary
of Energy should prioritize agreements with those
companies that have achieved objective milestones
(e.g., Department of Energy-approved conceptual safety
design reports, the ability to privately finance their
fuel, or the demonstrated technology capability) for
the cooperative procurement of LEU and HALEU,
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including as needed by the Federal Government for
tritium production, naval propulsion, and nuclear
weapons.
(f) The Secretary of Energy, the Attorney General,
and the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission shall
take all necessary and appropriate steps under sections
708(c), (d), (e), and (f)(1)(A) of the DPA (50 U.S.C.
4558(c), (d), (e), (f)(1)(A)), for the Secretary of
Energy to form agreements pursuant to subsection (e) of
this section.
(g) The Attorney General shall, after consultation
with the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission,
consider whether to make the finding described in
section 708(f)(1)(B) of the DPA (50 U.S.C.
4558(f)(1)(B)), with respect to any agreement and, no
later than 30 days after any voluntary agreement is
reached, shall publish such finding as appropriate.
(h) Such voluntary agreements shall further allow
consultation with domestic nuclear energy companies to
discuss and implement methods to enhance the capability
to manage spent nuclear fuel, including the recycling
and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, to ensure the
continued reliable operation of the Nation's nuclear
reactors. Such voluntary agreements shall also allow
industry consultation to establish consortia and plans
of action to ensure that the nuclear fuel supply chain
capacity, including milling, conversion, enrichment,
deconversion, fabrication, recycling, or reprocessing,
is available to enable the continued reliable operation
of the Nation's existing, and future, nuclear reactors.
The Secretary of Energy, consistent with applicable
law, is authorized to provide procurement support,
forward contracts, or guarantees to such consortia as a
means to ensure offtake for newly established domestic
fuel supply, including conversion, enrichment,
reprocessing, or fabrication capacity.
Sec. 4. Funding for Restart, Completion, Uprate, or
Construction of Nuclear Plants. (a) To maximize the
speed and scale of new nuclear capacity, the Department
of Energy shall prioritize work with the nuclear energy
industry to facilitate 5 gigawatt of power uprates to
existing nuclear reactors and have 10 new large
reactors with complete designs under construction by
2030. To help achieve these objectives, the Secretary
of Energy, through the Department of Energy Loan
Programs Office, shall, subject to the requirements of
the Federal Credit Reform Act and other applicable law
and OMB Circular A-11, prioritize activities that
support nuclear energy, including actions to make
available resources for restarting closed nuclear power
plants, increasing power output of operating nuclear
power plants, completing construction of nuclear
reactors that was prematurely suspended, constructing
new advanced nuclear reactors, and improving all
associated aspects of the nuclear fuel supply chain.
(b) The Secretary of Energy shall also coordinate
with the Secretary of Defense to assess the feasibility
of restarting or repurposing closed nuclear power
plants as energy hubs for military microgrid support,
consistent with applicable law, focusing initially on
installations with insufficient power resilience or
grid fragility.
(c) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of Energy, in coordination with the
Administrator of the Small Business Administration,
shall, subject to the availability of appropriations,
prioritize funding for qualified advanced nuclear
technologies through grants, loans, investment capital,
funding opportunities, and other Federal support.
Priority shall be given to those companies
demonstrating the largest degrees of design and
technological maturity, financial backing, and
potential for near-term deployment of their
technologies.
Sec. 5. Expanding the Nuclear Energy Workforce. (a)
Nuclear engineering and other careers and education
pathways that support the nuclear energy industry shall
be considered areas of focus and priority pursuant to
Executive Order 14278 of April 23, 2025 (Preparing
Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the
Future).
(b) Within 120 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education shall
seek to increase participation in nuclear
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energy-related Registered Apprenticeships and Career
and Technical Education programs by:
(i) using apprenticeship intermediary contracts and allocating existing
discretionary funds, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to
engage industry organizations and employers to perform a gap analysis of
apprenticeship programs, and facilitate the development of Registered
Apprenticeship programs, in nuclear energy-related occupations that are
underrepresented;
(ii) encouraging States and grantees to use funding provided under the
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (Public Law 113-128), as amended,
to develop nuclear engineering and other nuclear energy-related skills and
to support work-based learning opportunities, including issuing related
guidance to State and local workforce development boards and others
regarding use of such funds for such purposes; and
(iii) consistent with applicable law, establishing nuclear engineering and
other nuclear energy-related skills training and work-based learning as a
grant priority in Employment and Training Administration and Office of
Career, Technical, and Adult Education discretionary grant programs.
(c) Within 120 days of the date of this order, all
executive departments and agencies that provide
educational grants shall, as appropriate and consistent
with applicable law, consider nuclear engineering and
other nuclear energy-related careers as a priority area
for investment.
(d) Within 120 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of Energy shall take steps to increase access
to research and development infrastructure, workforce,
and expertise at Department of Energy National
Laboratories for college and university students
studying nuclear engineering and other nuclear energy-
related fields, and Department of Defense personnel
affiliated with nuclear energy programs.
Sec. 6. 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, safety, and security standards.
Sec. 7. 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.
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(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. 2025-09801
Filed 5-28-25; 8:45 am]
Billing code 6450-01-P