This gives me hope someone knowledgeable about how and why the NRC has held up so many nuclear plans in the past is finally willing to call them to account in regard to the LNT model.

But Devanney also read the EO and explains his reservations in several areas, including his concern that the folks at the NRC will somehow get around this “reconsideration” of the LNT model so as to avoid being blamed for public fears from a potential radiation release, even if/when that release is not serious enough to impact community health.

I am more encouraged after my reread of the EO that someone understands this situation [even if the EO language is not as explicit as Devanney would like], but I also remain skeptical based on Devanney’s assessment and experience with this NRC bureaucracy in the past. I suppose we will find out within the next 9 to 18 months.

Wikipedia
…” Headquartered in the Tri-Cities at Richland, Washington, the WPPSS became commonly (and derisively) known as “Whoops!”, due to over-commitment to nuclear power in the 1970s which brought about financial collapse and the second largest municipal bond default in U.S. history.”

One of five (former WNP-2) is operating, IIRCC, the other reactors were sold to China.

See this
“ Adopting science-based radiation limits, instead of relying on flawed radiation exposure models.”

It looks like Devanney did not read the order

The rest of the order introduction …

“ Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order directing the reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in order to reduce our dependence on foreign technologies, decrease regulatory barriers, and support our domestic nuclear industry.
This Order directs the NRC to complete rulemakings within 18 months to comprehensively revise its regulations and guidance documents, with a focus on balancing safety concerns with the benefits of nuclear energy for our economy and national security. The revisions will include:
Establishing fixed deadlines for evaluation and approval of licenses, including an 18-month deadline for construction and operation of new reactors and a 12-month deadline for continued operation of an existing reactor.
Adopting science-based radiation limits, instead of relying on flawed radiation exposure models.
Revising regulations governing compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act.
Establishing an expedited pathway for approving reactor designs that have been safely tested by the Department of Defense or Department of Energy.
Establishing a process for high-volume licensing of microreactors and modular reactors, including allowing for standardized applications.
Reconsidering regulations limiting license terms, extending those terms as appropriate.”

“Realigning NRC CULTURE AND PERSONNEL: President Trump is directing the NRC to reform its culture and realign its organization to reflect Congress’ directive to rapidly promote nuclear power while ensuring reactor safety.
When licensing and regulating civilian nuclear power, the NRC is directed to consider the benefits of nuclear power to our economic and national security in addition to traditional concerns regarding safety, health, and environmental factors.
This Order directs a reorganization of the NRC to promote the expeditious processing of license applications and the adoption of innovative technology.
The NRC will create a dedicated team to draft the new regulations directed by the Order.
REFORMING THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION: President Trump is committed to reestablishing the United States as a global leader in nuclear energy, which will create tens of thousands of high-paying jobs and generate American-led prosperity and resilience.
Since 1978, only two new nuclear reactors have begun construction and entered into commercial operation. Meanwhile, in just a single day, President Trump is signing twice as many Executive Orders to start a nuclear renaissance in the United States.
Due to an overly risk-averse culture that requires, for example, nuclear facilities to emit as little radiation as possible, including below naturally-occurring levels, the NRC has failed to license new reactors even as technological advances promise to make nuclear power safer, cheaper, more adaptable, and more abundant than ever.
The Order establishes that U.S. policy will seek to facilitate the increased deployment of new nuclear reactor technologies and expand American nuclear energy capacity from around 100 GW today to 400 GW by 2050.
Energy independence, deregulation, and reducing barriers to building infrastructure have been hallmarks of President Trump’s second term, and reforming the NRC will represent a significant milestone across these critical policy areas.”

https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/05/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-directs-reform-of-the-nuclear-regulatory-commission/

“Trump’s Executive Order on the NRC has been issued. Is it possible to be both unsurprised and disappointed? …

Here’s what Trump should have said.
The NRC’s regulatory philosophy is based on a 90 year old radiation harm model called LNT [linear no threshold]. LNT is biological nonsense. It denies our remarkable ability to repair radiation damage to our DNA. As a result, LNT over-predicts radiation harm to the public in a nuclear power plant release by many orders of magnitude. This ability is indisputable. To conform to undisputed science, LNT must be replaced….

Here’s the one paragraph in the Order that could change NRC behavior in a substantive fashion.
Establish fixed deadlines for its evaluation and approval of licenses, license amendments, license renewals, certificates of compliance, power uprates, license transfers, and any other activity requested by a licensee or potential licensee, as directed under the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act, rather than the nonbinding “generic milestone schedules” guidelines the NRC has already adopted. Those deadlines shall be enforced by fixed caps on the NRC’s recovery of hourly fees….

Trump should have said:
The linear no-threshold (LNT) model of radiation harm shall no longer be used by any Federal agency in estimating cancer incidence from radiation exposure. It shall immediately be replaced by the sigmoid no threshold (SNT) [sigmoid no threshold] model. The NRC and the EPA shall recompute all radiation exposure limits using SNT rather than LNT, and promulgate the results within 90 days. All cost/benefit analyses involving potential radiation exposure shall use SNT as their radiation harm model….

The sad truth is Trump can’t change the incentives that will dictate the NRC’s behavior. Whatever all the preambles and declaration of purposes, etc. say the NRC will continue to be judged on its ability to prevent a release. And as long as we give such a bureaucracy the final say, it will be the bureaucrats’ incentives that rule, not society’s. But Trump could have outlawed LNT. And he could have forced ALARA underground.”

On the plus side, one commenter did say:
“I have a lot of confidence in Chris Wright as well. He understands science and has low tolerance for BS.”

Radioactive waste gets less dangerous over time. Chemical waste never does. Arsenic is toxic forever…

The language about “models” may or may not be related to the Gordian Knot Group’s discussion of the (heritage) LNT vs. (now preferred) SNT radiation modeling schemes, but it would be a plus if whoever actually wrote the EO for Trump was apprised of and/or knowledgeable about such thinking.

We still get some local power from two power plants on the Logan river, about 10% of needs when the water supply is in good shape. There are two dams that supply the water, which is then piped a mile or two downstream to the plants.