Media Coverage
Source: Platts Nucleonics Week
Media Coverage
Press Contacts: Erik Cummins, Matt Hyams, Taina Rosa, Olivia Thomas
03.03.25
An executive order signed by President Donald Trump on February 18, which places more presidential control over federal regulatory agencies, has raised questions about its possible effects on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
According to Jeff Merrifield, who leads Pillsbury’s Nuclear Energy practice and is a former two-time appointed NRC Commissioner, “there’s certainly potential that some folks may challenge this executive action as it relates to the NRC.”
During the U.S. Nuclear Industry Council’s recent Advanced Reactors Summit in Salt Lake City, Utah, Merrifield said, “One of the advantages of having a five-member bipartisan commission is that it does provide you with stability from administration to administration, and you don’t have wild swings in policy and outlook. EPA on the contrary has had really dramatic shifts in its direction, depending on whether it was the Biden or Trump or Obama administration.”
“From the standpoint of the regulated entities, I think having regulatory stability is a real value… I think given the president’s interest in supporting nuclear power and the desire to keep things moving, it will be interesting to see how those dueling interests could potentially come into conflict,” he added.