New nuclear reactors for America 250 come with safety concerns : NPR
NPR Topics: Politics — 2026-06-29 04:00:00 — www.npr.org
President Trump set an ambitious goal for the U.S. nuclear industry, calling for at least three new experimental nuclear reactors to be built by July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Shortly after signing an executive order to formalize this objective, the Department of Energy launched the Reactor Pilot Program, which was designed to help companies build and operate test reactors quickly—primarily by drastically reducing the regulatory requirements for such projects.
Rapid Rollout and Regulatory Concerns
The program has triggered a race among American companies, with two already reaching the milestone of bringing their reactors online in less than a year. On June 4, Antares Nuclear announced its reactor had gone critical, and Valar Atomics followed on June 18, with its new reactor core producing tens of kilowatts of heat in the Utah desert.
While some in the industry are enthusiastic about the speed and potential for innovation, others are raising alarms about the risks. The Department of Energy rewrote safety and security standards to expedite approvals, arguing that the eliminated regulations were “unnecessary” and that safety remains intact. However, critics point out that the department consulted only with companies, not the public, and exempted the new reactors from environmental reviews.
Expert Warnings
Skeptics, including Edwin Lyman of the Union of Concerned Scientists, warn that slashing regulations reverses decades of hard-won safety lessons in the nuclear industry. Lyman described the initiative as “essentially an exercise in public relations” and cautioned that deregulation could erode standards for security and environmental monitoring, especially as more of these small reactors are deployed across the country.
Conclusion
President Trump’s push for rapid nuclear innovation has undeniably accelerated the pace of reactor development in the United States. However, the decision to cut regulatory safeguards and bypass public consultation has sparked significant concern among nuclear safety experts. As the nation moves forward with this ambitious agenda, the balance between innovation and safety remains a critical issue for policymakers and the public alike.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2026/06/29/nx-s1-5847944/new-nuclear-reactors-america-250-safety-concerns