Nuclear Regulatory Commission


The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission is an agency of the United States government tasked with protecting public health and safety related to nuclear energy. Established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, the NRC began operations on January 19, 1975, as one of two successor agencies to the United States Atomic Energy Commission. Its functions include overseeing reactor safety and security, administering reactor licensing and renewal, licensing and oversight for fuel cycle facilities, licensing radioactive materials, radionuclide safety, and managing the storage, security, recycling, and disposal of spent fuel.

History

Prior to 1975 the Atomic Energy Commission was in charge of matters regarding radionuclides. The AEC was dissolved, because it was perceived as unduly favoring the industry it was charged with regulating. The NRC was formed as an independent commission to oversee nuclear energy matters, oversight of nuclear medicine, and nuclear safety and security.
The U.S. AEC became the Energy Research and Development Administration in 1975, responsible for development and oversight of nuclear weapons. Research and promotion of civil uses of radioactive materials, such as for nuclear non-destructive testing, nuclear medicine, and nuclear power, was split into the Office of Nuclear Energy, Science & Technology within ERDA by the same act. In 1977, ERDA became the United States Department of Energy. In 2000, the National Nuclear Security Administration was created as a subcomponent of DOE, responsible for nuclear weapons.
Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, the NRC developed a guidance strategy known as "Diverse and Flexible Coping Strategies " which requires licensee nuclear power plants to account for beyond-design-basis external events that are most
impactful to reactor safety through loss of power and loss of ultimate heat sink. FLEX Strategies have been implemented at all operating nuclear power plants in the United States.
The origins and development of NRC regulatory processes and policies are explained in five volumes of history published by the University of California Press. These are:
  • Controlling the Atom: The Beginnings of Nuclear Regulation 1946–1962.
  • Containing the Atom: Nuclear Regulation in a Changing Environment, 1963–1971.
  • Permissible Dose: A History of Radiation Protection in the Twentieth Century
  • Three Mile Island: A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective
  • The Road to Yucca Mountain: The Development of Radioactive Waste Policy in the United States.
The NRC has produced a booklet, A Short History of Nuclear Regulation 1946–2009, which outlines key issues in NRC history. Thomas Wellock, a former academic, is the NRC historian. Before joining the NRC, Wellock wrote Critical Masses: Opposition to Nuclear Power in California, 1958–1978.

Mission and commissioners

The NRC protects public health and safety and advances the nation's common defense and security by enabling the safe and secure use and deployment of civilian nuclear energy technologies and radioactive materials through efficient and reliable licensing, oversight, and regulation for the benefit of society and the environment.
The NRC's regulatory mission covers three main areas:
  • Reactors – Commercial reactors for generating electric power and research and test reactors used for research, testing, and training
  • Materials – Uses of nuclear materials in medical, industrial, and academic settings and facilities that produce nuclear fuel
  • Waste – Transportation, storage, and disposal of nuclear materials and waste, and decommissioning of nuclear facilities from service.
The NRC is headed by five commissioners appointed by the president of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate for five-year terms. One of them is designated by the president to be the chairman and official spokesperson of the commission. The chairman is the principal executive officer of the NRC, who exercise all of the executive and administrative functions of the commission.
The current chairman is David A. Wright. President Trump designated Wright as chairman of the NRC effective January 20, 2025.

Current commissioners

The current commissioners as of 2026:
PositionNamePartyTook officeTerm expires
ChairRepublicanDecember 4, 2025
MemberDemocratic
MemberDemocraticJanuary 8, 2025
MemberDavid A. WrightRepublican
MemberRepublicanDecember 22, 2025

List of chairmen

List of commissioners

PortraitCommissionerTook officeLeft office
Marcus A. RowdenJanuary 19, 1975April 20, 1977
Edward A. MasonJanuary 19, 1975January 15, 1977
Victor GilinskyJanuary 19, 1975June 30, 1984
Richard T. KennedyJanuary 19, 1975June 30, 1980
Joseph HendrieAugust 9, 1977June 30, 1981
Peter A. BradfordAugust 15, 1977March 12, 1982
John F. AhearneJuly 31, 1978June 30, 1983
Nunzio J. PalladionoJuly 1, 1981June 30, 1986
Thomas M. RobertsAugust 3, 1981June 30, 1990
James K. AsselstineMay 17, 1982June 30, 1987
Frederick M. BernthalAugust 4, 1983June 30, 1988
Lando W. Zech Jr.July 3, 1984June 30, 1989
Kenneth Monroe CarrAugust 14, 1986June 30, 1991
Kenneth C. RogersAugust 7, 1987June 30, 1997
James R. CurtissOctober 20, 1988June 30, 1993
Forrest J. RemickDecember 1, 1989June 30, 1994
Ivan SelinJuly 1, 1991June 30, 1995
E. Gail de PlanqueDecember 16, 1991June 30, 1995
Shirley Ann JacksonMay 2, 1995June 30, 1999
Greta J. DicusFebruary 15, 1996June 30, 2003
Nils J. DiazAugust 23, 1996June 30, 2006
Edward McGaffigan Jr.August 28, 1996September 2, 2007
Jeffrey S. MerrifieldOctober 23, 1998June 30, 2007
Richard MeserveOctober 29, 1999March 31, 2003
Gregory JaczkoJanuary 21, 2005July 9, 2012
Peter B. LyonsJanuary 25, 2005June 30, 2009
Dale E. KleinJuly 1, 2006March 29, 2010
Kristine SvinickiMarch 28, 2008January 20, 2021
George ApostolakisMarch 29, 2010June 30, 2014
William D. Magwood IVMarch 29, 2010August 31, 2014
William C. OstendorffMarch 29, 2010June 30, 2016
Allison MacfarlaneJuly 9, 2012December 31, 2014
Jeff BaranOctober 14, 2014June 30, 2023
Stephen G. BurnsNovember 4, 2014April 30, 2019
Annie CaputoMay 29, 2018June 30, 2021
David A. WrightMay 30, 2018June 30, 2025
Christopher T. HansonJune 8, 2020June 13, 2025
Annie CaputoAugust 9, 2022August 1, 2025
Bradley CrowellAugust 26, 2022Present
Matthew MarzanoJanuary 8, 2025Present
David A. WrightAugust 1, 2025Present
Ho NiehDecember 4, 2025Present
Doug W. WeaverDecember 22, 2025Present

Organization

The NRC consists of the commission on the one hand and offices of the executive director for Operations on the other.
The commission is divided into two committees and one Board, the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel, as well as eight commission staff offices.
Christopher T. Hanson is the chairman of the NRC. There are 14 Executive Director for Operations offices:
Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, Office of Enforcement, which investigates reports by nuclear power whistleblowers, specifically the Allegations Program, Office of Investigations, Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response, Region I, Region II, Region III, Region IV, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Office of Administration, Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer, and Office of Small Business and Civil Rights.
Of these operations offices, NRC's major program components are the first two offices mentioned above.
NRC's proposed FY 2024 budget is $9.949 million, with 2897.9 full-time equivalents, 90 percent of which is recovered by fees. This is an increase of $5.1million, compared to FY 2023.
NRC headquarters offices are located in unincorporated North Bethesda, Maryland, and there are four regional offices.