Under the authority of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, as amended, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulates the possession and use of source, byproduct, and special nuclear material. The NRC's regulatory mission is to ensure that civilian uses of nuclear materials and facilities are carried out in a manner that will protect public health and safety and the environment and that will not be inimical to the common defense and security of the United States. The NRC regulates the operation of nuclear power plants and fuel cycle plants; the safeguarding of nuclear materials from theft and sabotage; the safe transportation of nuclear materials; the decommissioning and return to safe use of licensed facilities that are no longer in operation; and the medical, industrial, and research applications of nuclear material.
The NRC's regulatory priority for the next fiscal year is to ensure that nuclear power plants and other licensed facilities are operated safely and that nuclear materials are possessed and used in a manner that will adequately protect public health and safety.
The NRC is addressing its regulatory initiatives in a manner that is consistent with the President's regulatory philosophy. The NRC routinely conducts comprehensive regulatory analyses that examine the costs and benefits of proposed regulations as part of its regulatory process. The NRC has developed internal procedures and programs to ensure that only necessary requirements are imposed on its licensees and to review existing regulations to determine whether the requirements imposed are still necessary.
Additionally, the NRC will continue to recover approximately 100 percent of its budget authority, less the amount appropriated from the Nuclear Waste Fund and the General Fund, as required by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990, as amended.