Nuclear Regulatory Commission facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Agency overview
Formed	January 19, 1975; 50 years ago (1975-01-19)
Preceding agency	Atomic Energy Commission
Headquarters	North Bethesda, Maryland
Employees	2,868 (2021)
Annual budget	$879 million (2021)
Agency executive	Christopher T. Hanson, Chairman

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is a special agency of the United States government. Its main job is to keep people safe and healthy when it comes to nuclear energy. The NRC also makes sure the environment is protected. It started on January 19, 1975. Before that, another group called the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) did this work.

The NRC's tasks include making sure nuclear reactors are safe and secure. They also give out and renew licenses for reactors. They handle rules for radioactive materials and manage how spent fuel (used nuclear material) is stored, kept safe, recycled, and thrown away.

History of the NRC

The NRC commissioners meet in 2021 to discuss important topics.

Before 1975, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was in charge of everything about nuclear materials. But people felt the AEC was too friendly with the nuclear industry it was supposed to regulate. So, the AEC was shut down.

The NRC was then created as an independent group to oversee nuclear energy, nuclear medicine, and nuclear safety and security. This happened in 1975.

The old AEC was split into two new groups. One part became the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) in 1975. This group was responsible for developing and overseeing nuclear weapons. The other part, which focused on peaceful uses of nuclear materials like nuclear power, became part of ERDA's Office of Nuclear Energy. Later, in 1977, ERDA became the United States Department of Energy (DOE). In 2000, a new part of the DOE, called the National Nuclear Security Administration, took over nuclear weapons.

After the big Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011, the NRC created new safety rules. These rules are called "Diverse and Flexible Coping Strategies" (FLEX). They make sure nuclear power plants can handle extreme events like earthquakes, floods, or strong winds. All nuclear power plants in the U.S. now use these FLEX strategies to be safer.

The NRC has also published a booklet called A Short History of Nuclear Regulation 1946–2009. This book explains the important events in the NRC's history.

What the NRC Does and Who Leads It

The NRC's main goal is to control how nuclear materials are used in the country. This is to make sure people's health and safety are protected. They also work to keep the country safe and protect the environment.

The NRC focuses on three main areas:

• Reactors – This includes large nuclear power plants that make electricity. It also covers smaller reactors used for research and training.
• Materials – This involves how nuclear materials are used in hospitals (for medicine), in factories (for industry), and in schools (for learning). It also covers places that make nuclear fuel.
• Waste – This deals with moving, storing, and getting rid of nuclear materials and waste. It also includes taking nuclear facilities out of service when they are no longer needed.

The NRC is led by five people called commissioners. The president of the United States chooses these commissioners, and the United States Senate has to approve them. They serve for five years. One of them is chosen by the president to be the chairman and the main spokesperson for the NRC.

The current chairman is Christopher T. Hanson. President Biden made him chairman on January 20, 2021.

Past Chairmen of the NRC

No.	Name (chair)	Photo	Term of office		Appointed by
1	Bill Anders		January 19, 1975	April 20, 1976	Gerald Ford
2	Marcus A. Rowden		January 19, 1975	January 15, 1977
3	Joseph M. Hendrie		March 3, 1977	December 7, 1979	Jimmy Carter
4	John F. Ahearne		December 7, 1979	March 2, 1981
5	Nunzio J. Palladino		July 1, 1981	June 30, 1986	Ronald Reagan
6	Lando W. Zech Jr.		July 1, 1986	June 3, 1989
7	Kenneth Monroe Carr		July 1, 1989	June 30, 1991	George H.W Bush
8	Ivan Selin		July 1, 1991	June 30, 1995
9	Shirley Ann Jackson		July 1, 1995	June 30, 1999	Bill Clinton
10	Richard Meserve		October 29, 1999	March 31, 2003
11	Nils J. Diaz		April 1, 2003	June 30, 2006	George W. Bush
12	Dale E. Klein		July 1, 2006	May 13, 2009
13	Gregory Jaczko		May 13, 2009	July 9, 2012	Barack Obama
14	Allison Macfarlane		July 9, 2012	December 31, 2014
15	Stephen G. Burns		January 1, 2015	January 23, 2017
16	Kristine Svinicki		January 23, 2017	January 20, 2021	Donald Trump
17	Christopher T. Hanson		January 20, 2021	Incumbent	Joe Biden

List of Commissioners

Portrait	Commissioner	Took office	Left office
	Marcus A. Rowden	January 19, 1975	April 20, 1977
	Edward A. Mason	January 19, 1975	January 15, 1977
	Victor Gilinsky	January 19, 1975	June 30, 1984
	Richard T. Kennedy	January 19, 1975	June 30, 1980
	Joseph Hendrie	August 9, 1977	June 30, 1981
	Peter A. Bradford	August 15, 1977	March 12, 1982
	John F. Ahearne	July 31, 1978	June 30, 1983
	Nunzio J. Palladiono	July 1, 1981	June 30, 1986
	Thomas M. Roberts	August 3, 1981	June 30, 1990
	James K. Asselstine	May 17, 1982	June 30, 1987
	Frederick M. Bernthal	August 4, 1983	June 30, 1988
	Lando W. Zech Jr.	July 3, 1984	June 30, 1989
	Kenneth Monroe Carr	August 14, 1986	June 30, 1991
	Kenneth C. Rogers	August 7, 1987	June 30, 1997
	James R. Curtiss	October 20, 1988	June 30, 1993
	Forrest J. Remick	December 1, 1989	June 30, 1994
	Ivan Selin	July 1, 1991	June 30, 1995
	E. Gail de Planque	December 16, 1991	June 30, 1995
	Shirley Ann Jackson	May 2, 1995	June 30, 1999
	Greta J. Dicus	February 15, 1996	June 30, 2003
	Nils J. Diaz	August 23, 1996	June 30, 2006
	Edward McGaffigan Jr.	August 28, 1996	September 2, 2007
	Jeffrey S. Merrifield	October 23, 1998	June 30, 2007
	Richard Meserve	October 29, 1999	March 31, 2003
	Gregory Jaczko	January 21, 2005	July 9, 2012
	Peter B. Lyons	January 25, 2005	June 30, 2009
	Dale E. Klein	July 1, 2006	March 29, 2010
	Kristine Svinicki	March 28, 2008	January 20, 2021
	George Apostolakis	March 29, 2010	June 30, 2014
	William D. Magwood IV	March 29, 2010	August 31, 2014
	William C. Ostendorff	March 29, 2010	June 30, 2016
	Allison Macfarlane	July 9, 2012	December 31, 2014
	Jeff Baran	October 14, 2014	June 30, 2023
	Stephen G. Burns	November 4, 2014	April 30, 2019
	Annie Caputo	May 29, 2018	June 30, 2021
	David A. Wright	May 30, 2018	Present
	Christopher T. Hanson	June 8, 2020	Present
	Annie Caputo	August 9, 2022	Present
	Bradley Crowell	August 26, 2022	Present

Current Commissioners

How the NRC is Organized

NRC Organizational Chart in February 2019, showing how the agency is structured.

The three buildings that make up the NRC's main campus in North Bethesda, Maryland.

The NRC has two main parts: the group of five commissioners and the offices that handle daily operations.

The commissioners have special committees and a board that help them. There are also eight staff offices that support the commission. These offices handle things like talking to Congress, legal matters, international programs, and public relations.

Under the Executive Director for Operations, there are 14 different offices. Some important ones include:

• The Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, which deals with nuclear materials.
• The Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, which focuses on nuclear reactors.
• The Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, which studies nuclear safety.
• The Office of Enforcement, which investigates safety reports.
• The Office of Investigations, which looks into serious issues.

The NRC's main offices are in North Bethesda, Maryland. They also have four regional offices across the United States.

NRC Regions Across the U.S.

Map showing the four NRC regions in the United States.

The NRC divides the U.S. into four main areas, or regions, to manage its work. There used to be a fifth region, but it was combined with Region IV in the late 1990s.

• Region I is in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. It covers the northeastern states.
• Region II is in Atlanta, Georgia. It covers most of the southeastern states.
• Region III is in Lisle, Illinois. It covers the Midwest.
• Region IV is in Arlington, Texas. It covers the western and south central states.

In these regions, the NRC watches over all the nuclear reactors in the U.S. This includes 94 reactors that make power and 31 reactors used for research and testing. NRC oversees them in different ways. For example, each power-producing reactor has inspectors who check daily operations. Also, special inspection teams visit sites to do detailed checks.

Keeping Records at the NRC

The NRC has a library with many documents, including online collections. In 1984, they started an electronic system called ADAMS (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System). This system holds public reports, letters, and other technical papers from NRC staff and companies they work with. ADAMS was updated in 2010 and is now available online.

For documents from 1980 to 1999, some have summaries or full text, but most are just listed. Older documents from before 1980 are available on paper. If you need copies of these older or secret documents, you can ask for them using a FOIA request.

Training and Safety Rules

The main headquarters building of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The NRC checks on training programs and observes meetings of the National Nuclear Accrediting Board. This board helps make sure nuclear power plant workers are well-trained.

After the Three Mile Island accident in 1979, a report suggested that the nuclear industry should create and enforce its own high standards for safety. So, the nuclear industry created the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) in 1980. INPO helps set up training and qualification programs for nuclear workers.

INPO also created the 'National Academy for Nuclear Training Program'. This program helps make sure training is the same across different nuclear energy companies in the U.S. It also offers scholarships for training. The 'National Nuclear Accrediting Board' works closely with this Academy. This Board is considered independent and includes people from INPO, nuclear energy companies, and the NRC.

In 1982, a law called the Nuclear Waste Policy Act told the NRC to make rules about training for nuclear plant staff. Since the industry already had good training programs, the NRC decided in 1985 to support the INPO program. The NRC works with INPO and watches their activities to make sure training is effective.

In 1993, the NRC approved the industry's way of training, which had been used for almost ten years. In 1994, the NRC changed a rule so that nuclear power plant companies could give their own exams for renewing operator licenses every six years. Before this, the NRC had to give these exams.

In 1999, the NRC also allowed companies to prepare, supervise, and grade their own exams for new operator licenses. However, companies can still ask the NRC to prepare and give the exams if they prefer.

Since 2000, most meetings between the NRC and companies that apply for licenses or already have them are open to the public. This means anyone can attend and see what's being discussed.

Future Nuclear Power Plants

Between 2007 and 2009, many companies wanted to build new nuclear power reactors in the United States. They applied to the NRC for licenses to build 25 new reactors.

However, building new nuclear plants became less popular because there was a lot of natural gas available, which was cheaper. So, many plans for new reactors were put on hold or canceled. Nuclear power was no longer the cheapest energy choice. For example, four reactors were permanently shut down in 2013 and 2014. These included San Onofre 2 and 3 in California, Crystal River 3 in Florida, Kewaunee in Wisconsin, and Vermont Yankee. More recently, Indian Point Energy Center in New York closed in 2021.

In 2019, the NRC allowed the Turkey Point units 3 and 4 to operate for another 20 years. This was the first time the NRC extended licenses to a total of 80 years of operation. Many other reactors are expected to get similar extensions in the future. This means there will be less need to build brand new nuclear power plants.

See also

In Spanish: Comisión Reguladora Nuclear de Estados Unidos para niños