Sponsors (2)
The bill creates an independent Office to help disadvantaged participants engage in NRC proceedings and to increase transparency, improving public access and advocacy while raising costs for licensees/taxpayers and adding governance and administrative trade-offs.
Local communities, nonprofits, and state/local governments will gain dedicated educational, legal, and technical help to navigate NRC proceedings, increasing their ability to participate meaningfully in licensing and regulatory processes.
Low-income or resource-constrained participants (e.g., small nonprofits) will be able to receive compensation for attorneys' and expert fees when their input substantially contributes, reducing financial barriers to participation.
Taxpayers and the public will get annual reports to Congress documenting Office activities and common engagement barriers, increasing transparency and oversight of public participation efforts.
Licensees, utility customers, and taxpayers will face higher costs because establishing and staffing the Office increases NRC administrative expenses that are ultimately borne by licensees or passed to customers/taxpayers.
Taxpayers and licensees may see higher NRC expenditures and more costly proceedings because permitting payment of attorneys' and expert fees could incentivize increased or more expensive participation and claims for compensation.
Taxpayers and NRC leadership will have reduced flexibility because removal protections for the Director limit the Commission's ability to replace leadership, potentially impeding management accountability if the Office underperforms.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates an NRC Office to coordinate public participation, provide assistance, and allow limited reimbursement of participant costs in significant proceedings.
Official title: To establish an Office of Public Engagement and Participation within the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 25, 2025 by Mike Levin · Last progress June 25, 2025
Creates a new Office of Public Engagement and Participation inside the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) led by a Director appointed by the NRC Chairman with Commission approval for a five‑year term (renewable once). The Office will coordinate and support public participation in NRC proceedings, advocate for public interests, provide educational, legal, and technical assistance to participants, and may authorize payment of reasonable legal and expert fees in certain significant cases where financial hardship would otherwise prevent meaningful participation. The Director must report annually to Congress and the Chairman must ensure the Office’s institutional independence; the measure preserves existing public engagement standards while formalizing a dedicated office to increase public access and assistance in NRC regulatory processes.