Sponsors (2)
Establishes an NRC Office of Public Engagement and Participation and an Intervenor Trust Fund to support and coordinate public participation in NRC proceedings.
Official title: Establish an Office of Public Engagement and Participation within the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 25, 2025 by Edward John Markey · Last progress June 25, 2025
The bill expands and funds public participation and access-to-justice measures in NRC licensing through a new Office and compensation mechanisms, improving transparency and inclusion but increasing federal costs, risking slower licensing, and creating potential internal NRC authority tensions.
People and organizations who can't afford legal or expert help can receive reimbursement for attorney, expert, and other participation costs, lowering the financial barrier to contesting NRC licensing actions.
Creates a dedicated Office and Director to improve transparency, coordination, plain-language resources, and reporting to Congress, strengthening oversight and public engagement in NRC proceedings.
Members of the public receive help submitting comments, contentions, and hearing requests, enabling more effective participation in NRC licensing proceedings—especially for rural communities and people with disabilities.
Providing compensation and additional staff support could lengthen adjudicatory proceedings and increase NRC administrative workload, potentially slowing licensing decisions and project timelines.
The new Intervenor Trust Fund, compensation payments, and ongoing Office staffing create increased federal spending and recurring personnel costs that fall on taxpayers or require transfers from NRC accounts.
Granting the new Office independence from individual commissioners could create parallel authorities or jurisdictional tensions inside the NRC, risking interoffice conflicts over execution and oversight.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a new Office of Public Engagement and Participation inside the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to help the public take part in NRC licensing and adjudicatory proceedings. The Office, led by a Director appointed by the NRC Chair with Commission approval, will provide education, technical assistance, coordination of financial help for participants, plain-language resources, and definitions for eligibility and harms for intervenors. The Office must be set up under existing Atomic Energy Act and Energy Reorganization Act authorities within 180 days of enactment.