What is it?

Want to build a Back to the Future-style plutonium-powered car for time travel? Sorry, you’ll have to go through the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission first. 

There are a bunch of reasons that civilians – meaning people outside of the military – might use radioactive materials. Doctors may use them to diagnose diseases like cancer (if you’ve ever had a PET or a SPECT scan, someone injected a tiny bit of radioactive material into your body). Manufacturers irradiate all kinds of products to sterilize them, from spices to hospital supplies. Universities use radioactive materials in experiments. You probably already guessed an obvious one: nuclear power plants. 

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is responsible for ensuring that when civilians use radioactive materials, they’re doing it in ways that are safe for humans and the environment. The agency creates policies for the safety of nuclear reactors and nuclear materials, and issues licenses to anyone who wants to handle radioactive materials.

Other federal agencies also have a role in regulating nuclear materials, not to mention some international agencies, too. (Check out our Genius Guide to the Department of Energy if you’re interested in the military angle of nuclear.)

There’s also a good bit of local control when it comes to nuclear materials. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has agreements with about three-quarters of states, enabling those states to handle their own regulation of nuclear materials. (Find out if you live in a state that has one of those agreements.)

Why It Matters to You

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission makes sure that:

• People aren’t exposed to too much radiation, whether that’s radiation workers or the general public.
• Radioactive materials are properly monitored and labeled, and areas with radiation have signs alerting people that they need to take precautions.
• If someone steals your radioactive materials, or you somehow, uh, lose them, you report that.

Where in your life are nuclear materials hanging out?

Nuclear Power Plants

As of 2024, there are 94 licensed nuclear power plants in the U.S., and they generate roughly 20% of our electrical power. If you live in or near one of those 94 communities, you really want those plants to be safe. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issues licenses to those plants, inspects them, and follows up to make sure any problems get fixed.

Medical Research

Scientists and researchers are using nuclear materials every day to diagnose and treat disease, but you probably wouldn’t want your nextdoor neighbor running radioactive experiments in their basement. Anyone who wants to use nuclear materials needs a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Uranium Mills

What’s found in nature and fuels nuclear reactors across the country? That would be uranium. We get uranium by mining it or dissolving it underground and pumping it to the surface. That leaves behind byproducts that need to be handled carefully – you don’t want them seeping into your groundwater or blowing into your local park. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is on the case to make sure local communities and uranium workers are safe.

Old Sites

When a nuclear power plant or uranium mine shuts down, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission makes sure the shutdown process happens safely. They provide guidance to the workers who are closing up shop, figure out how to keep the public from being exposed to radiation, and inspect to make sure everything is going as planned. 

National Security

We’re not exactly sure how you would steal nuclear materials and divert them to terrorists or a foreign government, but if you do know how, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission asks that you…not. Actually, they require that you not do that. It’s against the rules. Please and thank you.

How to Make an Impact

I’d Like to Speak to Your Manager

Remember how 37 states handle their own nuclear regulation because they have agreements with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission? If you live in one of those states, employees of your state government are doing most of the heavy lifting. That means your governor has authority over how your state regulates nuclear materials. Want to see some change? You can reach out directly to your governor or start closer to home by calling your state legislators – they already have a direct line to the governor’s office and might get a faster and more concrete response. Here’s how to reach out.

Rules Rule!

Like most federal agencies, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission asks for public input when it’s trying to make a new rule or regulation. Before the new rule goes into effect, companies, advocacy groups, lobbyists, and ordinary Americans can write in to share how the rule would affect them and recommend changes to the draft. You can search online for rules that federal agencies are considering or ones they’ve issued, and check out our guide for help submitting your own comment!

Confirmation, Please

The president appoints five people to head up the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, but that’s not the whole story. The Senate still has to confirm those people. Did the president nominate someone who embodies your values? Ask your senator to confirm them! Did the president nominate someone you think is terrible? Ask your senator to vote against confirmation! You can call, write, or ask for a meeting. And keep the pressure up by writing an op-ed for your local newspaper!

On the Ground

In October of 2024, The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission held a public meeting in Maryland about Constellation Energy’s plan to reopen part of Three Mile Island. Constellation recently signed a 20-year deal to supply energy to Microsoft and still needs to complete several steps, like filing environmental reports. 

Nuclear power plants need uranium and the Arizona-Utah border is now home to three new uranium mines. Global demand for clean energy has boosted appetite for uranium and the U.S. is aiming to get more of the mineral at home so it can buy less from Russia. Not everyone is glad to see the new mines – tribes and many environmentalists are strongly opposed. 

Seven engineers from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission filed a petition with their agency about safety concerns at nuclear power plants. They asked the agency to take immediate action to fix a design flaw at almost all nuclear plants operating in the U.S.

In July 2024, President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan ADVANCE Act, which aims to get nuclear power plants up and running more quickly. The nuclear industry and supporters of nuclear power as a form of clean energy are excited to pick up the pace, while others, like the Union of Concerned Scientists, worry that this new law puts safety on the back burner.