Chairman Nieh Remarks at 2026 INPO CEO Conference

Good afternoon, everyone. Let me thank INPO for the opportunity to tell you about what is happening at the NRC and why it matters during this pivotal and exciting moment for nuclear energy in America.

I can remember sitting in this audience fifteen years ago listening to Nassim Taleb, author of The Black Swan, speak about unexpected events that no one sees coming. Well, I can assure you that standing here today as NRC Chairman was certainly one event I never saw coming.

From my time working in the industry, including time as an INPO loanee, I know firsthand how important everyone in this room is to achieving and sustaining the high levels of safety and reliability that exist today in America's fleet of operating nuclear reactors.

How we move forward together-regulator and industry-in the pursuit of nuclear safety is now more important than ever before. You know that the NRC is making major changes to its regulatory system. This is the most comprehensive reform in over 50 years, driven by mandates from the President and Congress to enable and accelerate the safe and secure deployment of new nuclear and expansion of existing capacity to meet America's growing energy needs. Our reforms are not just for our energy security; they are also for our national security-helping reduce our dependency on foreign enrichment and supporting exports of American reactor technology.

The widespread support for and substantial capital investment in nuclear energy rest on the strong foundation you all have built. That foundation is the outstanding safety record of the American nuclear industry. In my view, the most serious risk to these regulatory reforms is a significant operational event that would undermine the trust and confidence the American people have in nuclear power.

That is why your ongoing efforts to reduce consequential events and increase equipment reliability across the industry are vitally important. You all must continue protecting the foundation you have worked so hard to build. And the new companies that are entering the nuclear energy ecosystem in America must add to this foundation. On this point, I believe there is a role for INPO in helping these new companies build the safety culture and operational excellence that have made this industry successful.

Let me tell you more about what is happening at the agency. There is a new NRC-one that is now seen as part of the solution, rather than part of the problem.

It has been nearly one year since I returned to the agency. It is a very different agency-a lot has changed, but some things are still the same.

Here are three things that remain the same: First, safety remains our top priority-full stop. Second, our technical independence remains strong-we make and we own our safety decisions. There is no rubber-stamping. And third, our people remain our greatest strength-we are stepping up our efforts to recruit, retain and develop our people.

So, what is different? Here are three things:

First, we operate under a new mission that emphasizes enabling alongside safety. In practice, enabling is aligning our requirements with actual risks, adapting our regulatory frameworks for new technologies and adding flexibility where safety is maintained. Enabling is also a mindset-it's working to deliver the benefits of nuclear technologies to the American people.

Second, our leaders are more aligned than when I was last at the agency, and they are delivering impressive results. I will say more on that later.

Third, our interagency coordination is more substantive and visible than before. Let me say more on this. What is happening in nuclear energy at the federal level is a deliberate and coordinated approach to strengthen America's leadership in global nuclear energy.

The Department of Energy is investing in and developing the industrial base around the entire nuclear fuel cycle-front end to back end. The NRC is creating the predictable and efficient licensing frameworks to make that industrial base possible. Two agencies, working together, each in its own lane, but headed to the same destination-America leading the world in nuclear energy.

To meet this moment, I am focusing the agency on three priorities as Chairman.

First, core mission delivery with safety, efficiency and speed. This is about maintaining our focus on safety while implementing the reforms. It's about working smarter, not harder.

Safety and speed are not mutually exclusive. We are doing both. Not by rushing. Not by taking shortcuts. But by eliminating activities that do not materially contribute to safety outcomes. We are focusing on what matters most for safety.

For the operating fleet, an example is rebalancing the Reactor Oversight Process. For two decades, inspection hours stayed relatively flat while your safety performance steadily improved. More inspection does not always mean more safety. This rebalancing reflects the strong performance you have demonstrated.

Second, leadership and operational excellence. This is about implementing a coherent management model and aligning the team. You all know this better than anyone. Your companies run under a disciplined management model supported by aligned leaders and a workforce held to clear expectations for excellence.

This is why the NRC established our LEAD framework-Leadership, Excellence, Accountability and Discipline. This management model reinforces clear direction, high standards, ownership of results and systematic execution. The NRC's new rules create value only if the NRC can consistently deliver credible, predictable and timely safety decisions under them. The playbook doesn't score touchdowns. The team does.

Third, sustaining our performance with a culture of continuous improvement. This is another area where best practices from the industry are useful. INPO 19-003, Staying on Top, has helped the industry achieve and sustain high levels of excellence in safety and reliability. We are emphasizing behaviors from INPO 19-003 in our management model to build a strong culture of continuous improvement.

The NRC cannot backslide from this point. We must adapt on our own as the regulatory landscape changes. It should not take a president's order or an act of Congress to improve the NRC in the future.

These priorities are part of a major culture change at the NRC. But lasting culture change takes years. We must embed new behaviors in today's leaders and develop the next generation to carry them forward.

The NRC has been drawing on your experience to make this culture change last. Let me thank INPO-Jeff Place, in particular-and the leaders from your companies who have helped the NRC leadership team understand how a management model and continuous improvement behaviors work in practice. A good example is how we are improving leadership development and succession planning based on what we have learned from you.

Now, let me show you what the performance and results of the new NRC look like, starting with the Commission.

I am very honored to work alongside Commissioners Wright, Crowell, Marzano and Weaver. Our collegiality and diverse perspectives have created a high-performing Commission.

Here you can see that the Commission is delivering faster decisions and more of them. We approved Executive Order 14300 proposed rules in about two months on average, compared to the historical average of about two years for proposed rules. We are doing this with an unwavering focus on safety and without sacrificing rigor or collegiality.

The staff is delivering results as well. Construction permits are being issued ahead of schedule. Recent license renewals have been completed in twelve months or less, compared to a year ago when they were taking over eighteen months. Routine licensing reviews and Reactor Oversight Process baseline inspections are also being done more efficiently.

This is what the new NRC looks like.

Let me close.

Under the Commission's leadership, the NRC is delivering results through the most comprehensive reforms in over 50 years. Our goals are to accelerate the safe and secure deployment of new nuclear technologies and enable the safe, secure and cost-effective long-term operation of the existing fleet. The new regulatory frameworks we are developing will set the standards for nuclear safety regulation in America for decades to come. And what we do here will influence regulatory approaches around the world.

Lasting culture change is the most important legacy this Commission can leave the agency. The NRC's reforms add value only if the NRC can deliver credible, predictable and timely decisions under them. Our success will not be measured by how many new rules we publish. It will be measured by the quality and timeliness of the decisions we make under them.

The nuclear safety record you have built is the foundation of America's nuclear future. The stakes are high. Our shared responsibility is to protect that foundation as America pursues the opportunities ahead.

Thank you. I look forward to your questions.