NRC Fee Recovery & Fee Schedules
Current understanding
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission sets annual licensing and inspection fees under the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act (NEIMA), which requires recovery of approximately 100% of the agency’s budget authority (less appropriations excluded by statute) through Part 170 hourly fees and Part 171 annual fees on licensees. For FY2026, the NRC is also implementing fixed fee caps pursuant to Executive Order 14300 with the stated aim of improving cost predictability for licensees and reducing billing disputes. Practical effects on licensee costs depend on how caps interact with per-hour recovery and on the mix of applicants (advanced reactors, materials licensees, operating fleet).
Evidence log
- 2026-06-16 — Fee Schedules; Fee Recovery for Fiscal Year 2026: cross-connection with nrc-regulatory-sunset-review: Both are NRC responses to the current executive-order-driven regulatory modernization agenda (EO 14300 fee caps; EO 14270 sunset review), each affecting the effective cost of holding an NRC license. (novelty: 2)