The Nuclear Regulatory Commission licenses and oversees commercial nuclear power plants and other civilian uses of nuclear materials in the United States. It sets and enforces safety and security rules for reactors, fuel, and medical, industrial, and waste radioactive materials, and can issue licenses, fines, and shutdown orders to the companies and institutions it regulates.
Created by Congress under the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 (Pub. L. 93-438; 42 U.S.C. 5841), it acts within the authority that statute grants. Its actions are subject to judicial review and to congressional oversight and funding.
