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ADVANCE Act implementation tracker

33 of 36 milestones complete as of 28 September 2026, according to US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Follow the outstanding statutory tasks, their deadlines, supporting evidence and related rulemakings below.

Last full review: · Dataset updated: · Next review target: 5 Oct 2026

Outstanding statutory tasks

3 tasks in the cited mapping

Completed strategies and their later implementation or reporting tasks are different milestones. The task-mapping source and the counter-observation source are identified below.

  1. 01

    ADVANCE Act §206(d)

    Report on implementing brownfield-site licensing strategies

    Report to Congress on implementation remains outstanding in NIA’s August snapshot. This is separate from the strategies completed in July 2026.

    Due · In progress

  2. 02

    ADVANCE Act §208(b)(2)

    Implement risk-informed microreactor licensing

    Implement the risk-informed, performance-based strategies. Development of the strategies was a separate, completed deliverable; implementation remains outstanding in the August snapshot.

    Due · In progress

  3. 03

    ADVANCE Act §503(a)

    Report on the NEIMA corporate-support cap

    Report to Congress on corporate-support cap implementation and compliance, due three years after enactment. The funding-cap changes themselves are separate from this report.

    Due · In progress

NNN observed US Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s published dashboard counters on 28 September 2026. This records the displayed totals, not an independent audit of every underlying task. Task identities are mapped from Nuclear Innovation Alliance (August 2026). This page is a dated evidence snapshot, not a continuously synchronized feed. The records below are a curated selection, not the full inventory.

Deadlines & comment windows

Window labels evaluated 2026-09-29

Original published dates. Closing a comment period does not make a proposed rule effective; conditional dates still require a disposition check.

Published comment windows

Comment windows follow the cited notices. Later extensions or withdrawals require a source update; these labels describe the recorded windows rather than asserting continuous docket monitoring.

What changed—and what has not

18 curated records

Open a record for its dates, docket and evidence. Each status is tied to the source date shown.

ADVANCE Act deliverables

ADVANCE Act · 206(d) · Brownfield sitingReport on implementing brownfield-site licensing strategiesIn progress

Report to Congress on implementation remains outstanding in NIA’s August snapshot. This is separate from the strategies completed in July 2026.

Evidence as of
2026-08
Statutory deadline
9 Jul 2027
ADVANCE Act · 208(b)(2) · LicensingImplement risk-informed microreactor licensingIn progress

Implement the risk-informed, performance-based strategies. Development of the strategies was a separate, completed deliverable; implementation remains outstanding in the August snapshot.

Evidence as of
2026-08
Statutory deadline
9 Jul 2027
ADVANCE Act · 503(a) · Mission & organizationReport on the NEIMA corporate-support capIn progress

Report to Congress on corporate-support cap implementation and compliance, due three years after enactment. The funding-cap changes themselves are separate from this report.

Evidence as of
2026-08
Statutory deadline
9 Jul 2027
ADVANCE Act · 206(c) · Brownfield sitingDevelop brownfield and retired-fossil-site strategiesComplete

NIA reports strategy development complete July 9, 2026. NRC guidance explains reuse of site data, infrastructure and permits; siting flexibility does not waive site-specific safety or environmental review.

Evidence as of
2026-08
Completed
9 Jul 2026
Statutory deadline
9 Jul 2026
ADVANCE Act · 208(b)(1) · LicensingDevelop microreactor licensing strategies and guidanceComplete

NIA records strategy development complete January 7, 2026, ahead of the January 9 deadline. This does not mean the July 2027 implementation task is complete.

Evidence as of
2026-08
Completed
7 Jan 2026
Statutory deadline
9 Jan 2026
ADVANCE Act · 201 · Fees & budgetReduced hourly fees under the FY2026 ruleComplete

The initial reduction began October 1, 2025 at $148 versus $318 per hour. The FY2026 final rule, effective August 17, 2026, sets $154 for eligible advanced-reactor reviews versus the standard $337. Under 10 CFR 170.20(b), the reduced rate covers submitted application reviews under 170.21; paragraph (c) covers pre-applicant submitted materials described in a licensing project plan and sunsets September 30, 2030. It does not halve every NRC charge.

Evidence as of
2026-09-28
Published
16 Jun 2026
Effective
17 Aug 2026

Verification note: The displayed publication and effective dates refer to the FY2026 rule. The original October 1, 2025 start of fee relief is preserved separately in the event history. These rates are not an indefinite billing guarantee.

ADVANCE Act · 204 · Fees & budgetFY2026 exclusions from fee recoveryComplete

Section 204 excludes costs for application review and pre-application activities for an early site permit to demonstrate an advanced reactor on a DOE or critical national security infrastructure site. The FY2026 final fee rule implements those exclusions; its August 17 effective date is distinct from the Act’s October 1, 2025 applicability date. Section 201’s reduced hourly rate is a separate provision.

Evidence as of
2026-09-28
Published
16 Jun 2026
Effective
17 Aug 2026
ADVANCE Act · 501 · Mission & organizationMission alignment and implementation guidanceComplete

The January 24, 2025 SRM directly confirms Commission approval of the revised mission. The report states that staff provided implementation guidance to the Commission on May 2; public guidance release followed May 16. The Chairman’s November 18 letter submits the mission report to Congress; public release followed November 25. These are distinct milestones. Section 501(b) requires the report upon the update, not annual reports.

Evidence as of
2026-09-29
Completed
18 Nov 2025
Published
25 Nov 2025

Verification note: Primary memo, report and transmittal-letter text were reviewed via the linked extraction service after direct PDF access failed. Completed here denotes the report/transmittal step, not the January approval date. The letter establishes its dated submission statement, not an independent congressional receipt record.

ADVANCE Act · 404 · Advanced fuelNRC–DOE advanced-fuel coordination MOUComplete

NIA records the MOU signed December 12, 2024. NRC describes it as sharing DOE experimental data and codes to support readiness and advanced-fuel reviews.

Evidence as of
2026-08
Completed
12 Dec 2024
ADVANCE Act · 404 · Advanced fuelReport to Congress on advanced-fuel licensingComplete

NRC’s package identifies the June 29 transmittal and July 7 public release of the report, whose cover says July 2026. The report describes NUREG-2246 fuel qualification and says 15 ATF/advanced-fuel topical reports had been approved, with eight more tracked for near-term completion. It identifies remaining criticality-benchmark, irradiated-fuel and waste-characterization gaps. Table 1 distinguishes completed process improvements from an in-progress fuel rulemaking and ongoing coordination/research. Report completion is not blanket qualification or approval of all advanced fuels.

Evidence as of
2026-07
Completed
29 Jun 2026
Published
7 Jul 2026
Statutory deadline
9 Jul 2026

Verification note: Report text, including its concluding action table, was reviewed through text extraction. June 29 is the transmittal date listed in the primary NRC package; July 2026 is the report-cover edition, and July 7 is public release. Do not substitute these dates for one another or treat source-reported readiness as unconditional licensing approval.

ADVANCE Act · 301 · LicensingExceptions from foreign ownership, control or dominationComplete

The NRC confirmed July 7, 2026 as the effective date for its direct final rule after finding no significant adverse comments. The rule implements specified exceptions, not an unrestricted removal of ownership conditions.

Evidence as of
2026-06-05
Effective
7 Jul 2026
ADVANCE Act · 401 · ManufacturingReport on advanced manufacturing and constructionComplete

The Chairman’s January 6, 2025 letter directly submits the Section 401 report. The June 16, 2026 program update separately tracks five ongoing actions and six potential new actions. These groups, reproduced below, are not additional entries in the statutory milestone denominator. NRC says remaining scope, staffing, schedules and budgets are being re-evaluated following reorganization.

Evidence as of
2026-06-16
Completed
6 Jan 2025

Verification note: Both the transmittal letter and complete five-page program update were reviewed on September 29. A date-sorted ADAMS search located no newer dedicated Section 401 status presentation among the later results reviewed; the displayed action states remain the June 16 source snapshot, not an assertion of their present-day status. The source mixes actual and estimated timeframes; a Complete label is not an exact completion date.

Table 2 — Ongoing NRC program actions

5 actions · source snapshot 2026-06-16. 4 complete · 1 paused

The source labels four actions Complete and one Paused. Timeframes reproduce its combined actual/estimated column, including DE2’s Q4 FY2026 entry; no exact completion date is inferred.

  • DD6 · Complete
    Design review lessons learned and rapid/iterative innovation guidance

    Source timeframe: Q2 FY 2026

  • DD7 · Complete
    Regulatory flexibility in Part 52 during construction and operation

    Source timeframe: Q3 FY 2025

  • DE2 · Complete
    Pre-application engagement on steel-plate composite structures topical report

    Source timeframe: Q4 FY 2026

  • DE3 · Paused
    Seismic design of advanced reactors

    Source timeframe: TBD

  • DI1 · Complete
    Advanced Reactor Construction Oversight Program (ARCOP)

    Source timeframe: Q2 FY 2026

Table 3 — Potential new NRC program actions

6 actions · source snapshot 2026-06-16. 3 in progress · 1 paused · 2 closed

Three actions are In progress, two Closed and one Paused. Closed is the source’s distinct label and is not counted as Complete.

  • DD2 · Paused
    Risk-informed structural and mechanical component review

    Source timeframe: TBD

  • DD3 · Closed
    New materials without applicable codes and standards

    Source timeframe: —

  • DD4 · Closed
    Accelerated material qualification

    Source timeframe: —

  • DD5 · In progress
    Examination of novel materials

    Source timeframe: Q1 FY 2028

  • DE1 · In progress
    Structural monitoring for advanced construction techniques

    Source timeframe: Q1 FY 2028

  • N1 · In progress
    Transport-related new technologies and manufacturing flexibility in package designs

    Source timeframe: Q1 FY 2028

ADVANCE Act · 602 · Waste & decommissioningReport on Canada engagement concerning Great Lakes wasteComplete

NIA records the report to Congress on engagement with Canada submitted June 30, 2025, before the July 9, 2025 deadline.

Evidence as of
2026-08
Completed
30 Jun 2025

Related NEIMA & executive-order rulemakings

These provide context and are not added to the statutory completion count. Part 53 originated in NEIMA; EO 14300 is a separate executive action.

NEIMA · 103(a)(4) · LicensingOptional Part 53 licensing frameworkComplete

The NEIMA-origin rule was published March 30 and became effective April 29, 2026. The July 28 correcting amendment fixed conforming Part 75 language; it was not the original finalization. Parts 50 and 52 remain available.

Evidence as of
2026-07-28
Published
30 Mar 2026
Effective
29 Apr 2026
EO 14300 · 5(j); also ADVANCE Act efficiency provisions · Public participationStreamlining contested licensing adjudicationsIn progress

The proposed rule would change hearing schedules, initial contention filings, discovery and appeals. NRC describes continued adjudication by independent legal and technical judges. A proposal is not a removal of existing hearing rights or a final change to licensing procedure.

Evidence as of
2026-09-29
Published
3 Mar 2026

Verification note: September 29 review of the docket document listing confirms the original window closed April 2 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. The published RIN search still returned the March 3 proposal and March 11 meeting notice, with no later final rule or withdrawal in those results. Listing review is not an exhaustive merits review of every public comment.

EO 14300 · 5 · Public participationRulemaking procedure, FACA alignment, access and securityIn progress

The original comment window closed September 10. Public submissions include Connecticut DEEP’s express request to withdraw the direct final rule and NIA’s concerns about public-comment discretion. The document listing still shows the proposal and direct final rule, and the September 29 Federal Register search found no later published withdrawal. October 26 remains a conditional effective date; objections are documented, but their classification and disposition are for the NRC.

Evidence as of
2026-09-29
Published
11 Aug 2026

Verification note: Docket listing, visible comment records and the CT DEEP/NIA attachments were accessed through text extraction. Both comment entry pages show receipt September 10 and posting September 11; a later posting date does not prove late submission. These are commenter positions, not NRC findings of significant adverse comment. No agency response resolving that question was established; monitor the official disposition before treating the rule as effective.

EO 14300 · Related rulemaking · Waste & decommissioningISR groundwater protection and decommissioning timelinesIn progress

The proposal was announced September 1 and published September 10, 2026 (91 FR 57728). It addresses ISR groundwater protection and flexibility in decommissioning timelines. The Federal Register notice explicitly sets comments due October 13, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern; that cutoff is not calculated from the press-release date.

Evidence as of
2026-09-29
Published
10 Sept 2026

Verification note: The Regulations.gov document listing was read through text extraction September 29 and shows the proposal open through October 13 at 11:59 p.m. EDT, plus three supporting documents. This confirms the displayed window; it is not a prediction of the final rule’s outcome.

EO 14300 · 5(f), 5(h), 5(i) · Brownfield sitingModernizing reactor licensing, safety oversight and sitingIn progress

The July 16 proposal implements EO 14300 sections 5(f), 5(h) and 5(i), not ADVANCE Act Section 103. The July 27 correction withdraws draft guide DG-4037 (proposed Revision 5 to RG 4.2; ML25268A122) because it contains outdated and incorrect information. It removes that guide from the proposal and availability table, not the proposed rule itself. The correction does not change the August 31 comment deadline.

Evidence as of
2026-09-29
Published
16 Jul 2026

Verification note: The full correction text was read. The docket listing independently marks DG-4037 Withdrawn and the proposal’s comment window closed August 31 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Withdrawal of guidance must not be presented as withdrawal of the proposed rule.

Are NRC reviews getting faster?

NRC reports several safety reviews completed faster than their planned schedules. That is useful evidence, but it is not a controlled before/after test of the ADVANCE Act.

NRC Licensing Efficiencies examples; durations in months
ReviewPlannedExecuted
Kairos Hermes 1 construction permit2118
Kairos Hermes 2 construction permit1410
NuScale US460 standard design approval2422
TerraPower Kemmerer 1 construction permit2718

The metric is NRC’s executed safety-review schedule. It is not time from project announcement to operation, and completing a safety evaluation is not necessarily the final permit decision. Design maturity, applicant responses, exemptions and other reforms also affect elapsed time.

What about public participation?

The contested-adjudications proposal, NRC-2025-1501, would change contention filings, hearing schedules, discovery and appeals. NRC describes continued hearings before independent legal and technical judges. The proposal and its comment window must be distinguished from rules already in force. The separate FACA/procedure package is not a substitute for tracking this hearing reform.

What comments were submitted on the separate procedure rule?

The NRC-2025-1139 record includes objections. Connecticut DEEP requests withdrawal of the direct final rule and argues its comments meet the significant-adverse-comment criteria. NIA calls for clearer limits on discretion over post-promulgation comments. Those are submitter positions, not NRC adjudications. The cited comment pages show receipt on September 10 and posting on September 11; posting date alone does not establish lateness. The October 26 effective date remains conditional pending the agency’s disposition.

Observed event history

Newest first · corrections retained

Actual publication, completion and effective events. Future deadlines appear above, not as historical achievements.

  1. correction

    Source-verification update: the January 24, 2025 Commission approval is now confirmed directly in SRM-SECY-24-0083 and the mission report, resolving the earlier entry’s unverified-primary-source caveat.

  2. correction

    Editorial correction to the initial feature-branch tracker (f61af75): the Section 503 deadline is July 9, not July 31, 2027. Removed the unsupported Section 103 siting attribution and first-EO-rulemaking claim; separated mission reporting, Part 53 correction dates and closed comment windows.

  4. published

    The ISR/decommissioning proposal was published in the Federal Register with an October 13, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Eastern comment deadline.

  5. published

    NRC release 26-076 announced proposed ISR and decommissioning changes; this is the press-release date.

  6. effective

    The FY2026 fee rule became effective. Eligible advanced-reactor applicant and pre-applicant review work uses the $154 reduced rate under 10 CFR 170.20(b) and (c).

  7. published

    The procedure/FACA/access/security proposal and companion direct final rule were published.

  8. correction

    A correcting amendment repaired conforming Part 75 language; this was not the Part 53 finalization date.

  9. correction

    NRC withdrew draft guide DG-4037 / ML25268A122 from the proposed rule package because of outdated and incorrect information. The proposed rule and its comment deadline were not withdrawn.

  10. published

    The reactor licensing, safety oversight and siting proposal was published under EO 14300 authority; it is not an ADVANCE Act Section 103 task.

  11. completed

    NIA records brownfield strategy development complete; the implementation report remains outstanding.

  12. report released

    The Section 404 package was publicly released July 7. It lists a June 29 transmittal letter; the report cover edition says July 2026.

  13. effective

    The Section 301 foreign-ownership exceptions rule became effective.

  14. completed

    NIA records submission of the advanced-fuel licensing report.

  15. published

    The FY2026 final fee rule was published, setting a $154 reduced rate and $337 standard rate, with effectiveness on August 17.

  16. effective

    The optional Part 53 framework became effective.

  17. published

    The Part 53 final rule was published.

  18. published

    The contested-adjudications proposal was published in the Federal Register.

  19. completed

    NIA records microreactor strategy development complete, distinct from implementation.

  20. report released

    NRC’s mission-guidance page lists public release of the mission report package.

  21. completed

    The Chairman’s dated letter submits the mission-alignment report to Congress. Public release followed November 25.

  22. effective

    The initial reduced hourly rate took effect for eligible advanced-reactor work.

  23. completed

    NIA records submission of the Canada/Great Lakes waste report.

  24. published

    NRC released the mission implementation guidance package; this is not asserted to be the mission adoption date.

  25. completed

    The mission report states that staff provided implementation guidance to the Commission on May 2, separate from its May 16 public release.

  26. completed

    NIA’s January 28 analysis reports Commission approval of the revised mission on January 24, citing SRM-SECY-24-0083. The primary memo text remains to be inspected.

  28. completed

    NIA records the NRC–DOE advanced-fuel MOU signed.

Sources, method & downloads

Download the sourced record

Milestones, typed dates, review evidence, sources and event history in one JSON snapshot.

Download JSON ↓

Maintained by NNN Newsroom through source review. The seven-day review target is shown above; it is not a claim of continuous automated verification. Source timestamps and verification gaps remain visible. NIA is a secondary synthesis; statutory text, Federal Register notices and NRC documents control when sources disagree.

The dashboard count, task mapping and related rulemaking records have separate sources and evidence dates. Proposed, effective, published and completed are deliberately separate. We do not infer agency-wide licensing speed from selected cases or treat a press-release date as a regulatory effective date.

Current-state data follows CC BY 4.0; the full JSON and event history follow the NNN Data License Terms. Underlying public facts are not owned by NNN.

NNN explainers

Cite: Nuclear News Network, “ADVANCE Act implementation tracker”, https://www.nuclearnewsnetwork.com/industry-trackers/advance-act (reviewed 2026-09-28).