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This rulemaking would amend the NRC's regulations for fee schedules. The NRC conducts this rulemaking annually to recover, to the maximum extent practicable, approximately 100 percent of the NRC’s budget authority, less the budget authority for excluded activities to implement the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act. NEIMA requires that the FY 2025 fees be collected by September 30, 2025. This rulemaking would affect the fee schedules for licensing, inspection, and annual fees charged to the NRC’s applicants and licensees.

Overall Description of Deadline: This rulemaking would amend the NRC's regulations for fee schedules. Consistent with the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act (NEIMA), the NRC conducts this rulemaking annually to recover, to the maximum extent practicable, approximately 100 percent of the NRC's total budget authority, less the budget authority for excluded activities. NEIMA requires that the FY 2025 fees to be collected, to the maximum extent practicable, by September 30, 2025. This rulemaking would affect the fee sc

Statement of Need:

The NRC, as required by statute conducts an annual rulemaking in order to assess and collect service fees and 
annual fees in a manner that ensures that, to the maximum extent practicable, the amount assessed and 
collected approximates the NRC’s total budget authority for that fiscal year less the NRC’s budget authority for 
excluded activities. NEIMA requires the NRC to establish through rulemaking a schedule of annual fees that fairly and 
equitably allocates the aggregate amount of annual fees among licensees and certificate holders. NEIMA states that 
this schedule may be based on the allocation of the NRC’s resources among licensees, certificate holders, or classes 
of licensees or certificate holders and requires that the schedule of annual fees, to the maximum extent practicable, 
shall be reasonably related to the cost of providing regulatory services.

Summary of the Legal Basis:

Effective October 1, 2020, NEIMA puts in place a revised framework for fee recovery by eliminating OBRA-
90’s approximately 90 percent fee-recovery requirement and requiring the NRC to assess and collect service fees 
and annual fees in a manner that ensures that, to the maximum extent practicable, the amount assessed and collected 
approximates the NRC’s total budget authority for that fiscal year less the NRC’s budget authority for 
excluded activities.

Alternatives:

Because this action is mandated by statute and the fees must be assessed through rulemaking, the NRC did 
not consider alternatives to this action.

Anticipated Costs and Benefits:

The cost to the NRC's licensees is approximately 100 percent of the NRC FY 2025 budget authority less the amounts 
appropriated for excluded activities.

Risks:

None.