News

Mar 29, 2025

Secretary Wright Acts to Remove Red Tape, Accelerate Mission Execution at America’s National Weapons and Science Labs | Department of Energy

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright today announced new actions to ease burdensome permitting rules and regulations for construction projects at the Department’s 17 National Labs. Energy.gov

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright today announced new actions to ease burdensome permitting rules and regulations for construction projects at the Department’s 17 National Labs.

Energy.gov

WASHINGTON—U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright today announced new actions to ease burdensome permitting rules and regulations for construction projects at the Department’s 17 National Labs. These reforms will accelerate much-needed critical infrastructure improvement projects at DOE’s National Labs, enabling the Department to move faster on important projects while saving hundreds of millions of dollars for the American taxpayer.

“With President Trump’s leadership, we have a unique opportunity to advance energy abundance, lead the world in scientific and technological innovation, and modernize our weapons stockpiles,” Secretary Wright said. “Unfortunately, over the years, burdensome regulations delayed the important work being done at our National Labs. Currently, many of our nation’s most critical weapons development sites rely on aging facilities, some even dating back to the Manhattan Project.

“By reforming DOE’s permitting rules and regulations for our National Labs, we can speed up critical infrastructure improvements and make the Energy Department a better steward of taxpayer dollars. President Trump pledged to bring common sense back to our energy policymaking, and that’s exactly what we’re doing today.”

In Secretary Wright’s Day One Secretarial Order, he highlighted the need to streamline permitting, remove undue burdens on American energy and modernize America’s nuclear stockpile as top priorities for the Department. Today’s action is an important step in fulfilling these priorities for the American people.

FROM: CHRIS WRIGHT, U.S. SECRETARY OF ENERGY

SUBJECT: Strengthening National Laboratory Efficiency and Mission Execution

The Department of Energy’s National Laboratory system serves as the backbone of the Nation’s scientific enterprise. Founded as part of a strategic national investment in science during and following World War II, the National Laboratories form the most comprehensive research network of its kind. While most of the National Laboratories’ work is driven by the Department’s primary missions in energy innovation, science discovery, nuclear security, and environmental cleanup, they are a national resource and serve the national interest by addressing challenges extending beyond energy and catalyzing research that spans across sectors.

As Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC) managed through Management and Operating (M&O) contracts, it is imperative that we continually evaluate existing requirements and processes to ensure that the National Laboratories have the necessary authority and flexibility to successfully execute critical missions on behalf of the Department of Energy and the Nation. To that end, I am directing the following actions to be implemented immediately:

In addition to the above actions for immediate implementation, the Laboratory Operations Board Director shall establish a working group to identify opportunities to streamline and, as necessary, develop new procedures and timelines to ensure greater efficiency and accountability for Strategic Partnership Projects (SPP) and Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADA). Proposed improvements or streamlining initiatives shall be provided to the Office of the Secretary within 30 days.

These measures are representative of focused and purposeful actions to prudently streamline our processes, place decision-making authority at the appropriate level, and reduce unnecessary administrative burden on both the laboratories and federal stewards to more efficiently and effectively enable critical mission objectives. It is critical that we implement new delegations and flexibilities as intended, working collaboratively to ensure streamlining efforts have the intended outcome. The Laboratory Operations Board will be responsible for coordinating the necessary actions outlined in this memorandum and tracking implementation.

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