From the CEO’s Desk: What Washington Signed—And What It Means for the Rest of Us

THE REAL PROBLEM WITH NUCLEAR

Nuclear doesn’t have a technology problem. It has a complexity problem.

We’ve buried the world’s safest, most reliable, zero-emission energy source under regulatory sprawl and bad PR. What should be fast and affordable has become slow and expensive.

We call it the Nuclear Tax:

* 2M+ labor hours to certify a single reactor

* $500M in compliance before a single bolt turns

* A $100 valve becomes $1,000 because of documentation—not design

90% of the cost isn’t physics. It’s paperwork.

WHY THIS MOMENT MATTERS

Three tectonic shifts hit at once:

Demand Surge: AI, EVs, and electrification are straining the grid.

National Security: Energy blackouts are now national threats.

Federal Action: Trump’s executive orders give the NRC 18 months to issue licenses. That’s not a suggestion. That’s a mandate.

The policies are in motion. But as always—the execution gap is massive.

On May 23rd, the U.S. government issued four executive orders meant to reboot nuclear energy. Here’s what they actually said—and what they left unsaid.

1. Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing

Official Language: “The Secretary shall create a pilot program for reactor construction and operation … [and] shall approve at least three reactors pursuant to this pilot program with the goal of achieving criticality in each of the three reactors by July 4, 2026.”

CEO Decoded: This sets a date. But it’s a stunt if the supporting infrastructure doesn’t show up. National labs are at max capacity, and “criticality” isn’t the finish line—it’s just step one. If private industry isn’t empowered to scale, this ends at three, not 300.

2. Nuclear Construction on Defense & Energy Sites

Official Language: “The Secretary of Defense, through the Secretary of the Army, shall commence the operation of a nuclear reactor, regulated by the United States Army, at a domestic military base or installation no later than September 30, 2028. … The Secretary of Energy shall utilize all available legal authorities [to deploy reactors at DOE sites] for the purpose of powering AI infrastructure, other critical or national security needs, supply chain items, or on-site infrastructure.”

CEO Decoded: This clears a path—but not the terrain. Land access is helpful, but NEPA exclusions don’t fund projects, solve interconnect delays, or guarantee local support. This gets you closer to a site, not to a reactor.

3. Reforming the Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Official Language: “The NRC shall issue final rules and guidance … [including] (1) a deadline of no more than 18 months for final decision on an application to construct and operate a new reactor of any type.”

CEO Decoded: This order appears bold. But unless we modernize how licenses are submitted and reviewed, it’s a paper tiger. You don’t hit an 18-month review timeline with 2 million pages of analog paperwork... well, unless you have Gordian. (For more details, see this article from our Titan Papers.)

4. Strengthening the Domestic Fuel Cycle

Official Language: “The Department of Energy shall increase domestic uranium production and enrichment capacity, release high-assay low-enriched uranium for private sector use, and support fuel recycling initiatives on federal sites.”

CEO Decoded: The U.S. still imports millions of pounds of uranium every year. This EO starts to fix that. But the real bottleneck is infrastructure—scaling enrichment from scratch takes time, money, and direction. Right now, we have ambition but not logistics.

A PIVOTAL MOMENT FOR EVERSTAR

Policy opens the door. Execution walks through it. But let’s be clear—these executive orders didn’t just validate what we’re doing. They put Everstar on offense.

Gordian isn’t a tool. It’s a revolution. It reimagines compliance as infrastructure: fast, programmable, intelligent. Our goal? Slash the cost of licensing by an order of magnitude.

When the NRC promises 18-month approvals, Gordian makes it achievable. When operators greenlight a site, Gordian gets them from idea to shovel-ready faster than any firm in the country.

This isn’t optimization. It’s system change. The kind that turns executive orders into electrons—and paperwork into progress.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

* NRC 18-month countdown begins

* HALEU supply chain roadmap

* First Project Titan site announcement

Our mission is simple:

Make permitting faster than construction.

The future shouldn’t be blocked by bureaucracy.

Let’s build.

— Kevin Kong, CEO, Everstar