The federal officials who deal with Valar, by role (see safe-036 for who signed which safety papers): Energy Secretary Chris Wright, the startup approval authority for new DOE reactors unless delegated, rode the Ward 250 airlift (orig-030) and in DOE's 18 June 2026 release said Valar 'is delivering achievements that mark a revolutionary moment'; before taking office he sat on the board of Oklo, another company in DOE's reactor and fuel-line pilots (orig-032), and Oklo's release (dated 6 Feb 2025 on its site) says he stepped down from its board on his confirmation as Secretary on 3 Feb 2025. Rian Bahran, DOE Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Reactors, was quoted praising NOVA (ppl-008 source); his ANS biography says he spent over a decade at Los Alamos (whose NCERC ran NOVA), then advised the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and served at the White House science office. Robert (Bob) Boston, Manager of DOE's Idaho Operations Office, led the review that cleared Ward 250 (orig-011); DOE's page says he is the safety-basis approval authority for all existing and new reactors at INL, holds a master's degree in nuclear engineering, and has emeritus status as a professional engineer and certified health physicist. Deputy Secretary James Danly announced the pilot selections (orig-041) and a Defense under secretary flew with the reactor (orig-030). The pattern, from the record: the department that authorizes and oversees Ward 250's safety is also its most visible public promoter (safe-001, safe-002). No record read shows any of these officials holding a financial or employment tie to Valar.

• Department of Energy Celebrates Second Advanced Reactor Achieving Criticality (U.S. Department of Energy, 2026-06-18) primary government “Valar Atomics is delivering achievements that mark a revolutionary moment for advanced nuclear”
• Oklo Announces Board Transition Following Chris Wright's Confirmation as Secretary of Energy (Oklo Inc., 2025-02-06) primary company “has stepped down from Oklo’s Board to assume this critical role”
• Rian Bahran (speaker biography, 2025 ANS Winter Conference & Expo) (American Nuclear Society, 2025) analysis “an experimentalist and as a program manager”
• Robert Boston (U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy) primary government
• Los Alamos National Laboratory and Valar Atomics Announce Project NOVA Criticality Milestone in Nevada (Valar Atomics, 2025-11-18) primary company “This milestone underscores collaborative efforts propelling nuclear innovation responsibly”