The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed a sweeping overhaul of its rules, a move one expert called a "wholesale revision" of the agency's regulatory code. The 339-page rule would cut reporting requirements for nonemergency events, eliminate expiration dates for standard design approvals, and give reactor operators more staffing flexibility in control rooms.
The proposal is one of several dozen rulemakings launched after President Trump's executive order directing the NRC to implement reforms by end of 2026 and setting a policy to quadruple the US commercial reactor fleet by 2050. Supporters say changes like allowing design modifications during construction without prior NRC approval could avoid delays like those that plagued the first AP-1000 reactors in Georgia.
Other changes would expand pre-approval site work and revise emergency preparedness for newer passive-safety designs. A separate revision to the "backfitting" rule could reduce compliance burdens for existing plants, though benefits depend on inspector implementation. The most controversial change would replace the long-standing ALARA radiation protection standard with "clearer, more objective requirements" set below levels linked to known health effects.