Nuclear regulator prepares to abandon decades-old radiation safety rule

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) plans to eliminate the 50-year-old ALARA standard that required minimizing radiation exposure as much as possible, replacing it with fixed radiation dose limits. This regulatory change aims to simplify nuclear regulations and support new small reactor designs to meet the increased electricity demand from AI data centers, with the public comment period closing August 31 and implementation expected early next year.

This Wire brief sits within Fusion42's coverage of Government & Space.