NRC proposes security regulation changes

In 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14300, "'Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission," which directs the NRC to conduct a sweeping, multifaceted overhaul of its structure, culture, and regulations with the aim of facilitating increased deployment of new nuclear technologies and capacity.

Since then, the NRC has been hard at work carrying out that order, rolling out new rules and proposals at a rate that makes it difficult to keep track of all of the changes. Some examples from recent months include overhauls to the agency's Differing Views Program, Reactor Oversight Program, nuclear materials rules, and mandatory hearing timeline.

On June 23, the NRC proposed its newest set of "sweeping updates" in this series of changes. This time around, the agency is aiming to modernize its security regulations.

The changes: "For too long, NRC's security regulations have reflected the threats and technologies of the past rather than the realities of today," said NRC Chairman Ho Nieh, framing the purpose and scope of these new changes. "This rule brings our regulations into the modern era by focusing on credible risks, enabling innovation, and eliminating unnecessary burden without compromising security."

The 253-page proposal puts forward many potential changes to NRC rules. While all of the changes fall under the general category of security, they vary quite significantly in focus. For example, this proposal covers both a reduction in the rate at which randomized drug testing is performed on employees and clarifications around the licensing requirements for independent spent fuel storage installations.

Although the NRC doesn't characterize the proposal with this term, it can perhaps best be described as an "omnibus" security overhaul covering many loosely related areas simultaneously.

The proposal is categorized into four major provisions:

• Fitness for Duty Programs-The NRC is proposing changes to its drug and alcohol testing and its fatigue management program requirements. These changes aim to reduce unnecessary regulatory and administrative burden by aligning the NRC with other federal agency testing programs.
• Security Requirements for Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installations-The NRC aims to improve clarity in the licensing and security requirements for independent spent fuel storage installations that are not co-located with an operating reactor, allowing these installations to adhere to requirements more appropriate to their risk profiles.
• Physical Security Requirements-The NRC is proposing to modernize and streamline physical security requirements for power reactors and materials by "shifting from prescriptive rules to performance-based, risk-informed criteria." This far-reaching modernization effort, which addresses access authorization, cybersecurity, safeguards, information handling, event notifications, and training, would allow for the use of technology-inclusive approaches that address the needs of new, diverse reactor designs.
• Facility Security Clearance and Safeguarding of National Security Information and Restricted Data-The NRC aims to remove requirements relating to security clearance that are duplicative in nature.

Overall, the NRC characterizes these changes as another step in its efforts to change from prescriptive rules to "performance-based, risk-informed, technology-inclusive criteria" without compromising its commitment to public health, safety, and national security. The full proposal is publicly available on the NRC's website. It is expected to be published in the Federal Register in the coming days, after which a 30-day public comment period and an NRC-hosted public meeting will follow.