Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff held the third and final public meeting on the agency's proposed rule to modernize reactor licensing, safety oversight, and siting practices. The rulemaking, unveiled in July, runs more than 550 pages. The August session covered license and permit durations, enhancements to 10 CFR Parts 52 and 54, changes to emergency preparedness, and decommissioning financial assurance requirements for new reactor applicants.
Among the more consequential proposals is a change to how long agency authorizations last. The draft rule would eliminate expiration dates and renewal requirements for early site permits, extend manufacturing licenses to 40 years, and lengthen operating license renewal terms from 20 years to 40 years.
Some members of the public asked whether longer terms would produce longer reviews and undercut the expedited schedules the agency has recently achieved. In 2026 the NRC approved subsequent license renewals for reactors at the Hatch and Robinson plants, each completed in 12 months or less. Michele Sampson, deputy director for licensing and programs, said the agency intends to hold that pace. She said the one year timeline depends on a high quality application and effective communication between applicant and staff, and that complexity in a given application can slow a review.
Asked how small modular reactor applicants fit into longer license terms, Sampson said the agency can issue a license for up to 40 years and would review each application on its own merits. She added that an applicant may request a shorter term. The proposal also introduces risk informed, performance based pathways, including optional alternative criteria under Part 54 and reduced prescriptive requirements for application content and post approval recordkeeping.
Source: American Nuclear Society - https://www.ans.org/news/2026-08-11/article-8283/nrc-shares-more-on-reactor-licensing-proposed-rule-at-virtual-qa/