As Trump boosts nuclear power, regulators seek to eliminate a longstanding radiation safety rule

ASSOCIATED PRESS • July 26, 2026

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is proposing to eliminate a foundational safety principle that has for 50 years minimized the radiation people in the United States are exposed to and that has been adopted around the world. Currently, facilities such as nuclear plants, hospitals or academic institutions that use radioactive materials must ensure radiation exposures are kept “as low as reasonably achievable” — the ALARA principle. The NRC proposal would abandon that philosophy while keeping a separate standard on maximum radiation exposure. The two standards have worked together in radiation safety.