NRC Proposes Rule for Licensing Adjudications

Detected March 14th, 2026

Summary

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has proposed revisions to its rules of practice and procedure to streamline contested adjudications in licensing proceedings. This action is in response to the ADVANCE Act and Executive Order 14300. A public meeting is scheduled for March 19, 2026, during the public comment period.

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What changed

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has published a proposed rule to revise its rules of practice and procedure, aiming to streamline contested adjudications in licensing proceedings. This initiative is driven by the ADVANCE Act of 2024 and Executive Order 14300, with the goal of reducing burden, increasing clarity, and promoting efficiencies. The proposed changes are intended to align with deadlines established by these legislative and executive actions.

A public comment period is open until April 2, 2026, and the NRC will host a virtual public meeting on March 19, 2026, to discuss the proposed rule and allow for questions. Regulated entities and interested stakeholders should review the proposed revisions and consider submitting comments by the deadline. While the meeting is for clarification, formal comments must be submitted through the Federal rulemaking website.

What to do next

Review proposed rule revisions for streamlining contested adjudications.
Submit comments on the proposed rule by April 2, 2026.
Attend the public meeting on March 19, 2026, for clarification.

Source document (simplified)

Content

ACTION:

Public meeting.

SUMMARY:

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) plans to hold a virtual-only public meeting to discuss the proposed revisions
to the agency's rules of practice and procedure to streamline contested adjudications in NRC licensing proceedings.

DATES:

The NRC plans to hold the virtual-only public meeting on March 19, 2026, during the 30-day public comment period. See section
II, Public Meeting, of this document for more information on the meeting.

ADDRESSES:

Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2025-1501 when contacting the NRC about the availability of information for this action. You
may obtain publicly available information related to this action by any of the following methods:

• Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2025-1501. Address questions about NRC dockets to Helen Chang; telephone: 301-415-3228; email: Helen.Chang@nrc.gov. For technical questions contact the individuals listed in the
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
section of this document.

• NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select “Begin ADAMS Public Search.” For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC's Public Document
Room reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, at 301-415-4737, or by email to PDR.Resource@nrc.gov.

• NRC's PDR: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies of publicly available documents, is open by appointment. To make an appointment
to visit the PDR, please send an email to PDR.Resource@nrc.gov or call 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. eastern time (ET), Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michael Spencer, Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone:
301-287-9115; email: Michael.Spencer@nrc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

On March 3, 2026, the NRC published a notice in the
Federal Register
for a 30-day public comment period (91 FR 10450). The proposed rule would revise the agency's rules of practice and procedure
to streamline contested adjudications in NRC licensing proceedings in response to the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile,
Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy Act of 2024 (ADVANCE Act) and Executive Order (E.O.) 14300, “Ordering the Reform of the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission.” The proposed changes to the contested hearing process would reduce burden, increase clarity,
and promote efficiencies in line with the deadlines established in accordance with the ADVANCE Act and E.O. 14300. The public
comment period for the proposed rule will close on April 2, 2026.

II. Public Meeting

The NRC staff will hold a virtual-only public meeting on March 19, 2026, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET, during the planned 30-day
comment period to present the proposed rule. At that time, stakeholders will have an opportunity to ask questions and seek
clarification from the NRC staff. Please note that this public meeting is not an avenue for submitting comments on the proposed
rule. The proposed rule (91 FR 10450) includes instructions on how to submit comments.

Interested stakeholders may attend via telephone or online seminar. The public meeting will include a presentation of the
contents of the proposed rule; and an opportunity for government agencies, organizations, and individuals to ask questions.
No comments on the proposed rule will be accepted during the meeting.

Persons interested in attending this meeting should monitor the NRC's Public Meeting Schedule web page at https://www.nrc.gov/pmns/mtg for additional information, agendas for the meeting, and access information for the meeting.

If special equipment or accommodations are needed to attend or present information at a public meeting, please contact Dennis
Andrukat, telephone: 301-415-3561, email: Dennis.Andrukat@nrc.gov.

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Dated: March 9, 2026. Jennifer Scro, Acting Assistant General Counsel for Rulemaking, Agreement States, and Fee Policy, Office of the General Counsel. [FR Doc. 2026-04763 Filed 3-10-26; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P