NRC Reviews of Reactor Designs Previously Authorized by U.S. Department of Energy or Department of War

Document 2026-06414 is a Proposed Rule published by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the Federal Register on April 2, 2026. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing to revise its regulations to facilitate direct leveraging of prior U.S. Department of Energy or Department of War authorizations of demonstration reactors into the NRC's licensing reviews of commercial reactor facility applications that reference those designs. This rulemaking would improve NRC licensing review efficiency, where applicable, by explicitly establishing by regulation an additional means for reactor applicants to demonstrate the safety functions of their reactor designs, and thus, would contribute to the safe and secure use and deployment of civilian nuclear energy technologies. View the original at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/04/02/2026-06414/nrc-reviews-of-reactor-designs-previously-authorized-by-us-department-of-energy-or-department-of-war.

No. Document 2026-06414 is not classified as economically significant under Executive Order 12866. Economically significant rules require OIRA review and are estimated to have impacts of $100 million or more per year.