Cost Expenditure Criteria for Research and Development Utilization Facilities

Document 2026-08024 is a Final Rule published by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the Federal Register on April 24, 2026, with an effective date of April 24, 2026. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is amending its regulations to address the financial criteria used to determine whether a utilization facility that is useful in the conduct of research and development activities is licensed as a commercial facility under section 103, "Commercial Licenses," of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, or as a research and development facility under section 104, "Medical Therapy and Research and Development." This rulemaking revises the NRC's regulations to be consistent with the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act, enacted on January 14, 2019, and the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy Act of 2024, enacted on July 9, 2024. View the original at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/04/24/2026-08024/cost-expenditure-criteria-for-research-and-development-utilization-facilities.

No. Document 2026-08024 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.