"Under the draft proposal, the principle that exposure should be “as low as reasonably achievable” will be replaced with hard limits and special exceptions."
"The principle that radiation exposure should be as low as possible to protect human health has endured at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for more than half a century.
The NRC is now taking its first steps to end that standard.
Under a policy proposal circulating inside the NRC, nuclear power plants would no longer be required to keep radiation doses “as low as reasonably achievable,” called the “ALARA” principle. Instead, nuclear power operators and medical workers would need to keep radiation levels under maximum dose limits, some of which would be loosened under a draft rule, according to three people familiar with the proposal."
Francisco "A.J." Camacho reports for E&E News March 17, 2026.
