NRC proposes groundwater rule for uranium in-situ recovery sites
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced on September 1, 2026 a proposed rule, docket NRC-2025-1204, to set what it calls risk-informed groundwater protection criteria for uranium in-situ recovery facilities and to streamline extensions of decommissioning timelines for reactors and materials facilities. The rule text had not been published in the Federal Register as of September 4; comments are due 30 days after publication. The NRC's rulemaking tracker says the rule would reduce post-restoration monitoring, and the three industry letters in the docket asked for a narrowly targeted rule.
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