The Department of Energy decided to roll back its radiation protection principle to make it easier for private companies to develop advanced nuclear reactors, according to an internal DOE memo obtained by POLITICO’s E&E News.
The memo from DOE officers and initialed by Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Jan. 9 said changing the standard had “high” urgency for “the nuclear companies participating in DOE nuclear pilot programs” and to advance radiation reform discussions with the independent Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The DOE pilot programs for nuclear reactors and fuel lines are part of President Donald Trump’s push to accelerate the deployment of nuclear plants to power proliferating artificial intelligence data centers, a national security priority for his administration. The pilot program aims to make three advanced reactors critical — or sustaining a fission reaction — by July 4.
Since the 1970s, the worker safety principle has been to keep radiation “as low as reasonably achievable” — or ALARA. Critics have pushed to kill the protocol to reduce costs and accelerate nuclear projects, while defenders of the standard argue it is a linchpin of a deeply rooted “safety-first” regulatory culture.
