NRC Discontinues Three Proposed Spent-Fuel Security Rulemakings After Reprioritization

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced formal discontinuation of three rulemaking activities intended to tighten security around a deep geologic repository and spent fuel, publishing a Federal Register notice that states, “The rulemaking activities discussed in this document are discontinued as of February 25, 2026.” The Federal Register entry also makes clear that “Comments are no longer being accepted. See DATES for details.”

The three listings the NRC discontinued are spelled out by title, RIN, and docket number in the Federal Register: Geologic Repository Operations Area Security and Material Control and Accounting Requirements - RIN 3150-AI06; NRC-2007-0670; Geologic Repository Operations Area (GROA) Fitness-for-Duty Requirements - RIN 3150-AI38; NRC-2009-0089; and Enhanced Weapons for Spent Fuel Storage Installations and Transportation - Section 161A Authority - RIN 3150-AJ55; NRC-2015-0018. ANS / Nuclear News summarized the agency action and linked the Federal Register publication to the discontinuation notice.

The GROA proposal has a long pedigree. The Federal Register cites the original proposed GROA rule published December 20, 2007 (72 FR 72522) as addressing security measures at a geologic repository operations area licensed under 10 CFR Part 63 for Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The Federal Register excerpt states, “The NRC proposed new requirements for training, access authorization, defensive strategies, and reporting,” and that “The proposed rule would have established general performance objectives and corresponding system capabilities for the GROA material control program, with a focus on strengthening, streamlining, and consolidating all material control and accounting regulations specific to a [...]”

Sources differ on the why. ANS / Nuclear News reported that “the NRC said that, among other reasons, it has decided not to proceed with the previously proposed rules due to a change in agency priorities resulting from President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) 14300, ‘Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.’” For the Enhanced Weapons follow-on rule the NRC specifically cited “a lack of expressed interest from NRC licensees interested in obtaining enhanced weapons authority” as a reason for termination. ANS also quoted the NRC wording that, “If in the future the NRC receives a license application for a class of facility not already eligible for enhanced weapons authority, the commission may grant such authority via order or license condition.”

Administratively, the Federal Register notice follows standard structure with headings AGENCY, ACTION, SUMMARY, DATES, ADDRESSES, FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION and sections I. Background, II. Discontinued Rulemaking Activities, and III. Conclusion. The NRC said it will update the next edition of the agency’s Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions to reflect the discontinued status of the three rulemaking activities.

This move echoes an earlier pattern: NRC staff documents show a prior discontinuation of a reprocessing rulemaking under SECY-21-0026 dated 03/05/2021 with SRM approval SRM-SECY-21-0026 on 06/24/2021. Related SECY entries listed in NRC materials include SECY-13-0093 (08/30/2013), SECY-11-0163 (11/18/2011), SECY-09-0082 (05/28/2009), SECY-08-0134 (09/12/2008), SECY-07-0198 (11/07/2007), and SECY-07-0081 (05/15/2007), with corresponding SRM entries noted in NRC records.

Site artifacts from reporting outlets accompany the coverage. ExchangeMonitor’s headline reads “NRC halts spent fuel pool rulemaking” and the paywalled page includes the UI text: “You must be logged in as a subscriber to view this page. Not a subscriber? Click here to subscribe. Please contact clientservices@accessintel.com if you are unable to login. Forgot Password? Comments are closed.” The ANS / Nuclear News page carried ancillary content including “Sponsored Article Image-3 2x1.jpg” and “A message from Curtiss-Wright — High-Temperature neutron flux detectors for Generation IV reactors and SMRs — Learn More.”

With the Federal Register effective date of February 25, 2026, the NRC has officially closed these rule dockets and signaled it will rely on its Unified Agenda and case-by-case licensing tools—including orders or license conditions—to address any future requests for authorities such as Section 161A.