# 2026-12989: Nuclear Agency Tweaks Security Rules for Efficiency 2026-12989, Modernizing Security Requirements, is a Federal Register proposed rule from Nuclear Regulatory Commission published 2026-06-26, effective Comments must be submitted electronically using https:// www.regulations.gov by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on July 27, 2026.; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-03). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12989 - As of: 2026-07-03 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Document number: 2026-12989 - Title: Modernizing Security Requirements - Type: Proposed Rule - Agencies: Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Citation: 91 FR 38928 - Published: 2026-06-26 - Effective: Comments must be submitted electronically using https:// www.regulations.gov by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on July 27, 2026. - Comments close: 2026-07-27 - Significant: no - Touches household money: yes - Regulation identifier numbers: 3150-AL53 - Last updated: 2026-07-03 ## In one line Nuclear Agency Tweaks Security Rules for Efficiency ## Summary The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is updating its security and fitness rules to make them simpler and more efficient while keeping nuclear sites safe. These changes affect all NRC-licensed facilities and aim to cut unnecessary red tape without spending extra money. You’ve got until July 27, 2026, to share your thoughts on these proposed updates! ## Abstract The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing to revise its regulations to modernize security and fitness-for-duty requirements to enhance efficiency, consistent with Executive Order 14300, "Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission." The proposed revisions are intended to reduce regulatory burden, where appropriate, while continuing to provide reasonable assurance that safety and security will be adequately maintained at NRC-licensed facilities. ## Effects PRIA read - Random Drug Testing Rate Cut: benefit, medium. The NRC proposes to reduce the annual random drug testing rate from 50% to 25% for most licensee employees who do not perform critical safety- or security-related functions. The 50% rate would still apply to the small group of employees in critical roles (for example, licensed operators and securit… - Oral-Fluid Testing Option Expanded: benefit, low. The NRC would allow oral fluid (saliva) specimen collection and drug testing for all testing conditions listed in Sec. 26.31(c). Oral fluid testing is always directly observed and is intended to reduce attempts to subvert testing (about 25–30% of part 26 violations each year are subversion attempts… - Escort Option for Construction Workers: benefit, low. The proposed rule would permit licensees to escort construction workers performing activities under Sec. 26.4(f) instead of making those workers subject to a full fitness-for-duty (FFD) program. Individuals who serve as escorts must themselves be subject to an FFD program meeting most part 26 requi… - Later FFD Implementation Milestone: benefit, medium. For nuclear reactor construction, the NRC would shift the milestone for transitioning from the optional subpart K to a full part 26 FFD program from 'receipt of fuel assemblies onsite' to 'before initial fuel load into the reactor.' This changes when full FFD requirements must be implemented during… - Relaxed Blind Performance Testing Rules: benefit, low. The NRC proposes multiple changes to blind performance testing (BPTS) for drug labs: remove the higher initial 90‑day BPTS submission requirement (30 samples), clarify that BPTS counts may be calculated at the fleet level instead of per facility, and eliminate prescriptive quarterly requirements fo… - End Annual Lab Audit Requirement: benefit, low. The proposed rule would eliminate the requirement that licensees annually audit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)-certified laboratories they use for testing, because HHS inspects those labs through its National Laboratory Certification Program. The change would remove the redu… - Consortium Pools for Small Sites: benefit, low. For FFD programs with small staff sizes where random testing would be predictable, the NRC would require use of a consortium/third‑party administrator (C/TPA) to combine workers from multiple licensees into a pooled random-testing program. This aligns with approaches used in other federal testing p… - Estimated Industry Cost Savings: benefit, high. The NRC's draft regulatory analysis estimates net cost savings to the industry of about $557 million (7% discount rate) to $1.01 billion (3% discount rate) over the next 30 years, and net savings to the NRC of $3.4 million (7%) to $6.7 million (3%). On an annualized basis, combined net savings are… ## Related documents - [2026-19568](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19568): Regulatory Enhancements for Reactor Licensing, Decommissioning, and Operational Oversight, 2026-09-24 - [2026-14341](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-14341): Modernizing Reactor Licensing, Safety Oversight, and Siting Practices, 2026-07-16 - [2026-13687](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-13687): Implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act, 2026-07-07 - [2026-12067](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12067): Fee Schedules; Fee Recovery for Fiscal Year 2026, 2026-06-16 - [2026-08550](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-08550): Licensing Requirements for Microreactors and Other Reactors With Comparable Risk Profiles, 2026-05-01 - [2026-08015](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-08015): Generic Environmental Impact Statement for Licensing of New Nuclear Reactors, 2026-04-24 ## Sources - [2026-12989 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/06/26/2026-12989/modernizing-security-requirements) - [2026-12989 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-06-26/pdf/2026-12989.pdf) ## Related - [Previous: 2026-12981, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Modernization of FMVSS No. 135 To Accom…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12981) - [Next: 2026-13003, Removing Obsolete References to Twentieth-Century Airman Certificates](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-13003) - [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12989 (as of 2026-07-03).