politics
March 29, 2026
Is any amount of radiation safe? Trump nuclear regulators weigh the cost
The Trump administration is reportedly reconsidering a decades-old nuclear radiation standard in a bid to accelerate the construction of power plants.
TL;DR
- The Trump administration is reconsidering the ALARA radiation standard to speed up nuclear power plant construction.
- ALARA requires nuclear reactors to reduce radiation exposure "as low as reasonably achievable," even below established worker safety limits.
- Proponents argue the standard is overly stringent and costly, while opponents fear increased public radiation exposure.
- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering ending reliance on ALARA and potentially raising hard threshold exposure limits.
- The Department of Energy has already ended ALARA for its own reactors.
- Experts are divided, with some arguing ALARA's subjectivity leads to non-uniform application and overly conservative measures, while others caution against its complete elimination.
Continue reading the original article