The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is hosting a webinar Aug. 10 from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss a recent rulemaking that touches on changes to its radiation protection standards.
The webinar will be held via Microsoft Teams and will have a question and answer session within it, according to NRC’s July 28 press release.
This rulemaking, published in the Federal Register on July 15, seeks to remove the decades-long radiation principle “As Low As Reasonably Achievable” – or ALARA. The ALARA principle is built upon the Linear No Threshold model. In exchange for the radiation principle, NRC plans to use a graded approach that is “risk-informed, performance-based framework.”
Ho Nieh, NRC chair, said this pivot will move away from the subjectivity that ALARA provided and towards providing more clarity and flexibility to licensees in their approaches to managing radiation doses for workers and the public.
In the few weeks that the rulemaking has been published, NRC has received over 150 comments as of Sunday August 2, according to its Federal Register notice. NRC has also received its fair share of opposition, as several environmental groups banded together to urge the public to reject the new rulemaking. The Coalition to Stop Radioactive Pollution, made of several nuclear watchdog organizations, launched a campaign called “Protect Better” to fight for stronger radiation protection safeguards.