Nuclear Reactor Review Rule Ignores Critical Risks, Suit Says

Beyond Nuclear Inc. and the Sierra Club are challenging the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s rule outlining environmental review standards for nuclear reactor license renewal applications.

The NRC “proposes to extend the operating license terms of some reactors by an additional twenty years, allowing operation out to eighty years,” the groups told the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Thursday.

The Reviewing Nuclea Power Plant Operating License—Environmental Review Rule updates the NRC’s review regulations to change the number and scope of the environmental issues that have to be addressed during the license renewal process.

The groups claim the ...