Press Coverage September 30, 2026

A ‘Wholesale Revision’ of US Nuclear Rules Is on the Table

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Lara Simmons Nichols

Lara Nichols, a partner in Troutman Pepper Locke’s Energy Practice Group, was quoted in the September 30, 2026, Canary Media article, “A ‘Wholesale Revision’ of US Nuclear Rules Is on the Table.”

  • Of these, a comprehensive update to existing licensing regulations is one of the most potentially beneficial proposed changes for companies looking to build new nuclear reactors, said Lara Nichols, a former Duke Energy executive who’s now a partner with the law firm Troutman Pepper Locke.
  • …
  • Another set of proposed changes would make it easier for existing nuclear power plants to address physical security and earthquake mitigation requirements, which could help decrease plants’ operating costs if they can find a way to meet the modified standards with fewer staff, Nichols said in an email.
  • A separate revision to the NRC’s nearly 40-year-old ​“backfitting” rule would reduce nuclear plants’ compliance burdens when the agency issues new or revised regulations. On paper, that could be ​“one of the most potentially beneficial proposed changes” for existing nuclear power plants, though a lot rides on how NRC employees interpret the revised rule, Nichols said.
  • “The realized benefits will depend on how these changes, if approved, are implemented in the field by NRC inspectors,” she said.
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