Nuclear regulators just gave themselves permission to stop checking if planes will crash into reactors

US nuclear regulators inserted an expiration date into the rule requiring nuclear plants to assess and defend against aircraft impacts. The rule will sunset unless the agency actively renews it, shifting the burden from 'plants must comply' to 'regulators must remember to enforce this.'

For decades, every US nuclear plant had to prove it could survive a large aircraft impact — a costly, ongoing requirement that shaped plant design and operations. This change flips the default: the requirement now expires on its own unless regulators affirmatively keep it alive. In practice, this means the rule becomes optional unless someone remembers to renew it. The shift is small on paper but structural — it moves aircraft impact assessment from a binding obligation to a regulatory courtesy that can quietly lapse.