State of Indiana: Discontinuance of Certain Commission Regulatory Authority Within the State, Notice of Agreement Between the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the State of Indiana
Key claim: The NRC has handed Indiana authority to license and regulate most radioactive materials in the state—byproduct, source, and small amounts of special nuclear material—so those users will deal with the state instead of the federal commission.
Abstract
(Rule · Nuclear Regulatory Commission) This notice is announcing that on September 24, 2026, Ho K. Nieh, Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or Commission), and Governor Michael Braun of the State of Indiana, signed an Agreement as authorized by Section 274b. of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act or AEA). Under the Agreement, the Commission discontinues its regulatory authority, and the State of Indiana assumes regulatory authority over byproduct materials, source materials, and special nuclear materials in quantities not sufficient to form a critical mass, as defined in Sections 11e.(1), 11e.(3), and 11e(4) of the AEA.
Why this matters
Agreement State transfers shift the day-to-day permitting and inspection burden for medical, industrial, and academic radioactive-materials users from a federal agency to a state one, which can change fee structures, response times, and the specific rules licensees must follow even though the underlying NRC baseline remains. Tracking which states have joined (and when) explains why identical materials users face different regulators depending on location.