[en] The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has proposed to amend its regulations to allow self-guarantee as a means of assuring adequate funding for nuclear plant decommissioning. It acted in response to a rulemaking petition filed by General Electric Co. and Westinghouse Electric Corp. The proposal would allow self-guarantees if certain conditions are met: Tangible net worth of at least $1 billion; Tangible net worth at least 10 times the present decommissioning cost estimate for all activities the utility is responsible for as a self-guaranteeing licensee and as parent guarantor; Domestic assets amounting to at least 90 percent of total assets or at least 10 times the present decommissioning cost estimate; A credit rating for the utility's most recent bond issuance of AAA, AA, or A (Standard ampersand Poor's), or Aaa, Aa, or A (Moody's). Additional requirements include that the utility licensee must have at least one class of equity securities registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and that an independent auditor must verify that the utility met the financial test. A utility also would be responsible for reporting any change in circumstances affecting the criteria used to meet the financial test, and would be responsible for meeting that test within 90 days of each financial year. The NRC will accept written comments until March 29, 1993