ZIONSOLUTIONS, LLC; Zion Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2 Exemption From Recordkeeping Requirements, 39134-39136 [2011-16723]
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39134
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 128 / Tuesday, July 5, 2011 / Notices
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Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 23rd day
of June 2011.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Tremaine Donnell,
NRC Clearance Officer, Office of Information
Services.
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50–295 and 50–304; NRC–
2011–0145]
ZIONSOLUTIONS, LLC; Zion Nuclear
Power Station, Units 1 and 2
Exemption From Recordkeeping
Requirements
1.0
Background
Zion Nuclear Power Station (ZNPS or
Zion), Unit 1, is a Westinghouse 3250
MWt Pressurized Water Reactor which
was granted Operating License No.
DPR–39 on October 19, 1973, and
subsequently shut down on February
21, 1997. Zion, Unit 2, is also a
Westinghouse 3250 MWt Pressurized
Water Reactor which was granted
Operating License No. DPR–48 on
November 14, 1973, and was shut down
on September 19, 1996. Zion is located
in Lake County, Illinois.
In February 1998, pursuant to Title 10
of the Code of Federal Regulations (10
CFR) 50.82(a)(1)(i), the licensee certified
to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC or the Commission)
that as of February 13, 1998, operations
had ceased at Zion, Units 1 and 2. The
licensee later certified, pursuant to 10
CFR 50.82(a)(1)(ii), that all fuel had
been removed from the reactor vessel of
both units, and committed to
maintaining the units in a permanently
defueled status. Therefore, pursuant to
10 CFR 50.82(a)(2), operations at Zion
are no longer authorized under the 10
CFR part 50 licenses.
On September 1, 2010, the facility
license was transferred from Exelon to
ZionSolutions for the express purpose of
expediting the decommissioning of the
site. ZionSolutions intends to use a
process that will reduce the laborintensive separation of contaminated
materials and transport the facility in
bulk to the EnergySolutions disposal
site in Utah. Preparations for
decontamination and dismantlement
have begun. Completion of fuel transfer
to the independent spent fuel storage
installation (ISFSI) is scheduled for
2014. Final site survey and license
reduction to the ISFSI is currently
planned for 2020.
2.0
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
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[FR Doc. 2011–16670 Filed 7–1–11; 8:45 am]
By letter dated February 28, 2011, as
supplemented on April 5, 2011,
ZionSolutions filed a request for NRC
approval of an exemption from the
record keeping requirements of 10 CFR
50.71(c); 10 CFR part 50, Appendix A
Criterion 1; 10 CFR part 50, Appendix
B Criterion XVII; and 10 CFR
50.59(d)(3).
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Request/Action
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ZionSolutions requested a permanent
exemption from the record retention
requirements of: (1) 10 CFR part 50
Appendix A Criterion 1 which requires
certain records be retained ‘‘throughout
the life of the unit’’; (2) 10 CFR part 50
Appendix B Criterion XVII, which
requires certain records be retained
consistent with regulatory requirements
for a duration established by the
licensee; (3) 10 CFR 50.59(d)(3) which
requires certain records be maintained
until ‘‘termination of a license issued
pursuant to’’ 10 CFR part 50; and (4) 10
CFR 50.71(c) which requires certain
records to be maintained consistent
with various elements of the NRC
regulations, facility technical
specifications and other licensing bases
documents. The licensee is proposing to
eliminate the records when: (1) The
licensing basis requirements previously
applicable to the nuclear power units
and associated systems, structures, and
components (SSC) are no longer
effective (e.g., removed from the
Defueled Safety Analysis Report and/or
Technical Specifications by appropriate
change mechanisms); or (2) for SSCs
associated with safe storage of fuel in
the spent fuel pool (SFP), when spent
nuclear fuel has been completely
transferred from the SFP to dry storage,
and the spent fuel building is ready for
demolition and the associated licensing
bases are no longer effective.
The licensee did not request an
exemption associated with any record
keeping requirements for storage of
spent fuel at its future ISFSI under 10
CFR part 50 or the general license
requirements of 10 CFR part 72.
3.0 Discussion
Pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12, the
Commission may, upon application by
any interested person or upon its own
initiative, grant exemptions from the
requirements of 10 CFR part 50 when (1)
the exemptions are authorized by law,
will not present an undue risk to public
health or safety, and are consistent with
the common defense and security; and
(2) when special circumstances are
present.
Decommissioning of the ZNPS has
begun and the nuclear reactor and
essentially all associated SSCs in the
nuclear steam supply system and
balance of plant that supported the
generation of power have been retired in
place and are being prepared for
removal. The SSCs that remain operable
are associated with the SFP and the
spent fuel building, needed to meet
other regulatory requirements, or
needed to support other site facilities
(e.g., radwaste handling, heating
ventilation and air conditioning, etc).
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No remaining SSCs are classified as
safety related. The SSCs related to safe
storage of nuclear fuel are designated as
Important to the Defueled Condition by
the current licensing basis.
ZionSolutions’ dismantlement plans
involve evaluating SSCs with respect to
the current facility safety analysis;
progressively removing them from the
licensing basis where necessary through
appropriate change mechanisms (e.g., 10
CFR 50.59 or NRC-approved Technical
Specification changes, as applicable);
revising the Defueled Safety Analysis
Report if and as necessary; and then
proceeding with an orderly
dismantlement. Dismantlement of the
plant structures will also include
dismantling existing records storage
facilities.
While ZionSolutions intends to retain
the records required by its license as the
project transitions from the current
plant conditions to fully dismantled
with the fuel in dry storage, plant
dismantlement will obviate the
regulatory and business needs for
maintenance of most records. As the
SSCs are removed from the licensing
basis and the need for their records is,
on a practical basis, eliminated, the
licensee proposes that they be exempted
from the records retention requirements
for SSCs and historical activities that are
no longer relevant eliminating the
associated, unnecessary regulatory and
economic burdens of creating
alternative storage locations, relocating
and retaining records for them.
All records necessary for spent fuel
and spent fuel storage SSCs and
activities have been, and will continue
to be, retained for the SFP throughout
its functional life. Similar to other plant
records, once the SFP is emptied of fuel,
drained and ready for demolition, there
will be no safety-significant function or
other regulatory need for retaining SFP
related records. Also, similar to the
power generation ‘‘footprint’’, the SFP
SSC’s ‘‘footprint’’ remains under the
radiological controls provided by the
Defueled Safety Analysis Report,
Quality Assurance Project Plan,
Physical Security Plan, and other
programmatic elements as appropriate
through final dismantlement.
Specific Exemption is Authorized by
Law
Paragraph 50.71(d)(2) allows for the
granting of specific exemptions to the
record retention requirements specified
in the regulations. Paragraph 50.71(d)(2)
states, in part: ‘‘* * *the retention
period specified in the regulations in
this part for such records shall apply
unless the Commission, pursuant to
§ 50.12 of this part, has granted a
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specific exemption from the record
retention requirements specified in the
regulations in this part.’’
If the specific exemption
requirements of 10 CFR 50.12 are
satisfied, the exemption from the record
keeping requirements of 10 CFR
50.71(c); 10 CFR part 50, Appendix A;
10 CFR part 50, Appendix B, and 10
CFR 50.59(d)(3) is authorized by law.
The specific exemption requirements of
10 CFR 50.12 are discussed below.
Specific Exemption Will Not Present an
Undue Risk to the Public Health and
Safety
Removal of the underlying SSCs
associated with the records has been or
will be determined by the licensee to
have no adverse public health and
safety impact, in accordance with 10
CFR 50.59 or an NRC approved license
amendment. Elimination of records for
these removed SSCs can have no
additional impact.
The partial exemption from the record
keeping requirements of 10 CFR
50.71(c); 10 CFR part 50, Appendix A;
10 CFR part 50, Appendix B; and 10
CFR 50.59(d)(3), for the records
described above is administrative in
nature and will have no impact on any
remaining decommissioning activities
or on radiological effluents. The
exemption will merely advance the
schedule for destruction of the specified
records. Considering the content of
these records, the elimination of these
records on an advanced timetable will
have no reasonable possibility of
presenting any undue risk to the public
health and safety.
Specific Exemption Consistent With the
Common Defense and Security
The elimination of the recordkeeping
requirements is administrative in nature
and does not involve information or
activities that could potentially impact
the common defense and security of the
United States. Upon dismantlement of
the affected SSCs, the records have no
functional purpose relative to
maintaining the safe operation of the
SSCs nor to maintaining conditions that
would affect the ongoing health and
safety of workers or the public.
Rather, the exemption requested is
administrative in nature and would
merely advance the current schedule for
destruction of the specified records.
Therefore, the partial exemption from
the recordkeeping requirements of 10
CFR 50.71(c); 10 CFR part 50, Appendix
A; 10 CFR part 50, Appendix B; and 10
CFR 50.59(d)(3), for the types of records
described above is consistent with the
common defense and security.
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39135
Special Circumstances
Paragraph 50.12(a)(2) states, in part:
‘‘(2) The Commission will not consider
granting an exemption unless special
circumstances are present. Special
circumstances are present whenever:
(ii) Application of the regulation in
the particular circumstances would not
serve the underlying purpose of the rule
or is not necessary to achieve the
underlying purpose of the rule.’’
Appendix A of 10 CFR 50, Criterion
1, states in part: ‘‘Appropriate records of
the design, fabrication, erection, and
testing of structures, systems, and
components important to safety shall be
maintained by or under the control of
the nuclear power unit licensee
throughout the life of the unit.’’
Appendix B of 10 CFR 50, Criterion
XVII, states in part: ‘‘Sufficient records
shall be maintained to furnish evidence
of activities affecting quality.’’
Paragraph 50.59(d)(3) states in part:
‘‘The records of changes in the facility
must be maintained until the
termination of an operating license
issued under this part * * *’’
Paragraph 50.71(c), states in part:
‘‘Records that are required by the
regulations in this part or Part 52 of this
chapter, by license condition, or by
technical specifications must be
retained for the period specified by the
appropriate regulation, license
condition, or technical specification. If
a retention period is not otherwise
specified, these records must be
retained until the Commission
terminates the facility license * * *’’
The common and underlying purpose
for the records related regulations cited
above is to ensure that the licensing and
design basis of the facility is
understood, documented, preserved and
retrievable relative to establishing and
maintaining the SSC’s safety functions
for the life of the facility. These
regulations, however, do not consider
the reduction in safety related SSCs
during the decommissioning process.
Removal of the SSCs from the licensing
basis has been, or will be, evaluated by
the licensee in accordance with 10 CFR
50.59 or NRC-approved license
amendment, to have no adverse public
health and safety impact prior to
elimination of any records. Ultimately
the SSCs will be physically removed
from the facility. Elimination of
associated records for these SSCs can
have no additional impact. Retention of
records associated with SSCs that are or
will no longer be part of the facility
serves no safety or regulatory purpose.
Therefore, application of these record
requirements in those circumstances
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 128 / Tuesday, July 5, 2011 / Notices
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does not serve the underlying purpose
of the regulations.
Based on the above, the application of
the subject record keeping requirements
to the ZNPS’ records specified above is
not required to achieve the underlying
purpose of the rule. Thus, special
circumstances are present which the
NRC may consider, pursuant to 10 CFR
50.12(a)(2)(ii), to grant the requested
exemption.
4.0 Conclusion
Section 50.12 allows the Commission
to grant specific exemptions to the
record retention requirements specified
in 10 CFR part 50 provided the
requirements of 10 CFR 50.12 are
satisfied.
The staff has determined that the
requested partial exemption from the
record keeping requirements of 10 CFR
50.71(c); 10 CFR part 50, Appendix A;
10 CFR part 50, Appendix B; and 10
CFR 50.59(d)(3) will not present an
undue risk to the public health and
safety. The destruction of the identified
records will not impact remaining
decommissioning activities; plant
operations, configuration, and/or
radiological effluents; operational and/
or installed SSCs that are quality-related
or important to safety; or nuclear
security.
The staff has determined that the
destruction of the identified records is
administrative in nature and does not
involve information or activities that
could potentially impact the common
defense and security of the United
States.
The staff has determined that the
purpose for the record keeping
regulations is to ensure that the
licensing and design basis of the facility
is understood, documented, preserved
and retrievable relative to establishing
and maintaining the SSC’s safety
functions for the life of the facility.
Since the ZNPS’ SSCs that were safetyrelated or important-to-safety will be
removed from the licensing basis and
removed from the plant, the staff agrees
that the records identified in the partial
exemption will no longer be required to
achieve the underlying purpose of the
rule.
Therefore, the Commission grants
ZionSolutions the requested partial
exemption to the record keeping
requirements of 10 CFR 50.71(c); 10 CFR
part 50, Appendix A; 10 CFR part 50,
Appendix B; and 10 CFR 50.59(d)(3), as
described in the February 28, 2011,
letter as supplemented on April 5, 2011.
The Commission has determined that
this licensing action meets the
categorical exclusion provision in 10
CFR part 51.22(c)(25), as this action is
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an exemption from the requirements of
the Commission’s regulations, and (i)
there is no significant hazards
consideration; (ii) there is no significant
change in the types or significant
increase in the amounts of any effluents
that may be released offsite; (iii) there is
no significant increase in individual or
cumulative public or occupational
radiation exposure; (iv) there is no
significant construction impact; (v)
there is no significant increase in the
potential for or consequences from
radiological accidents; and (vi) the
requirements from which an exemption
is sought involve recordkeeping
requirements. Therefore, this action
does not require either an
environmental assessment or an
environmental impact statement.
This exemption is effective upon
issuance.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 22nd
day of June 2011.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Keith I. McConnell,
Deputy Director, Decommissioning and
Uranium Recovery, Licensing Directorate,
Division of Waste Management and
Environmental Protection, Office of Federal
and State Materials and Environmental
Management Programs.
[FR Doc. 2011–16723 Filed 7–1–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
[NRC–2011–0138]
Applications and Amendments to
Facility Operating Licenses Involving
Proposed No Significant Hazards
Considerations and Containing
Sensitive Unclassified Non-Safeguards
Information and Order Imposing
Procedures for Access to Sensitive
Unclassified Non-Safeguards
Information
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Notice of license amendment
request, opportunity to comment,
opportunity to request a hearing.
AGENCY:
Comments must be filed by
August 4, 2011. A request for a hearing
must be filed by September 6, 2011. Any
potential party as defined in Title 10 of
the Code of Federal Regulations (10
CFR), 2.4 who believes access to
Sensitive Unclassified Non-Safeguards
Information (SUNSI) is necessary to
respond to this notice must request
document access by July 15, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Please include Docket ID
NRC–2011–0138 in the subject line of
DATES:
PO 00000
Frm 00069
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your comments. Comments submitted in
writing or in electronic form will be
posted on the NRC Web site and on the
Federal rulemaking Web site, https://
www.regulations.gov. Because your
comments will not be edited to remove
any identifying or contact information,
the NRC cautions you against including
any information in your submission that
you do not want to be publicly
disclosed.
The NRC requests that any party
soliciting or aggregating comments
received from other persons for
submission to the NRC inform those
persons that the NRC will not edit their
comments to remove any identifying or
contact information, and therefore, they
should not include any information in
their comments that they do not want
publicly disclosed.
You may submit comments by any
one of the following methods:
• Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and search
for documents filed under Docket ID
NRC–2011–0138. Address questions
about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher,
telephone: 301–492–3668; e-mail:
Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov.
• Mail comments to: Cindy Bladey,
Chief, Rules, Announcements, and
Directives Branch (RADB), Office of
Administration, Mail Stop: TWB–05–
B01M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555–
0001.
• Fax comments to: RADB at 301–
492–3446.
You can access publicly available
documents related to this notice using
the following methods:
• NRC’s Public Document Room
(PDR): The public may examine and
have copied, for a fee, publicly available
documents at the NRC’s PDR, Room O1–
F21, One White Flint North, 11555
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland
20852.
• NRC’s Agencywide Documents
Access and Management System
(ADAMS): Publicly available documents
created or received at the NRC are
available online in the NRC Library at
https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/
adams.html. From this page, the public
can gain entry into ADAMS, which
provides text and image files of the
NRC’s public documents. If you do not
have access to ADAMS or if there are
problems in accessing the documents
located in ADAMS, contact the NRC’s
PDR reference staff at 1–800–397–4209,
301–415–4737, or by e-mail to
pdr.resource@nrc.gov.
• Federal Rulemaking Web site:
Public comments and supporting
materials related to this notice can be
found at https://www.regulations.gov by
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 128 (Tuesday, July 5, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39134-39136]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-16723]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-295 and 50-304; NRC-2011-0145]
ZIONSOLUTIONS, LLC; Zion Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2
Exemption From Recordkeeping Requirements
1.0 Background
Zion Nuclear Power Station (ZNPS or Zion), Unit 1, is a
Westinghouse 3250 MWt Pressurized Water Reactor which was granted
Operating License No. DPR-39 on October 19, 1973, and subsequently shut
down on February 21, 1997. Zion, Unit 2, is also a Westinghouse 3250
MWt Pressurized Water Reactor which was granted Operating License No.
DPR-48 on November 14, 1973, and was shut down on September 19, 1996.
Zion is located in Lake County, Illinois.
In February 1998, pursuant to Title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR) 50.82(a)(1)(i), the licensee certified to the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) that as of
February 13, 1998, operations had ceased at Zion, Units 1 and 2. The
licensee later certified, pursuant to 10 CFR 50.82(a)(1)(ii), that all
fuel had been removed from the reactor vessel of both units, and
committed to maintaining the units in a permanently defueled status.
Therefore, pursuant to 10 CFR 50.82(a)(2), operations at Zion are no
longer authorized under the 10 CFR part 50 licenses.
On September 1, 2010, the facility license was transferred from
Exelon to ZionSolutions for the express purpose of expediting the
decommissioning of the site. ZionSolutions intends to use a process
that will reduce the labor-intensive separation of contaminated
materials and transport the facility in bulk to the EnergySolutions
disposal site in Utah. Preparations for decontamination and
dismantlement have begun. Completion of fuel transfer to the
independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) is scheduled for
2014. Final site survey and license reduction to the ISFSI is currently
planned for 2020.
2.0 Request/Action
By letter dated February 28, 2011, as supplemented on April 5,
2011, ZionSolutions filed a request for NRC approval of an exemption
from the record keeping requirements of 10 CFR 50.71(c); 10 CFR part
50, Appendix A Criterion 1; 10 CFR part 50, Appendix B Criterion XVII;
and 10 CFR 50.59(d)(3).
ZionSolutions requested a permanent exemption from the record
retention requirements of: (1) 10 CFR part 50 Appendix A Criterion 1
which requires certain records be retained ``throughout the life of the
unit''; (2) 10 CFR part 50 Appendix B Criterion XVII, which requires
certain records be retained consistent with regulatory requirements for
a duration established by the licensee; (3) 10 CFR 50.59(d)(3) which
requires certain records be maintained until ``termination of a license
issued pursuant to'' 10 CFR part 50; and (4) 10 CFR 50.71(c) which
requires certain records to be maintained consistent with various
elements of the NRC regulations, facility technical specifications and
other licensing bases documents. The licensee is proposing to eliminate
the records when: (1) The licensing basis requirements previously
applicable to the nuclear power units and associated systems,
structures, and components (SSC) are no longer effective (e.g., removed
from the Defueled Safety Analysis Report and/or Technical
Specifications by appropriate change mechanisms); or (2) for SSCs
associated with safe storage of fuel in the spent fuel pool (SFP), when
spent nuclear fuel has been completely transferred from the SFP to dry
storage, and the spent fuel building is ready for demolition and the
associated licensing bases are no longer effective.
The licensee did not request an exemption associated with any
record keeping requirements for storage of spent fuel at its future
ISFSI under 10 CFR part 50 or the general license requirements of 10
CFR part 72.
3.0 Discussion
Pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12, the Commission may, upon application by
any interested person or upon its own initiative, grant exemptions from
the requirements of 10 CFR part 50 when (1) the exemptions are
authorized by law, will not present an undue risk to public health or
safety, and are consistent with the common defense and security; and
(2) when special circumstances are present.
Decommissioning of the ZNPS has begun and the nuclear reactor and
essentially all associated SSCs in the nuclear steam supply system and
balance of plant that supported the generation of power have been
retired in place and are being prepared for removal. The SSCs that
remain operable are associated with the SFP and the spent fuel
building, needed to meet other regulatory requirements, or needed to
support other site facilities (e.g., radwaste handling, heating
ventilation and air conditioning, etc).
[[Page 39135]]
No remaining SSCs are classified as safety related. The SSCs related to
safe storage of nuclear fuel are designated as Important to the
Defueled Condition by the current licensing basis.
ZionSolutions' dismantlement plans involve evaluating SSCs with
respect to the current facility safety analysis; progressively removing
them from the licensing basis where necessary through appropriate
change mechanisms (e.g., 10 CFR 50.59 or NRC-approved Technical
Specification changes, as applicable); revising the Defueled Safety
Analysis Report if and as necessary; and then proceeding with an
orderly dismantlement. Dismantlement of the plant structures will also
include dismantling existing records storage facilities.
While ZionSolutions intends to retain the records required by its
license as the project transitions from the current plant conditions to
fully dismantled with the fuel in dry storage, plant dismantlement will
obviate the regulatory and business needs for maintenance of most
records. As the SSCs are removed from the licensing basis and the need
for their records is, on a practical basis, eliminated, the licensee
proposes that they be exempted from the records retention requirements
for SSCs and historical activities that are no longer relevant
eliminating the associated, unnecessary regulatory and economic burdens
of creating alternative storage locations, relocating and retaining
records for them.
All records necessary for spent fuel and spent fuel storage SSCs
and activities have been, and will continue to be, retained for the SFP
throughout its functional life. Similar to other plant records, once
the SFP is emptied of fuel, drained and ready for demolition, there
will be no safety-significant function or other regulatory need for
retaining SFP related records. Also, similar to the power generation
``footprint'', the SFP SSC's ``footprint'' remains under the
radiological controls provided by the Defueled Safety Analysis Report,
Quality Assurance Project Plan, Physical Security Plan, and other
programmatic elements as appropriate through final dismantlement.
Specific Exemption is Authorized by Law
Paragraph 50.71(d)(2) allows for the granting of specific
exemptions to the record retention requirements specified in the
regulations. Paragraph 50.71(d)(2) states, in part: ``* * *the
retention period specified in the regulations in this part for such
records shall apply unless the Commission, pursuant to Sec. 50.12 of
this part, has granted a specific exemption from the record retention
requirements specified in the regulations in this part.''
If the specific exemption requirements of 10 CFR 50.12 are
satisfied, the exemption from the record keeping requirements of 10 CFR
50.71(c); 10 CFR part 50, Appendix A; 10 CFR part 50, Appendix B, and
10 CFR 50.59(d)(3) is authorized by law. The specific exemption
requirements of 10 CFR 50.12 are discussed below.
Specific Exemption Will Not Present an Undue Risk to the Public Health
and Safety
Removal of the underlying SSCs associated with the records has been
or will be determined by the licensee to have no adverse public health
and safety impact, in accordance with 10 CFR 50.59 or an NRC approved
license amendment. Elimination of records for these removed SSCs can
have no additional impact.
The partial exemption from the record keeping requirements of 10
CFR 50.71(c); 10 CFR part 50, Appendix A; 10 CFR part 50, Appendix B;
and 10 CFR 50.59(d)(3), for the records described above is
administrative in nature and will have no impact on any remaining
decommissioning activities or on radiological effluents. The exemption
will merely advance the schedule for destruction of the specified
records. Considering the content of these records, the elimination of
these records on an advanced timetable will have no reasonable
possibility of presenting any undue risk to the public health and
safety.
Specific Exemption Consistent With the Common Defense and Security
The elimination of the recordkeeping requirements is administrative
in nature and does not involve information or activities that could
potentially impact the common defense and security of the United
States. Upon dismantlement of the affected SSCs, the records have no
functional purpose relative to maintaining the safe operation of the
SSCs nor to maintaining conditions that would affect the ongoing health
and safety of workers or the public.
Rather, the exemption requested is administrative in nature and
would merely advance the current schedule for destruction of the
specified records. Therefore, the partial exemption from the
recordkeeping requirements of 10 CFR 50.71(c); 10 CFR part 50, Appendix
A; 10 CFR part 50, Appendix B; and 10 CFR 50.59(d)(3), for the types of
records described above is consistent with the common defense and
security.
Special Circumstances
Paragraph 50.12(a)(2) states, in part: ``(2) The Commission will
not consider granting an exemption unless special circumstances are
present. Special circumstances are present whenever:
(ii) Application of the regulation in the particular circumstances
would not serve the underlying purpose of the rule or is not necessary
to achieve the underlying purpose of the rule.''
Appendix A of 10 CFR 50, Criterion 1, states in part: ``Appropriate
records of the design, fabrication, erection, and testing of
structures, systems, and components important to safety shall be
maintained by or under the control of the nuclear power unit licensee
throughout the life of the unit.''
Appendix B of 10 CFR 50, Criterion XVII, states in part:
``Sufficient records shall be maintained to furnish evidence of
activities affecting quality.''
Paragraph 50.59(d)(3) states in part: ``The records of changes in
the facility must be maintained until the termination of an operating
license issued under this part * * *''
Paragraph 50.71(c), states in part: ``Records that are required by
the regulations in this part or Part 52 of this chapter, by license
condition, or by technical specifications must be retained for the
period specified by the appropriate regulation, license condition, or
technical specification. If a retention period is not otherwise
specified, these records must be retained until the Commission
terminates the facility license * * *''
The common and underlying purpose for the records related
regulations cited above is to ensure that the licensing and design
basis of the facility is understood, documented, preserved and
retrievable relative to establishing and maintaining the SSC's safety
functions for the life of the facility. These regulations, however, do
not consider the reduction in safety related SSCs during the
decommissioning process. Removal of the SSCs from the licensing basis
has been, or will be, evaluated by the licensee in accordance with 10
CFR 50.59 or NRC-approved license amendment, to have no adverse public
health and safety impact prior to elimination of any records.
Ultimately the SSCs will be physically removed from the facility.
Elimination of associated records for these SSCs can have no additional
impact. Retention of records associated with SSCs that are or will no
longer be part of the facility serves no safety or regulatory purpose.
Therefore, application of these record requirements in those
circumstances
[[Page 39136]]
does not serve the underlying purpose of the regulations.
Based on the above, the application of the subject record keeping
requirements to the ZNPS' records specified above is not required to
achieve the underlying purpose of the rule. Thus, special circumstances
are present which the NRC may consider, pursuant to 10 CFR
50.12(a)(2)(ii), to grant the requested exemption.
4.0 Conclusion
Section 50.12 allows the Commission to grant specific exemptions to
the record retention requirements specified in 10 CFR part 50 provided
the requirements of 10 CFR 50.12 are satisfied.
The staff has determined that the requested partial exemption from
the record keeping requirements of 10 CFR 50.71(c); 10 CFR part 50,
Appendix A; 10 CFR part 50, Appendix B; and 10 CFR 50.59(d)(3) will not
present an undue risk to the public health and safety. The destruction
of the identified records will not impact remaining decommissioning
activities; plant operations, configuration, and/or radiological
effluents; operational and/or installed SSCs that are quality-related
or important to safety; or nuclear security.
The staff has determined that the destruction of the identified
records is administrative in nature and does not involve information or
activities that could potentially impact the common defense and
security of the United States.
The staff has determined that the purpose for the record keeping
regulations is to ensure that the licensing and design basis of the
facility is understood, documented, preserved and retrievable relative
to establishing and maintaining the SSC's safety functions for the life
of the facility. Since the ZNPS' SSCs that were safety-related or
important-to-safety will be removed from the licensing basis and
removed from the plant, the staff agrees that the records identified in
the partial exemption will no longer be required to achieve the
underlying purpose of the rule.
Therefore, the Commission grants ZionSolutions the requested
partial exemption to the record keeping requirements of 10 CFR
50.71(c); 10 CFR part 50, Appendix A; 10 CFR part 50, Appendix B; and
10 CFR 50.59(d)(3), as described in the February 28, 2011, letter as
supplemented on April 5, 2011.
The Commission has determined that this licensing action meets the
categorical exclusion provision in 10 CFR part 51.22(c)(25), as this
action is an exemption from the requirements of the Commission's
regulations, and (i) there is no significant hazards consideration;
(ii) there is no significant change in the types or significant
increase in the amounts of any effluents that may be released offsite;
(iii) there is no significant increase in individual or cumulative
public or occupational radiation exposure; (iv) there is no significant
construction impact; (v) there is no significant increase in the
potential for or consequences from radiological accidents; and (vi) the
requirements from which an exemption is sought involve recordkeeping
requirements. Therefore, this action does not require either an
environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement.
This exemption is effective upon issuance.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 22nd day of June 2011.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Keith I. McConnell,
Deputy Director, Decommissioning and Uranium Recovery, Licensing
Directorate, Division of Waste Management and Environmental Protection,
Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management
Programs.
[FR Doc. 2011-16723 Filed 7-1-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P