Nuclear Regulatory Commission July 1, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on the proposed construction, operation, and decommissioning of the National Enrichment Facility (NEF), a gaseous centrifuge uranium enrichment facility, near Eunice, New Mexico. The FEIS is being issued as part of the NRC's decision-making process on whether to authorize Louisiana Energy Services (LES) to construct, operate, and decommission the proposed NEF. The proposed NEF would produce enriched uranium-235 (235U) up to 5 weight percent by the gas centrifuge process with a nominal production of 3 million separative work units per year. The enriched uranium would be used in commercial nuclear power plants. The FEIS discusses the purpose and need for the proposed NEF, and reasonable alternatives to the proposed action, including the no-action alternative. The FEIS also discusses the environment potentially affected by the proposed action, presents and compares potential environmental impacts resulting from the proposed action and its alternatives, and identifies the mitigation measures proposed by LES to eliminate or lessen the potential environmental impacts. Based on the evaluation in the FEIS, the NRC environmental review staff has concluded that the proposed action will generally have small to moderate effects on the public and the existing environment. This FEIS reflects the final analysis of environmental impacts of LES's proposal and its alternatives, including the consideration of public comments received by the NRC.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is amending its regulations pertaining to the export and import of radioactive materials. The amendments implement recent changes to the nuclear and radioactive material security policies of both the Commission and the Executive Branch. The final rule takes into account provisions in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources (Code of Conduct) concerning the import and export of radioactive sources, and the supplemental IAEA Guidance on the Import and Export of Radioactive Sources (Guidance document) on internationally harmonized guidance for the import and export of radioactive sources. The amendments provide for enhanced tracking of certain exports and imports of radioactive sealed sources and bulk material for certain radionuclides. The amended regulation includes new specific export and import license requirements, advance notification procedures prior to shipment, verification of the recipient facility's licensing status, and review of the adequacy of the receiving country's controls on radioactive sources. The amendments apply to a small number of radioactive materials when exported or imported in amounts exceeding clearly defined International System (SI) limits. The amended regulation provides the Commission with flexibility to treat each export and import license application on a case-by-case basis, with the ability to accommodate the still evolving domestic and international security measures for radioactive material.