Nuclear Regulatory Commission 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has recently submitted a request for renewal of an existing collection of information to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. The information collection is entitled, ``NRC Form 398, Personal Qualification StatementLicensee.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for public comment a draft supplement to Supplement 38 to the Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants (GEIS), NUREG-1437, regarding the renewal of operating licenses DPR-26 and DPR-64, held by Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (Entergy), for the operation of Indian Point Nuclear Generating Unit Nos. 2 and 3 (IP2 and IP3), for an additional 20 years of operation. Units IP2 and IP3 are located in Westchester County in the Village of Buchanan, New York, approximately 24 miles north of New York City.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for public comment a draft NUREG/CR, NUREG/CR-7207, ``Spent Fuel Transportation Package Response to the Newhall Pass Fire Scenario.'' This report presents analyses that were performed to examine the hypothetical effects on a spent fuel transportation package from conditions during the Newhall Pass accident in 2007. The analyses undertaken include FDS fire modeling, physical examination of material samples, ANSYS and COBRA-SFS code thermal modeling of a GA-4 package, and fuel performance modeling using the FRAPTRAN-1.4, FRAPCON-3.4, and DATING codes. The estimated release from the hypothetical scenario is below the prescribed limit for safety.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for public comment draft regulatory guide (DG), DG-8033, ``Operating Philosophy for Maintaining Occupational Radiation Exposures As Low as is Reasonably Achievable.'' This DG is proposed Revision 2 to Regulatory Guide (RG) 8.10 and describes methods and procedures that the staff of NRC considers acceptable for maintaining radiation exposures to employees and the public as low as is reasonably achievable (ALARA). This revision incorporates additional guidance from operating ALARA experience since the previous revision to RG 8.10 in 1975.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is seeking public comment on a draft regulatory issue summary (RIS) to reiterate the NRC staff's position in regard to American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) code-required inservice inspection requirements for moisture barriers. The NRC's regulations require, in part, that licensees implement the inservice inspection program for pressure retaining components and their integral attachments of metal containments and metallic liners of concrete containments in accordance with the ASME Code. If a material prevents moisture from contacting inaccessible areas of the containment shell or liner, especially if the material is being relied upon in lieu of augmented examinations of a susceptible location, the material must be inspected as a moisture barrier. The applicable ASME Code sections require licensees to inspect 100 percent of accessible moisture barriers during each inspection period.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an environmental assessment (EA) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) related to a request to amend Facility Operating License Nos. NPF-10 and NPF-15 and Docket No. 72-41, issued to the Southern California Edison Company (SCE or ``the licensee''), for operation of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, Units 2 and 3 (hereinafter ``SONGS'' or ``the facility''), including the general-license Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI), located in San Diego County, California. The requested amendments would permit licensee security personnel to use certain firearms and ammunition feeding devices not previously permitted, notwithstanding State, local and certain Federal firearms laws or regulations that otherwise prohibit such actions.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has recently submitted a request for renewal of an existing collection of information to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. The information collection is entitled, ``Nuclear Material Events Database (NMED for the Collection of Event Report, Response, Analyses, and Follow-up Data on Events Involving the Use of Atomic Energy Act (AEA) Radioactive Byproduct Material.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has recently submitted a request for renewal of an existing collection of information to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. The information collection is entitled, ``NRC Form 664, General Licensee Registration.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has recently submitted a request for renewal of an existing collection of information to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. The information collection is entitled, NRC Form 531 ``Request for Taxpayer Identification Number.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an environmental assessment (EA) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) related to a request to amend Renewed Facility Operating License No. DPR-18, issued to Exelon Generation Company, LLC (Exelon, ``the licensee''), for operation of the R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant (hereinafter ``Ginna,'' or ``the facility''), including the general-licensed Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation, Docket No. 72-67, located in Wayne County, NY. The requested amendment would permit licensee security personnel to use certain firearms and ammunition feeding devices not previously permitted, notwithstanding State, local, and certain Federal firearms laws or regulations that otherwise prohibit such actions.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a renewed license to Northern States Power CompanyMinnesota (NSPM) for its Materials License SNM-2506 for the receipt, possession, transfer, and storage of spent fuel at the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant (Prairie Island) Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI), located in Goodhue County, Minnesota. The renewed license authorizes operation of the Prairie Island ISFSI in accordance with the provisions of the renewed license and its Technical Specifications (TS). The renewed license expires on October 31, 2053.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an environmental assessment (EA) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) related to a request to amend Provisional Operating License No. DPR-5, and Facility Operating Licenses Nos. DPR-26 and DPR-64, including the general licensed Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation, Docket No. 72-51, issued to Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (ENO, ``the licensee''), for operation of the Indian Point Nuclear Generating, Unit Nos. 1, 2 and 3, (hereinafter ``Indian Point'' or ``the facility''), located in Westchester County, New York. The requested amendment would permit licensee security personnel to use certain firearms and ammunition feeding devices not previously permitted, notwithstanding State, local, and certain Federal firearms laws or regulations that otherwise prohibit such actions.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for public comment draft regulatory guide (DG), DG-4025, ``Assessment of Radioactive Discharges in Ground Water to the Unrestricted Area at Nuclear Power Plant Sites.'' This DG proposes guidance for an approach that the NRC staff considers acceptable for use in assessing abnormal, inadvertent radioactive releases that may result in discharges of contaminated ground water from the subsurface to the unrestricted area at commercial nuclear power plant sites.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has recently submitted a request for renewal of an existing collection of information to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. The information collection is entitled, ``Export and Import of Nuclear Equipment and Material.''

Pursuant to Section 189a. (2) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is publishing this regular biweekly notice. The Act requires the Commission to publish notice of any amendments issued, or proposed to be issued, and grants the Commission the authority to issue and make immediately effective any amendment to an operating license or combined license, as applicable, upon a determination by the Commission that such amendment involves no significant hazards consideration, notwithstanding the pendency before the Commission of a request for a hearing from any person. This biweekly notice includes all notices of amendments issued, or proposed to be issued from November 10, 2015, to November 23, 2015. The last biweekly notice was published on November 24, 2015.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has received a petition for rulemaking (PRM) requesting that the NRC amend its ``Domestic licensing of production and utilization facilities'' regulations to require ``installation of ex-vessel instrumentation for uninterruptible monitoring of coolant and fuel in reactors and spent- fuel pools.'' The petition, dated September 10, 2015, was submitted by Dr. Alexander DeVolpi (the petitioner). The petition was docketed by the NRC on September 21, 2015, and was assigned Docket Number PRM-50- 113. The NRC is examining the issues raised in this petition to determine whether they should be considered in rulemaking. The NRC is not requesting public comment on PRM-50-113 at this time.

On October 27, 2015, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced its appointments to the NRC Performance Review Board (PRB) responsible for making recommendations on performance appraisal ratings and performance awards for the NRC Senior Executives and Senior Level System employees, and appointments to the NRC PRB Panel responsible for making recommendations to the appointing and awarding authorities for the NRC PRB members. This notice announces a change in the membership of the Senior Executive Service PRB for the NRC.