Nuclear Regulatory Commission May 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for public comment draft NUREG-0654/FEMA-REP-1, Revision 2, ``Criteria for Preparation and Evaluation of Radiological Emergency Response Plans and Preparedness in Support of Nuclear Power Plants.'' This guidance document was originally issued in December 1980 by the NRC in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Both agencies use the document to evaluate the adequacy of the emergency plans and preparedness of commercial nuclear power plant (NPP) licensees and applicants, as well as those of State, local, and Tribal governments within the emergency planning zones (EPZs) surrounding commercial NPPs. This revision reflects changes to the NRC's and FEMA's regulations, guidance, and policies, as well as advances in technology and methods for responding to radiological incidents that have occurred since the document was originally issued. It also incorporates the four supplemental documents and addenda to NUREG-0654/FEMA-REP-1, Revision 1, that have been issued in the intervening years, and is intended to modernize the guidance while lessening administrative burden on users.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES), in cooperation with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), will hold joint courses on fire probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). Since 2002, RES and EPRI, under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cooperative Nuclear Safety Research, have been developing state-of-the-art methods for conduct of fire PRA. In September 2005, this work produced the ``EPRI/NRC-RES Fire PRA Methodology for Nuclear Power Facilities,'' NUREG/CR-6850 (EPRI 1011989).

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is seeking public comment on a draft regulatory issue summary (RIS), RIS 2015-XX, ``Protective Action Recommendations for Members of the Public on Bodies of Water within the Emergency Planning Zone.'' This RIS addresses the development of protective action recommendations (PARs) for members of the public who are on bodies of water within the plume exposure pathway emergency planning zones (EPZ) for nuclear power reactors.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) received and is considering approval of an application filed by Uranerz Energy Corporation (Uranerz) on March 20, 2015. The application seeks NRC approval of the indirect transfer (change of control) of NRC Materials License SUA-1597 for the Nichols Ranch In Situ Recovery (ISR) Project from Uranerz to Energy Fuels Inc. (Energy Fuels).

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing Revision 1 to Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.36, ``Nonmetallic Thermal Insulation for Austenitic Stainless Steel.'' The RG describes methods and procedures that the staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) considers acceptable when selecting and using nonmetallic thermal insulation to minimize any contamination that could promote stress- corrosion cracking in the stainless steel portions of the reactor coolant pressure boundary and other systems important to safety. This guide applies to light-water-cooled reactors.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an exemption in response to an April 11, 2014, request from Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc., requesting an exemption to use a different fuel rod cladding material (M5TM, hereafter referred as M5).

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) invites public comment on this proposed collection of information of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for a proposed collection of information. The information collection is entitled, ``Destinations of Released Patients Following Treatment with Iodine-131 and Estimation of Doses to Members of the Public at Locations other than Conventional Residences Receiving Such Patients.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for public comment a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the construction permit application submitted by SHINE Medical Technologies, Inc. (SHINE), for the SHINE Medical Radioisotope Production Facility (SHINE facility). The proposed SHINE facility would be located in Janesville, Wisconsin. Possible alternatives to the proposed action (issuance of the construction permit) include no action, reasonable alternative sites, and a reasonable alternative technology. The NRC staff plans to hold two public meetings during the public comment period to present an overview of the draft EIS and to accept public comments on the document.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is seeking public comment on a draft document entitled, ``NRC Staff White Paper on Options for Responding to the June 14, 2012 Chairman's Tasking Memorandum on `Evaluating Options Proposed for a More Holistic Risk- Informed, Performance-Based Regulatory Approach' '' (hereinafter referred to as NRC Staff White Paper). The draft NRC Staff White Paper discusses three items that the NRC staff expects to present to the Commission for its consideration: Options for enhancing the risk management approach used to ensure nuclear power reactor safety; re- evaluations of two ``improvement activities'' from Fukushima Near-Term Task Force Recommendation 1 that the Commission deferred; and consideration of an over-arching, agencywide policy statement on using the risk management approach to ensure safety and security.

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 April 16, 2015, to April 29, 2015. The last biweekly notice was published on April 28, 2015.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing its Japan Lessons-Learned Division Interim Staff Guidance (JLD-ISG), JLD- ISG-2015-01, ``Compliance with Phase 2 of Order EA-13-109, Order Modifying Licenses with Regard to Reliable Hardened Containment Vents Capable of Operation under Severe Accident Conditions.'' This ISG provides guidance and clarifies the Phase 2 requirements in the order to assist the licensees that have Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) with Mark I and Mark II Containments in the design and implementation of either a vent path from the containment drywell or a strategy that makes it unlikely that venting would be needed from the drywell before alternate reliable containment heat removal and pressure control is reestablished. This ISG also endorses, with clarifications, the industry guidance contained in Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) 13-02, ``Industry Guidance for Compliance with Order EA-13-109,'' Revision 1.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an exemption from certain power reactor liability insurance requirements in response to a request from Duke Energy Florida, Inc. (DEF or the licensee) dated February 25, 2014, as supplemented by letter dated May 7, 2014. This exemption would permit the licensee to reduce its primary offsite liability insurance and withdraw from participation in the secondary retrospective rating pool for deferred premium charges.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) received and is considering approval of five amendment requests. The amendment requests are for Kewaunee Power Station; Millstone Power Station, Units 2 and 3; North Anna Power Station, Units 1 and 2; Surry Power Station, Units 1 and 2; Braidwood Station, Units 1 and 2; Byron Station, Units 1 and 2; Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1 and 2; Clinton Power Station, Unit 1; Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Units 2 and 3; LaSalle County Station, Units 1 and 2; Limerick Generating Station, Units 1 and 2; Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2; Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station; Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station, Units 2 and 3; Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2; R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant; Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1; Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, Unit 1; Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Unit 3; and Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2, and 3. The NRC proposes to determine that each amendment request involves no significant hazards consideration. In addition, each amendment request contains sensitive unclassified non-safeguards information (SUNSI).

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reviewed an application by Northern States Power Company (NSPM) for amendment of Materials License No. SNM-2506 which authorizes NSPM to receive, possess, store, and transfer spent nuclear fuel and associated radioactive materials. The amendment sought to revise the cask cavity pressurization Technical Specifications for the spent fuel storage casks utilized at the Prairie Island (PI) Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI).

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reviewed an application by GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas, LLC, for an amendment of Special Nuclear Materials License No. SNM-2500, which authorizes GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas, LLC, to possess, store, and transfer spent nuclear fuel and associated radioactive materials at the GE-Hitachi Morris Operation's (GEMO) independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI). The requested amendment would change section 8.2.1 of the GEMO's technical specification to ensure that annual environmental reports are submitted in accordance with regulatory requirements. The application included adequate justification for the proposed changes. The NRC has docket, approved and issued the amendment.