Nuclear Regulatory Commission 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an exemption in response to a March 19, 2015 request, as supplemented April 3, and June 1, 2015, from the Department of Energy (DOE or the licensee). The exemption seeks to delay the performance of an O-ring leakage rate test specified in Technical Specification (TS) 3.3.1 of Appendix A of Special Nuclear Material License No. SNM-2504, and to delay the performance of an aging management surveillance described in the Fort St. Vrain (FSV) Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) to check six Fuel Storage Containers (FSCs) for hydrogen buildup, both until June, 2016.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a director's decision with regard to the petition dated June 21, 2012, filed by Mr. Wallace Taylor on behalf of the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club (the petitioner), requesting that the NRC take action with regard to Fort Calhoun Station (FCS), Unit 1. The petitioner's request and the director's decision are included in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of an amendment to Renewed Facility Operating License No. DPR- 56, issued to Exelon Generation Company, LLC (the licensee), for operation of the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station (PBAPS), Unit 3. The proposed amendment would change a license condition pertaining to the PBAPS, Unit 3 replacement steam dryer (RSD). Currently, the license condition requires that a revised analysis for the RSD be submitted to the NRC, as a report, at least 90 days prior to the start of the Unit 3 extended power uprate (EPU) outage. The proposed amendment would reduce the period before the outage by which the analysis is to be submitted from 90 days to 30 days. The licensee indicated that the EPU outage is scheduled to start on September 14, 2015.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued an order imposing trustworthiness and reliability requirements for unescorted access to certain radioactive material by request of a service provider licensee that is not a manufacturer or distributor. The order was issued on April 27, 2015, and became effective immediately.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing a new Regulatory Guide (RG) 7.13, ``Standard Format and Content of Transportation Security Plans for Classified Matter Shipments.'' The guide describes a method that NRC staff considers acceptable for compliance with the agency's regulations with regard to the development of classified matter transportation security plans, which identify the correct measures to protect classified matter while in transport.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) received and is considering approval of two amendment requests. The amendment requests are for Indian Point Nuclear Generating, Unit 3; and St. Lucie Plant, Unit 2. 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) is issuing an order to Duke Energy Florida, Inc. (DEF), approving the direct transfer of Facility Operating License No. DPR-72 for Crystal River Unit 3 Nuclear Generating Plant (CR-3), to the extent held by eight minority co-owners to DEF. The eight minority co-owners, all municipalities or utilities in the State of Florida, are as follows: The City of Alachua, City of Bushnell, City of Gainesville, City of Kissimmee, City of Leesburg, City of New Smyrna Beach and Utilities Commission/City of New Smyrna Beach, City of Ocala, and Orlando Utilities Commission/City of Orlando (the eight minority co-owners, collectively). The direct license transfer does not involve Seminole Electric Cooperative, Inc., the remaining co-owner of CR-3. A conforming license amendment will remove reference to the eight minority co-owners in the license. The CR-3 facility is permanently shut down and defueled and the application proposed no physical changes to the facility or operational changes. DEF and Seminole Electric Corporation, Inc., will be joint owners of CR-3 and DEF will be the operator of the facility. This Order is effective upon issuance.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is making available NUREG-0090, Volume 37, ``Report to Congress on Abnormal Occurrences: Fiscal Year 2014.'' The report describes those events that the NRC or an Agreement State identified as abnormal occurrences (AOs) during fiscal year (FY) 2014, based on the criteria defined in this report's Appendix A, ``Abnormal Occurrence Criteria and Guidelines for Other Events of Interest.'' The report describes 12 events at Agreement State-licensed facilities and 1 event at an NRC-licensed facility.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) invites the public to comment on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for a new collection for information. NRC is required to publish this notice in the Federal Register under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The information collection is entitled ``NRC Generic Letter 2015-XX, Monitoring of Neutron-Absorbing Materials in Spent Fuel Pools.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of an amendment to Facility Operating License No. NPF-90, issued to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), for operation of the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant (WBN), Unit 1. The amendment request would revise the approved Cyber Security Plan for the WBN site, and clarify the demarcation point (so called Bright-Line) between digital components under NRC jurisdiction, and those under the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Specifically, certain equipment located within the WBN, but owned by the Transmission and Power Supply business unit, will be classified either as NRC-regulated or FERC-regulated. This demarcation will allow both the NRC and licensee to use the correct process for information associated with the specific equipment. For this amendment request, the NRC proposes to determine that it involves no significant hazards consideration. In addition, the amendment request contains sensitive unclassified non- safeguards information (SUNSI).

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is providing for public information its Inventory of Contracts for Services for Fiscal Year (FY) 2014. The inventory includes service contract actions over $25,000 that were awarded in FY 2014.

On June 30, 2009, the Florida Power and Light Company (FPL) submitted an application for combined licenses (COL) for two nuclear power reactors, Turkey Point Units 6 and 7, at the Turkey Point site near Homestead, Florida (Application). On March 5, 2015, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Jacksonville District, issued a Federal Register notice in which the NRC solicited comments on NUREG-2176, ``Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Combined Licenses (COLs) for Turkey Point Nuclear Plant, Units 6 and 7,'' to support the environmental review of the application. The public comment period closed on May 22, 2015. The NRC has decided to reopen the public comment period to allow more time for members of the public to develop and submit their comments. The reopened comment period will expire on July 17, 2015.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is soliciting public comment on NUREG-0800, ``Standard Review Plan (SRP) for the Review of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants: LWR Edition,'' Section 2.0, ``Site Characteristics and Site Parameters.'' The NRC seeks comments on the proposed revised section of the SRP concerning site characteristics and site parameters.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing a confirmatory order to GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas LLC, confirming agreements reached on March 4, 2015. As part of the agreement, GE-Hitachi must comply with the security measures detailed in the Attachment to the Order and the materials control and accounting (MC&A) measures detailed in Section II of the Order; implement the security and MC&A measures for the duration of the SNM-960 license; submit an updated physical security plan for NRC review and approval within 120 days from the issuance of the Order; submit a descriptive program for MC&A for the material under the SNM-960 license for NRC review and approval within 60 days from the issuance of the Order; and provide written verification to the Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS), within 20 calendar days from the end of the calendar month after completing any of the measures. This Order is effective the date it is issued.

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 30, 2015, to May 13, 2015. The last biweekly notice was published on May 12, 2015.

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, ``Requests to Non-Agreement States for Information.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing Interim Staff Guidance (ISG) NSIR/DPR-ISG-02, ``Emergency Planning Exemption Requests for Decommissioning Nuclear Power Plants,'' May 11, 2015. This document provides guidance for NRC staff to produce clear and consistent reviews of requests for exemptions and license amendments for defueled station emergency plans submitted by licensees after permanent cessation of operations.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved the indirect transfer of control of Western Nuclear, Inc. (WNI) and Materials License No. SUA-56 from Phelps Dodge Corporation (PDC) to Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc. (Freeport). License No. SUA-56 is for WNI's former Split Rock Conventional Uranium Mill Site near Jeffrey City, Wyoming. The WNI's parent company, PDC (currently named Freeport- McMoRan Corporation), was previously acquired in a reverse triangular merger by Freeport. On March 12, 2007, WNI informed the NRC that PDC would be acquired by Freeport. On March 19, 2007, Freeport acquired the entire interest in PDC, and Freeport now owns 100 percent of PDC. On July 22, 2009, WNI requested NRC approval of an indirect transfer of control with respect to its Materials License No. SUA-56. The NRC has determined that, although the licensee was required to obtain NRC consent prior to the indirect transfer of control, the indirect transfer of control of the license is otherwise consistent with applicable provisions of law and NRC regulations. Therefore, the NRC has approved the indirect transfer of control.