Nuclear Regulatory Commission 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing a final environmental assessment (EA) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) regarding the issuance of two exemptions in response to a January 6, 2015 request from Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (Entergy or the licensee), on behalf of the owners of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station (VY). The exemptions allow the licensee to use funds from the VY decommissioning trust fund (the Trust) for irradiated fuel management activities.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing exemptions in response to a request from Omaha Public Power District (OPPD or the licensee) regarding certain emergency planning (EP) requirements. The exemptions will eliminate the requirements to maintain an offsite radiological emergency plan and reduce the scope of onsite EP activities at the Fort Calhoun Station, Unit No. 1 (FCS), based on the reduced risks of accidents that could result in an offsite radiological release at a decommissioning nuclear power reactor.

On October 19, 2017, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) requested public comment on the draft revision to its guidance document for alternative disposal requests entitled, ``Guidance for the Reviews of Proposed Disposal Procedures and Transfers of Radioactive Material Under 10 CFR 20.2002 and 10 CFR 40.13(a).'' The public comment period closed on December 18, 2017. 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 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will convene a meeting of the Licensing Support Network Advisory Review Panel (LSNARP) on January 30-31, 2018, at the NRC's Headquarters Offices in Room 01C3, Three White Flint North Building, 11601 Landsdown Street, Rockville, Maryland 20852. The meeting is being held to carry out the NRC's responsibilities under the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit's decision in the case In re Aiken County, 645 F.3d 428 (D.C. Cir. 2011), and the Commission's July 31, 2017, direction in the Staff Requirements Memorandum associated with COMSECY-17-0019 that a next step in the Yucca Mountain licensing process is for the NRC to initiate information-gathering activities regarding reinstituting or replacing the Licensing Support Network (LSN). The LSN, which was used to make documentary material associated with the Yucca Mountain adjudicatory proceeding available to hearing participants and the public, was decommissioned when the adjudication was suspended in 2011. The information being collected will assist the Commission in making efficient, informed decisions concerning appropriate means for reconstituting the LSN's functionality if the currently-suspended Yucca Mountain adjudication were to re-commence in the future. The meeting will be open to the public pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) (Pub. L. 94-463, 86 Stat. 770-776) and will be conducted as a virtual meeting with representatives of LSNARP member organizations utilizing the capabilities of GoToMeeting[supreg] and the general public having access via GoToWebinar[supreg]. Representatives of LSNARP member organizations and the public may also attend in person at the location indicated above. Agenda: The meeting will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday, January 30, 2018, and 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, January 31, 2018. If attending the meeting in person, please plan your arrival to allow additional time (e.g., 15 to 30 minutes) for security screening. The preliminary agenda is listed below. Additional details regarding timing of presentations and changes to the agenda may be obtained through the contacts listed below and will be announced prior to the meeting. The primary focus of the meeting will be on the options available for reconstituting the LSN's functionality. The NRC has prepared a paper describing the options (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML17347B671) to be examined and discussed at the meeting with the objective of soliciting the views of the LSNARP member organizations on the best path forward for reconstituting the LSN or developing a suitable replacement system if the Yucca Mountain licensing adjudication is resumed in the future. Additionally, at the conclusion of the January 30 meeting session, the NRC will provide an orientation session regarding the ADAMS LSN Library, which currently houses the documentary material previously accessible via the LSN and provides the technical basis for one of the options to be discussed at the meeting.

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 483, Registration Certificate``In Vitro Testing With Byproduct Material Under General License.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a confirmatory order (Order) to Global Nuclear FuelsAmericas, L.L.C., (the licensee), confirming the agreement reached in an Alternative Dispute Resolution mediation session held on October 25, 2017. This Order will ensure the licensee restores compliance with NRC's regulations.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for public comment a draft environmental assessment (EA) and draft finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for a proposed amendment of NRC source materials license SUA-1534 that would authorize Crow Butte Resources, Inc., to construct and operate an in situ uranium recovery (ISR) expansion area at the Marsland Expansion Area (MEA) site in Dawes County, Nebraska. The draft EA, ``Environmental Assessment for the Marsland Expansion Area License Amendment Application,'' documents the NRC staff's environmental review of the license amendment application.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an Order approving a request, submitted by Molycorp Minerals LLC (Molycorp), seeking the NRC's consent to the direct transfers of control of Export Licenses XSOU8707 and XSOU8827. In addition, Molycorp requested approval of conforming license amendments to reflect the new name of the holder of the license from Molycorp Minerals LLC, to MP Mine Operations (MPMO).

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has received an application from the U.S. Army Installation Management Command (Army) for amendment of Source Materials License No. SUC-1593 which authorizes possession only of depleted uranium (DU) from the Davy Crockett M101 spotting rounds. The amendment would allow the Army to correct sizing/ scaling errors in Figure 1-2 of the Fort Polk, Fort Riley, and Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA) Site-Specific Environmental Radiation Monitoring Plan (ERMP) annexes to the Programmatic ERMP.

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, ``Public Records.'' The NRC updated two forms integral to the agency's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process, NRC Form 509, ``Statement of Estimated Fees for Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request'' and NRC Form 507, ``Freedom of InformationPrivacy Act Record Request Form.''

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 Regulatory Commission Acquisition Regulation (NRCAR).''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is soliciting public comment on draft NUREG-0800, ``Standard Review Plan for the Review of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants: LWR Edition,'' Section 3.11, ``Environmental Qualification of Mechanical and Electrical Equipment.'' The NRC seeks comments on the proposed draft section revision of the Standard Review Plan (SRP) concerning guidance for the review of combined construction and operating license and operating license applications and amendments for environmental qualification of mechanical and electrical equipment.

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 7, 2017, to November 17, 2017. The last biweekly notice was published on November 21, 2017.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reviewed an application by Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD or the licensee) for amendment of Materials License No. SNM-2510, which authorizes the storage of spent nuclear fuel and greater than Class C waste at the Rancho Seco Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation, located in Herald, California. The licensee requested authorization to allow the continued storage of byproduct nuclear material to check the functionality of radiation detection instruments.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is granting an exemption to allow a departure from the certification information of Tier 1 of the generic design control document (DCD) and is issuing License Amendment Nos. 93 and 92 to Combined Licenses (COL), NPF-91 and NPF-92, respectively. The COLs were issued to Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc., and Georgia Power Company, Oglethorpe Power Corporation, MEAG Power SPVM, LLC, MEAG Power SPVJ, LLC, MEAG Power SPVP, LLC, Authority of Georgia, and the City of Dalton, Georgia (the licensee); for construction and operation of the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant (VEGP) Units 3 and 4, located in Burke County, Georgia. The granting of the exemption allows the changes to Tier 1 information asked for in the amendment. Because the acceptability of the exemption was determined in part by the acceptability of the amendment, the exemption and amendment are being issued concurrently.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing a Confirmatory Order to Dominion Energy Nuclear Connecticut, Inc. (Dominion) to memorialize the agreement reached during an alternative dispute resolution mediation session held on September 20, 2017. This Order will resolve the issue that was identified during an NRC investigation of actions by a (former) contractor security officer at Dominion's Millstone Power Station whom the NRC determined did not: (1) Perform required maintenance of site weapons; and (2) properly conduct monthly inventories of out of service weapons. The Confirmatory Order is effective upon issuance.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of exemptions in response to a request from Omaha Public Power District (OPPD or the licensee) that would permit the licensee to reduce its emergency planning (EP) activities at the Fort Calhoun Station, Unit No. 1 (Fort Calhoun). The licensee is seeking exemptions that would eliminate the requirements for the licensee to maintain formal offsite radiological emergency plans, and reduce some of the onsite EP activities, based on the reduced risks at Fort Calhoun, which is permanently shutdown and defueled. However, requirements for certain onsite capabilities to communicate and coordinate with offsite response authorities, in the event of an emergency at Fort Calhoun, would be retained. The NRC staff is issuing an environmental assessment (EA) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) associated with the proposed exemptions.

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, ``Voluntary Reporting of Performance Indicators.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is granting an exemption to allow a departure from the certification information of Tier 1 of the generic design control document (DCD) and is issuing License Amendment Nos. 92 and 91 to Combined Licenses (COL), NPF-91 and NPF-92, respectively. The COLs were issued to Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc., and Georgia Power Company, Oglethorpe Power Corporation, MEAG Power SPVM, LLC, MEAG Power SPVJ, LLC, MEAG Power SPVP, LLC, Authority of Georgia, and the City of Dalton, Georgia (the licensee); for construction and operation of the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant (VEGP) Units 3 and 4, located in Burke County, Georgia. The granting of the exemption allows the changes to Tier 1 information asked for in the amendment. Because the acceptability of the exemption was determined in part by the acceptability of the amendment, the exemption and amendment are being issued concurrently.

On October 17, 2017, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) requested public comment on the draft regulatory analysis, ``Draft Regulatory Analysis for Final Rule: Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal.'' The public comment period closed on November 16, 2017. The NRC has decided to extend the public comment period until December 18, 2017, to allow more time for members of the public to develop and submit their comments.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is granting an exemption to allow a departure from the certification information of Tier 1 of the generic design control document (DCD) and is issuing License Amendment Nos. 91 and 90 to Combined Licenses (COL), NPF-91 and NPF-92, respectively. The COLs were issued to Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc., and Georgia Power Company, Oglethorpe Power Corporation, MEAG Power SPVM, LLC, MEAG Power SPVJ, LLC, MEAG Power SPVP, LLC, Authority of Georgia, and the City of Dalton, Georgia (the licensee); for construction and operation of the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant (VEGP) Units 3 and 4, located in Burke County, Georgia. The granting of the exemption allows the changes to Tier 1 information asked for in the amendment. Because the acceptability of the exemption was determined in part by the acceptability of the amendment, the exemption and amendment are being issued concurrently.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing Interim Staff Guidance (ISG), ``Clarification of Licensee Actions in Receipt of Enforcement Discretion per Enforcement Guidance Memorandum (EGM) 15-002, `Enforcement Discretion for Tornado-Generated Missile Protection Noncompliance,' Revision 1.'' The revisions provide clarifying guidance to facilitate the NRC staff's consistent oversight associated with implementing enforcement discretion for tornado missile protection noncompliance(s) per EGM 15-002.