Nuclear Regulatory Commission May 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing Regulatory Guide (RG) 5.41, ``Shipping, Receiving, and Internal Transfer of Special Nuclear Material.'' This new RG consolidates in one document NRC guidance concerning the material control and accounting requirements pertaining to shipments, receipts, and internal transfers of special nuclear material. In addition, this guide provides updated guidance for source material (SM) and depleted uranium (DU) at uranium enrichment facilities.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of amendments to Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. DPR- 33, DPR-52, and DPR-68 issued to Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA, the licensee) for operation of Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2, and 3 (BFN) located in Limestone County, Alabama. The proposed amendments would increase the maximum licensed thermal power level for each reactor from 3,458 megawatts thermal (MWt) to 3,952 MWt. This change, referred to as an extended power uprate (EPU), represents an increase of approximately 14.3 percent above the current licensed thermal power limit. The NRC is issuing a final environmental assessment (EA) and final finding of no significant impact (FONSI) associated with the proposed EPU.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of an amendment to Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-63 and NPF-69, issued to Exelon Generation Company, LLC, for operation of the Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2, respectively. The proposed amendments would change the Emergency Action Level (EAL) HU1.5.

On April 11, 2017, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) solicited comments on its patient release program. The public comment period was originally scheduled to close on June 12, 2017. The NRC has decided to extend 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) received and is considering approval of an application filed by the Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (ENO) on February 9, 2017. The application seeks NRC approval of the direct transfer of Renewed Facility Operating License No. DPR-28 for the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station (VYNPS), as well as the general license for the VYNPS Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation, from ENO, the current licensed operator of VYNPS, to NorthStar Nuclear Decommissioning Company, LLC (NorthStar NDC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of NorthStar Group Services, Inc. (NorthStar). The request is also for the indirect transfer of control of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, LLC (ENVY), the licensed owner of the VYNPS, from ENVY's Entergy parent companies to NorthStar Decommissioning Holdings, LLC and its parents NorthStar, LVI Parent Corp., and NorthStar Group Holdings, LLC. The NRC is also considering amending the facility operating license for administrative purposes to reflect the proposed transfer. The application contains sensitive unclassified non- safeguards information (SUNSI).

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), dated March 21, 2017, between the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the NRC. The MOU establishes and coordinates the roles, responsibilities, and functions between the two agencies regarding the accomplishment of firearms background checks on armed security personnel of NRC licensees, pursuant to Section 161A of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (AEA).

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing a final revision to Section 14.3.12, ``Physical Security Hardware Inspections, Tests, Analyses, and Acceptance Criteria (ITAAC),'' of NUREG-0800, ``Standard Review Plan (SRP) for the Review of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants: LWR Edition.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing a partial exemption in response to an October 13, 2016, request from Dominion Energy Kewaunee, Inc. (the licensee or DEK). The issuance of the exemption would grant DEK a partial exemption from regulations that require the retention of records for certain systems, structures, and components associated with the Kewaunee Power Station (KPS) until the termination of the KPS operating license.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a director's decision with regard to a petition dated July 14, 2016, filed by Mr. David Lochbaum on behalf of the Union of Concerned Scientists (the petitioner), requesting that the NRC take action against Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E, the licensee) with regard to Diablo Canyon Power Plant, Units 1 and 2 (DCPP). The petitioner's requests and director's decision are included in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing a final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the construction permit application submitted on February 5, 2014, by Northwest Medical Isotopes, LLC (NWMI) for the NWMI Medical Radioisotope Production Facility, NUREG-2209 (NWMI facility).

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) invites public comment on this proposed collection of information. The information collection is entitled, ``Solicitation of Non-Power Reactor Operator Licensing Examination Data.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing NUREG- 0090, Volume 39, ``Report to Congress on Abnormal Occurrences: Fiscal Year 2016.'' The report describes those events that the NRC or an Agreement State identified as abnormal occurrences (AOs) during fiscal year (FY) 2016, based on the criteria defined in the report. The report describes eight events at Agreement State-licensed facilities and three events at an NRC-licensed facilities.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) invites public comment on the renewal of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for an existing collection of information. The information collection is entitled, ``Licensing Requirements for Land Disposal of Radioactive Waste.''

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 No. 72 to Combined Licenses (COL), NPF-93 and NPF-94. The COLs were issued to South Carolina Electric & Gas Company, (the licensee); for construction and operation of the Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station (VCSNS) Units 2 and 3, located in Fairfield County, South Carolina. 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 an environmental assessment (EA) prepared under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and NRC's regulations. This EA summarizes the results of the NRC staff's environmental review, which evaluates the potential environmental impacts of granting exemptions from NRC regulations in response to a request from STP Nuclear Operating Company (STPNOC, the licensee) for Facility Operating License Nos. NPF-76 and NPF-80, for South Texas Project (STP), Units 1 and 2, respectively, located in Matagorda County, Texas. The regulatory exemptions, if granted, allow STPNOC to change the licensing basis loss-of-coolant accident analysis identified in the Updated Final Safety Analysis Report to use a risk-informed approach to address safety issues discussed in Generic Safety Issue (GSI)-191 and to close Generic Letter (GL) 2004-02.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is requesting comment on the preliminary draft regulatory analysis to support a rulemaking that would amend the NRC's regulations for the decommissioning of nuclear power reactors. The NRC's goals in amending the regulations would be to provide for an efficient decommissioning process; reduce the need for exemptions from existing regulations; address other decommissioning issues deemed relevant by the NRC; and support the principles of good regulation, including openness, clarity, and reliability. The NRC plans to hold a public meeting in spring 2017 to discuss the draft regulatory basis that was previously published in the Federal Register and the preliminary draft regulatory analysis to facilitate the development of public comments on those documents.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has granted the request of Entergy Operations, Inc. (Entergy, the licensee), to withdraw its application dated September 1, 2016, for a proposed amendment to Facility Operating License No. NPF-38. The proposed amendment would have revised the Waterford Steam Electric Station, Unit 3 (Waterford 3) Technical Specifications (TSs) to relocate the surveillance frequency requirements for selected Engineered Safety Features Actuation System (ESFAS) Subgroup relays to a licensee- controlled program. Specifically, the license amendment would have revised the Table Notation for TS Table 4.3-2, ``Engineered Safety Features Actuation System Instrumentation Surveillance Requirements,'' to relocate the surveillance frequency of additional relays to the Waterford 3 Surveillance Frequency Control Program (SFCP).

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has received a license amendment application from the Department of the Air Force (the licensee) for approval of a proposed decommissioning plan (DP). Materials License 42-23539-01AF authorizes the licensee to issue permits to individual Air Force bases for use of byproduct, source, and special nuclear material as authorized by the licensee's Radioisotope Committee. The licensee is requesting approval of a DP for cleanup of residual depleted uranium inside and underneath Building 181 at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. The NRC is currently conducting a detailed technical review of the DP. If the DP is approved by the NRC, the licensee would be authorized to remediate the building interior and subsurface area in accordance with instructions provided in the DP.

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 AP1000 design control document (DCD) and is issuing License Amendment No. 62 to Combined Licenses (COL), NPF-93 and NPF-94. The COLs were issued to South Carolina Electric & Gas Company and the South Carolina Public Service Authority, (both collectively referred to as the licensee) for construction and operation of the Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station (VCSNS) Units 2 and 3, located in Fairfield County, South Carolina. 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) has granted the request of PSEG Nuclear LLC (PSEG or the licensee) to withdraw its application dated March 13, 2017, for a proposed amendment to Facility Operating License No. DPR-75. The proposed amendment would have extended the Salem Nuclear Generating Station (Salem), Unit No. 2, implementation period for Amendment No. 294 from the Spring 2017 refueling outage to prior to restart from the Fall 2018 refueling outage. Amendment No. 294, which was issued by the NRC staff on April 28, 2016, revised the Salem, Unit No. 2 Technical Specifications in support of replacement of the Source Range and Intermediate Range Neutron Monitoring Systems.