Nuclear Regulatory Commission July 10, 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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 Nos. 121 and 120 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, 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 that is requested 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.

By letter dated November 14, 2017, Governor Matthew H. Mead of the State of Wyoming requested that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or Commission) enter into an Agreement with the State of Wyoming as authorized by Section 274b. of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (AEA). Under the proposed Agreement, the Commission would discontinue, and the State of Wyoming would assume, regulatory authority over the management and disposal of byproduct materials as defined in Section 11e.(2) of the AEA and a subcategory of source material associated with uranium or thorium milling within the State. Pursuit to Commission direction, the proposed Agreement would state that the NRC will retain regulatory authority over the American Nuclear Corporation (ANC) license. As required by Section 274e. of the AEA, the NRC is publishing the proposed Agreement for public comment. The NRC is also publishing the summary of a draft assessment by the NRC staff of the State of Wyoming's regulatory program. Comments are requested on the proposed Agreement, especially its effect on public health and safety. Comments are also requested on the draft staff assessment, the adequacy of the State of Wyoming's program, and the State's program staff, as discussed in this notice. The proposed Agreement would exempt persons who possess or use byproduct materials as defined in Section 11e.(2) of the AEA and a subcategory of source material involved in the extraction or concentration of uranium or thorium in source material or ores at uranium or thorium milling facilities in the State of Wyoming from portions of the Commission's regulatory authority. Radioactive materials not covered by the proposed Agreement will continue to be subject to the Commission's regulatory authority. Section 274e. of the AEA requires that the NRC publish these exemptions. Notice is hereby given that the pertinent exemptions have been previously published in the Federal Register and are codified in the NRC's regulations. The NRC is giving notice once each week for four consecutive weeks of the proposed Agreement. This is the second notice that has been published.