Nuclear Regulatory Commission August 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is granting exemptions to allow a departure from elements of the certification information of Tier 1 of the generic AP1000 design control document (DCD) and issuing License Amendment Nos. 131 and 130 to Combined Licenses (COL), NPF-91 and NPF-92, respectively. The COLs were issued to Southern Nuclear Operating Company, 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 exemptions allows the changes to Tier 1 information asked for in the amendment. Because the acceptability of the exemptions were determined in part by the acceptability of the amendments, the exemptions and amendments are being issued concurrently. The exemption revises the plant-specific Tier 1 information and corresponding changes to COL Appendix C, and the amendment changes the associated plant-specific DCD Tier 2 material incorporated into the VEGP Updated Final Safety Analysis Report (UFSAR), to modify an administrative program to manage unqualified inorganic zinc coatings in Service Level I areas of the VEGP Units 3 and 4 containment buildings.

On May 29, 2018, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) solicited comments on draft regulatory guide (DG), DG-5048, ``Standard Format and Content of Physical Security Plans, Training and Qualifications Plans and Safeguards Contingency Plans for Nuclear Power Plants.'' The public comment period was originally scheduled to close on August 13, 2018. The NRC has decided to extend the public comment period by 30 days 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 one amendment request. The amendment request is for Millstone Power Station, Unit No. 3. For each amendment request, the NRC proposes to determine that they involve no significant hazards consideration. Because each amendment request contains sensitive unclassified non-safeguards information (SUNSI), an order imposes procedures to obtain access to SUNSI for contention preparation.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued Revision 1 to NUREG-1556, Volume 16, ``Consolidated Guidance About Materials Licenses: Program-Specific Guidance About Licenses Authorizing Distribution to General Licensees,'' and Volume 17, ``Consolidated Guidance About Materials Licenses: Program-Specific Guidance About Special Nuclear Material of Less Than Critical Mass Licenses.'' NUREG-1556 Volumes 16 and 17 have been revised to include information on updated regulatory requirements, safety culture, security of radioactive materials, protection of sensitive information, and changes in regulatory policies and practices. These volumes are intended for use by applicants, licensees, and the NRC staff.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an environmental assessment (EA) and a finding of no significant impact (FONSI) regarding a request from American Centrifuge Operating, LLC (ACO) for approval of its Decommissioning Plan. ACO is authorized to possess and use special nuclear material (SNM), source material, and byproduct material at its Lead Cascade Facility (LCF) in Piketon, Ohio under NRC License SNM-7003, issued in 2004. ACO's Decommissioning Plan contains its proposed Release Criteria and the Final Status Survey design.

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, ``Request for Taxpayer Identification Number.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is soliciting public comment on its draft Interim Staff Guidance (ISG) on Decommissioning Funding Plans (DFP) for materials licensees. The purpose of this ISG is to provide the NRC staff and the industry with guidance based on recent developments and lessons learned in financial assurance since the last update to NUREG-1757, Vol. 3, Rev. 1, ``Consolidated Decommissioning Guidance Financial Assurance, Recordkeeping, and Timeliness'' (NUREG-1757, Vol. 3).

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, ``Standards for Protection Against Radiation.''