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

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing exemptions in response to a letter dated March 29, 2018, as supplemented by a letter dated May 8, 2018, exemption request from Exelon Generation Company, LLC (Exelon or the licensee). The exemption permits Exelon to reduce the required level of primary offsite liability insurance from $450 million to $100 million and to eliminate the requirement to carry secondary financial protection for Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued Renewed Facility Operating License No. NPF-47 to Entergy Operations, Inc. (Entergy or licensee), for River Bend Station, Unit 1 (RBS). Renewed Facility Operating License No. NPF-47 authorizes Entergy to operate RBS at reactor core power levels not in excess of 3,091 megawatts thermal and in accordance with the provisions of the RBS renewed license and technical specifications. In addition, the NRC has prepared a record of decision (ROD) that supports the NRC's decision to issue Renewed Facility Operating License No. NPF-47.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing to amend its spent fuel storage regulations by revising the TN Americas LLC Standardized Advanced NUHOMS[supreg] Horizontal Modular Storage System (NUHOMS[supreg] System) listing within the ``List of approved spent fuel storage casks'' to include Amendment No. 4 to Certificate of Compliance No. 1029. Amendment No. 4 revises the certificate of compliance's technical specifications to: Clarify the applicability of unloading procedures and training modules relative to spent fuel pool availability; credit the use of the installed temperature monitoring system specified in lieu of performing daily visual vent inspections; establish dose rates on the front inlet bird screen and the door of the concrete storage module for the Advanced Horizontal Storage Module; modify the criteria for performing Advanced Horizontal Storage Module air vent visual inspections; identify the blocked vent time limitations for each of the 24PT1 and 24PT4 dry shielded canisters; and provide a new temperature rise value for the Advanced Horizontal Storage Module with a loaded 24PT4 dry shielded canister.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing Revision 2 to Regulatory Guide (RG) 3.54, ``Spent Fuel Heat Generation in an Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation.'' Revision 2 provides methods acceptable to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff for calculating spent nuclear fuel heat generation rates for use for an Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI). The revision presents an up-to-date methodology for determining heat generation rates and provides greater flexibility (less restrictions). It also allows loading of higher burnup fuel by using more accurate methods for decay heat calculations.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of amendments to Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. DPR- 31 and DPR-41, issued to Florida Power & Light Company, for operation of Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Unit Nos. 3 and 4, respectively. The proposed amendments would modify Paragraph 3.D, ``Transition License Conditions,'' of the Renewed Facility Operating Licenses to delete Implementation Item 22. For this license amendment request (LAR), the NRC proposes to determine that it involves no significant hazards consideration. Because this LAR 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) is confirming the effective date of January 22, 2019, for the direct final rule that was published in the Federal Register on November 7, 2018. This direct final rule amended the NRC's spent fuel storage regulations by revising the ``List of approved spent fuel storage casks'' to include Renewed Amendment No. 15 to Certificate of Compliance No. 1004 for the TN Americas LLC Standardized NUHOMS[supreg] Horizontal Modular Storage System (NUHOMS[supreg] System). Because this amendment is subsequent to the renewal of the TN Americas LLC Standardized NUHOMS[supreg] Certificate of Compliance No. 1004 system and, therefore, subject to the Aging Management Program requirements of the renewed certificate, it is referred to as ``Renewed Amendment No. 15.''

On October 30, 2018, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) solicited comments on its draft guidance document, NUREG/BR-0204, Rev. 3, ``Instructions for Completing NRC's Uniform Low-Level Radioactive Waste Manifest,'' in the Federal Register. The public comment period was originally scheduled to close on December 31, 2018. The NRC has decided to extend the public comment period until January 31, 2019, to allow more time for stakeholders to develop and submit their comments.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is confirming the effective date of January 7, 2019, for the direct final rule that was published in the Federal Register on October 22, 2018. This direct final rule amends the NRC's spent fuel storage regulations by revising the NAC International NAC-UMS[supreg] listing within the ``List of approved spent fuel storage casks'' to include Amendment No. 6 to Certificate of Compliance No. 1015. Amendment No. 6 revises the technical specifications of the certificate of compliance to: Remove a redundant requirement for inspection of the concrete cask and canister; revise a limiting condition of operation for heat removal to clarify that ``LCO not met'' means that the concrete heat removal system is inoperable; remove an inspection requirement that is already covered by limiting condition of operation surveillance requirements for off- normal, accident, or natural phenomenon events; and clarify that ``immediate'' restoration of a concrete cask's heat removal capabilities means ``within the design-basis time limit'' in Section 11.2.13 of the final safety analysis report, ``or within the time limit for a less than design-basis heat load case, as evaluated.'' Amendment No. 6 also clarifies that a limiting condition of operation for loaded cask surface dose rates applies prior to storage conditions, when dose rates will be highest.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) in support of the NRC's consideration of a request from Waste Control Specialists LLC (WCS) to continue to store transuranic waste that originated from the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) without an NRC license under the terms of a 2014 order. The 2014 order exempted WCS from the NRC's regulations concerning special nuclear material (SNM). The current action is in response to a request by WCS dated August 30, 2018, to extend the possession time to temporarily store certain waste at specific locations at the WCS Site until December 23, 2020.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is amending its spent fuel storage regulations by revising the NAC International Multi- Purpose Canister (NAC-MPC) Storage System listing within the ``List of approved spent fuel storage casks'' to include Amendment Nos. 7 and 8 to Certificate of Compliance No. 1025. Amendment No. 7 revises the technical specifications to eliminate the requirements for the heat removal system to be operable for La Crosse Boiling Water Reactor spent fuel stored in the NAC-MPC because convective cooling is not required, and to eliminate duplicative requirements. In addition, Amendment No. 8 removes duplicative surveillance requirements in the technical specifications because these requirements are already required by the revised Technical Specification A 3.1.6, ``CONCRETE CASK Heat Removal System.''

Pursuant to 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 20, 2018 to December 3, 2018. The last biweekly notice was published on December 4, 2018.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is correcting a notice that was published in the Federal Register (FR) on December 10, 2018, considering an application for the subsequent license renewal of Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-32 and DPR-37, which authorize Virginia Electric and Power Company (Dominion Energy Virginia or the applicant) to operate Surry Power Station (SPS), Unit Nos. 1 and 2. This action is necessary to correct the February 5, 2019, date to request a hearing and to petition for leave to intervene.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing to amend its spent fuel storage regulations by revising the Holtec International HI-STORM 100 Multipurpose Canister Cask System (HI-STORM 100 System) listing within the ``List of approved spent fuel storage casks'' to include Amendment Nos. 11 and 12 to Certificate of Compliance No. 1014. Amendment Nos. 11 and 12 propose to revise multiple items in the Technical Specifications for multi-purpose canister models listed under Certificate of Compliance No. 1014; most of these revisions involve changes to the authorized contents. In addition, Amendment No. 11 makes several other editorial changes.

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 748, National Source Tracking Transaction Report.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is correcting a notice that was published in the Federal Register (FR) on September 11, 2018, regarding the termination of Operating License (Possession Only) No. DPR-54 for the Rancho Seco Nuclear Generating Station. This action is necessary to replace the first paragraph in the Supplementary Information section with the following: ``The NRC has terminated License No. DPR-54, held by Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), for Rancho Seco in Herald, California, and has approved the site for unrestricted release. Accordingly, the existing indemnity agreement between SMUD and the NRC has been amended.''

On October 19, 2018, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) solicited comments on ``Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station; Consideration of Approval of Transfer of License and Conforming Amendment.'' The public comment period closed on November 19, 2018. The NRC has decided to reopen the public comment period to allow more time for members of the public to develop and submit comments.

The Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) was established by Section 29 of the Atomic Energy Act (AEA) of 1954, as amended. Its purpose is to provide advice to the Commission with regard to the hazards of proposed or existing reactor facilities, to review each application for a construction permit or operating license for certain facilities specified in the AEA, and such other duties as the Commission may request. The AEA as amended by Public Law 100-456 also specifies that the Defense Nuclear Safety Board may obtain the advice and recommendations of the ACRS. Membership on the Committee includes individuals experienced in reactor operations, management; probabilistic risk assessment; analysis of reactor accident phenomena; design of nuclear power plant structures, systems and components; materials science; and mechanical, civil, and electrical engineering. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has determined that renewal of the charter for the ACRS until December 3, 2020, is in the public interest in connection with the statutory responsibilities assigned to the ACRS. This action is being taken in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is announcing the withdrawal of several Interim Staff Guidance (ISG) documents associated with fuel cycle facilities. These documents are being withdrawn because the guidance contained in the documents have since been incorporated into NUREG-1520, ``Standard Review Plan for Fuel Cycle Facilities License Applications.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) received and is considering approval of four amendment requests. The amendment requests are for North Anna Power Station, Unit Nos. 1 and 2; Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 1; H. B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant Unit No. 2; and Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station, Unit No. 1. 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.