Nuclear Regulatory Commission – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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, ``General Domestic Licenses for Byproduct Material.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a temporary exemption in response to a February 20, 2021 request from Exelon Generation Company, LLC (Exelon, the licensee) from requirements regarding pre-access drug and alcohol testing to maintain authorization for individuals assigned work activities necessary for the timely completion of a refueling and maintenance outage at LaSalle County Station, Units 1 and 2 (LSCS).

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has revised its policy statement, ``Enhancing Participation in NRC Public Meetings,'' to further clarify and enhance participation in public meetings conducted by the NRC. The revised policy statement redefines the three categories of public meetings and identifies the level of public participation offered at each category of meeting. The revised policy statement also clarifies notification expectations for meetings that include physical presence in the meeting room and meetings that rely solely on remote access technology such as teleconferencing. The revisions will improve the consistency of the NRC's public meetings and help participants better prepare for NRC meetings.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of exemptions that would permit the licensee to reduce its emergency planning (EP) activities at the Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC). Specifically, the licensee is seeking exemptions that would eliminate the requirements for the licensee to maintain offsite radiological emergency plans, as well as reduce some of the onsite EP activities based on the reduced risks at DAEC, which is permanently shut down and defueled. However, requirements for certain onsite capabilities to communicate and coordinate with offsite response authorities would be retained. In addition, offsite EP provisions would still exist through State and local government use of a comprehensive emergency management plan process, in accordance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 101, ``Developing and Maintaining Emergency Operations Plans.'' The NRC staff is issuing a final Environmental Assessment (EA) and final Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) associated with the proposed exemptions.

On January 29, 2021, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) published a document in the Federal Register requesting public comment on a regulatory basis to support a proposed rule that would amend the NRC's regulations for the licensing of new nuclear power reactors. The public comment period was originally scheduled to close on April 14, 2021. 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) 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, ``Licensing Requirements for Land Disposal of Radioactive Waste.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued exemptions in response to a request 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 Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 and to reduce the required level of primary offsite liability insurance in the event of an extraordinary nuclear occurrence from $200 million to $100 million for Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 2.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of amendments to Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. NPF- 11 and NPF-18 issued to Exelon Generation Company, LLC (Exelon, the licensee) for operation of LaSalle County Station, Units 1 and 2 (LaSalle), located in Brookfield Township, LaSalle County, Illinois. The proposed action would revise the technical specifications (TS) for the plant to allow for an average, rather than absolute, ultimate heat sink (UHS) sediment level and would modify the UHS temperature curve to increase the allowable TS diurnal temperature limits of the cooling water supplied to the plant from the UHS. The NRC is issuing an environmental assessment (EA) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) associated with the proposed license amendments.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an environmental assessment (EA) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) related to a request for alternate disposal, exemptions, and associated license amendment for the disposition of waste containing byproduct material and special nuclear material (SNM) from the Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC's (WEC) Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility (CFFF) in Hopkins, South Carolina, under License Number SNM-1107. The material will be transported to and disposed consistent with a previously granted exemption granted to WEC and the US Ecology, Inc. (USEI) disposal facility, located near Grand View, Idaho, which is a Subtitle C Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) hazardous waste disposal facility permitted by the State of Idaho to receive low-level radioactive waste. The NRC is also considering the related action of approving a corresponding exemption to USEI. Approval of the alternate disposal request from WEC and the exemptions requested by WEC and USEI would allow WEC to transfer the specific waste from CFFF for disposal at USEI.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an exemption in response to a January 19, 2021, request from ADP CR3, LLC (ADP CR3) for the Crystal River Unit 3 Nuclear Plant, from the requirement to investigate and report to the NRC when ADP CR3 does not receive notification of receipt of a shipment, or part of a shipment, of low-level radioactive waste within 20 days after transfer from the Crystal River facility. ADP CR3 requested that the time period for it to receive acknowledgement that the shipment has been received by the intended recipient be extended from 20 to 45 days to avoid an excessive administrative burden as operational experience indicates that rail or mixed mode shipments may take more than 20 days to reach their destination.

On June 19, 2020, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) solicited comments on the post-shutdown decommissioning activities report (PSDAR) for the Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC). The PSDAR, which includes the site-specific decommissioning cost estimate (DCE), provides an overview of NextEra Energy Duane Arnold, LLC's (NEDA or the licensee's) planned decommissioning activities, schedule, projected costs, and environmental impacts for DAEC. The public comment period closed on October 19, 2020, was reopened on October 26, 2020, and closed again on February 19, 2021. The NRC has decided to reopen the public comment period for a second time to provide additional time for members of the public to develop and submit their comments, as well as to allow time for an in-person public meeting on the PSDAR. The NRC will hold a public meeting to discuss the PSDAR's content and receive comments once restrictions associated with the Coronavirus Disease 2019 public health emergency are lifted.

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, ``Licensing Requirements for the Independent Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel, High-Level Radioactive Waste, and Reactor-Related Greater than Class C Waste.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing a new Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.237, entitled ``Guidance for Changes During Construction for Nuclear Power Plants Being Constructed Under a Combined License Referencing a Certified Design Under 10 CFR part 52.'' This regulatory guide (RG) describes a process that the NRC staff considers acceptable for implementation of changes to the design of structures, systems, and components of a facility being constructed under a combined operating license that references a certified design.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued five exemptions in response to requests from five licensees. The exemptions afford these licensees temporary relief from certain requirements under NRC regulations. The exemptions are in response to the licensees' requests for relief due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health emergency (PHE). The NRC is issuing a single notice to announce the issuance of the 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, NRC Form 64, ``Travel Voucher.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing Revision 4 to Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.136, ``Design Limits, Loading Combinations, Materials, Construction and Testing of Concrete Containments.'' It updates the guidance for materials, design, construction, fabrication, examination, and testing of concrete containments in nuclear power plants through endorsement, with exceptions, of the 2019 edition of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler & Pressure Vessel (B&PV) Code, Section III, Division 2 (American Concrete Institute (ACI) Standard 359-19), ``Code for Concrete Containments.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing to amend the licensing, inspection, special project, and annual fees charged to its applicants and licensees. These proposed amendments are necessary to implement the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act (NEIMA), which, starting in fiscal year (FY) 2021, requires the NRC to recover, to the maximum extent practicable, approximately 100 percent of its annual budget less certain amounts excluded from this fee-recovery requirement. In addition, the NRC is also proposing improvements associated with fee invoicing to implement provisions in NEIMA.

On December 17, 2020, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) solicited comments on draft regulatory guide (DG), DG-1361, ``Environmental Qualification of Certain Electrical Equipment Important to Safety for Nuclear Power Plants.'' The public comment period closed on February 16, 2021. The NRC has decided to reopen the public comment period for an additional 60 days to allow more time for members of the public to develop and submit their comments.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is publishing this notice to advise the public of the availability of its Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Service Contract Inventory and FY 2017 Service Contract Inventory Analysis. The NRC's FY 2018 Service Contract Inventory is included as part of a Government-wide service contract inventory. The inventory includes covered service contracts that were awarded in FY 2018. The FY 2017 Inventory Analysis provides information on specific contract actions that were analyzed as part of the NRC's FY 2017 Service Contract Inventory.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will convene a meeting of the Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of Isotopes (ACMUI) on March 16, 2021. A sample of agenda items to be discussed during the public session includes: An overview of fiscal year 2020 medical related events; a discussion on the status of the NRC's patient release evaluation of emerging brachytherapy sources; a discussion on calibration procedures for existing and emerging brachytherapy sources; a discussion on the current ACMUI reporting structure; and an overview on the consequences of radiopharmaceutical extravasation and therapeutic interventions in nuclear medicine. The agenda is subject to change. The current agenda and any updates will be available on the ACMUI's Meetings and Related Documents web page at https://www.nrc.gov/ reading-rm/doc-collections/acmui/meetings/2021.html or by emailing Ms. Kellee Jamerson at the contact information below.