Nuclear Regulatory Commission – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering the amendment submitted by the American Centrifuge Operating, LLC (ACO) of Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) License SNM-2011 for the American Centrifuge Plant (ACP), a proposed commercial uranium enrichment facilty to be located in Piketon, Ohio. The NRC has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for this proposed license amendment in accordance with its regulations. Based on the EA, the NRC has concluded that a finding of no significant impact (FONSI) is appropriate. The NRC is also conducting a safety evaluation of the proposed license amendment.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing Revision 3 to Regulatory Guide (RG), 1.187. This Revision (i.e., Revision 3) addresses a clarification to the RG in response to post- promulgation comments on RG 1.187, Revision 2. This RG provides licensees with a method that the NRC considers acceptable for use in complying with the Commission's regulations on the process by which licensees, under certain conditions, may make changes to their facilities and procedures as described in the final safety analysis report (FSAR) (as updated) (also referred to as the updated final safety analysis report), and conduct tests or experiments not described in the FSAR (as updated), without obtaining a license amendment pursuant to NRC requirements.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) License No. SNM-7005 to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), in Ft. Belvoir, Virginia to possess and use SNM for education, research, and training programs. The license authorizes DTRA to possess and use SNM for 10 years from the date of issuance.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an Order to CampCo, Inc., imposing a civil penalty of $75,000. On February 11, 2021, the NRC issued a Notice of Violation and Proposed Imposition of Civil Penalty$75,000 to CampCo, Inc., for failing to comply with regulatory requirements regarding the import and distribution of watches containing radioactive material.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an Evidence-Building and Evaluation Policy Statement that describes the general standards that guide the NRC's ``evidence-building'' activities, consistent with the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018. The policy statement is intended to provide agency personnel and stakeholders with a clear understanding of the expectations related to the NRC's standards for evidence-building activities, which includes analyses, research, assessments, and evaluations performed by the agency for programmatic, operational, regulatory, and policy decision making. These standards include rigor, relevance and utility, transparency, collaboration, independence and objectivity, and ethics.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing a notification of interpretation on industrial radiographic operations at temporary radiography jobsites and an Agreement State Compatibility Category change. The interpretation and Compatibility Category change are effective immediately with a 30-day post-promulgation comment period. The NRC is taking this action to respond to a petition for rulemaking from the Organization of Agreement States (OAS).

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an Order approving the application dated December 2, 2020, as supplemented by letters dated February 26, 2021 and May 14, 2021, filed by Arizona Public Service Company (APS), on behalf of Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM), Avangrid, Inc. (Avangrid), and their corporate affiliates. The application sought NRC consent to the indirect transfer of PNM's interests in Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. NPF-41, NPF-51, and NPF-74 for the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (Palo Verde), Units 1, 2, and 3, respectively, and the general license for the Palo Verde Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) (together, the Facility). No physical changes to the Facility or operational changes were proposed in the application.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) received and is considering approval of one amendment request. The amendment request is for Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station. For the amendment request, the NRC proposes to determine that it involves no significant hazards consideration (NSHC). Because the amendment request contains sensitive unclassified non-safeguards information (SUNSI) and safeguards information (SGI), an order imposes procedures to obtain access to SUNSI and SGI for contention preparation by person(s) who file a hearing request or petition for leave to intervene.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing Revision 4 to Regulatory Guide (RG), 1.189, ``Fire Protection for Nuclear Power Plants.'' This RG describes an approach that is acceptable to the NRC staff to meet the regulatory requirements in the NRC's regulations governing a civilian nuclear power generating plant's fire protection program.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is confirming the effective date of June 14, 2021, for the direct final rule that was published in the Federal Register on March 29, 2021. The direct final rule amends the NRC's spent fuel storage regulations by revising the Holtec International HI-STORM 100 Cask System listing within the ``List of approved spent fuel storage cask'' to include Amendment No. 15 to Certificate of Compliance No. 1014.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued four exemptions in response to requests from three 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 2019 disease (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) is soliciting public comment on its draft Interim Staff Guidance (ISG) Supplemental Guidance for Radiological Consequence Analyses Using Alternative Source Terms. This draft ISG proposes changes to the NRC's license amendment request (LAR) review guidance document. This ISG is not intended as standalone guidance but instead supplements NUREG-0800, ``Standard Review Plan for the Review of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants: LWR [Light-Water Reactor] Edition'' Section 15.0.1, ``Radiological Consequence Analyses Using Alternative Source Terms.'' NUREG-0800, Section 15.0.1 was published in July 2000 and is not scheduled to be updated for several years. This ISG provides additional guidance for the NRC staff reviewing LARs that request to increase the main steam isolation valve (MSIV) leakage allowed by technical specifications (TS) for boiling water reactors (BWRs).

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is publishing this notice regarding the issuance of a final Environmental Assessment (EA) and a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for its review and approval of initial and updated decommissioning funding plans (DFPs) submitted by independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) licensees for the ISFSIs listed in the ``Discussion'' section of this document.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued an exemption in response to a request from the licensee that would permit NextEra Energy Duane Arnold, LLC to reduce the minimum coverage limit for onsite property damage insurance from $1.06 billion to $50 million for the Duane Arnold Energy Center.

Pursuant to section 189.a.(2) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is publishing this regular monthly 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 (NSHC), notwithstanding the pendency before the Commission of a request for a hearing from any person. This monthly notice includes all amendments issued, or proposed to be issued, from April 2, 2021, to April 29, 2021. The last monthly notice was published on April 20, 2021.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued an exemption in response to a March 6, 2020, request from Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc. (SNC), as applicable to Vogtle Electric Generating Plant (VEGP) Unit 4. Specifically, the NRC has exempted SNC from the requirement for VEGP Unit 4 to conduct an emergency preparedness exercise prior to its initial fuel load.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued an exemption in response to a June 2, 2020, request from SHINE Medical Technologies, LLC from certain NRC regulations related to commercial grade dedication of equipment.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is correcting a notice that was published in the Federal Register on March 26, 2021, regarding its proposed amendment to the regulations to incorporate by reference the 2019 Editions of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code and the 2020 Edition of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Operation and Maintenance of Nuclear Power Plants, Division 1: OM Code: Section IST, for nuclear power plants. This action is necessary to correct several typographical errors.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuing an approval to NorthStar Nuclear Decommissioning Co., LLC (NorthStar, or the licensee) for alternate disposal of low-activity radioactive wastewater containing byproduct material from the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station (VY) located in Vernon, Vermont. Additionally, the NRC is considering the related action of approving an exemption to US Ecology Idaho (USEI) from licensing to allow USEI to receive and possess the byproduct radioactive materials from VY without an NRC license. The NRC staff is issuing an environmental assessment (EA) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) associated with the proposed approvals.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is denying a petition for rulemaking (PRM), dated December 26, 2018, submitted by George Berka (petitioner). The petition was docketed by the NRC on February 19, 2019, and was assigned Docket No. PRM-50-117. The petitioner requested that the NRC allow the owner or operator of a nuclear power reactor an opportunity to return a retired facility to full operational status, even if the operating license for the facility had previously been surrendered. The NRC is denying the petition because the issue does not involve a significant safety or security concern and the existing regulatory framework may be used to address the issue raised by the petitioner. In addition, the nuclear industry has not expressed a strong interest in returning retired plants to operational status and proceeding with rulemaking to develop a new regulatory framework that may not be used is not a prudent use of resources.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff has determined that specified inspections, tests, and analyses have been successfully completed, and that specified acceptance criteria are met for the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant (VEGP), Units 3 and 4.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC, the Commission) received and is considering approval of an indirect license transfer application filed by El Paso Electric Company (EPE) on March 18, 2021. The application seeks NRC approval of the indirect transfer of EPE's possession-only non-operating interests in Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. NPF-41, NPF-51, and NPF-74 for Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (Palo Verde), Units 1, 2, and 3, respectively, and the general license for the Palo Verde Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) as a result of the acquisition of an approximately 33.3 percent membership interest in IIF US Holding 2 GP, LLC (IIF US 2 GP)the general partner of IIF US Holding 2 LP (IIF US 2)by a private individual, Anne Cleary, subsequent to the retirement and relinquishment of an approximately 33.3 percent IIF US 2 GP membership interest held by Dennis Clarke.