Nuclear Regulatory Commission – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued an Order approving the indirect transfer of several licenses for Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC (Westinghouse). Westinghouse is the holder of special nuclear materials (SNM) license numbers SNM-1107 and SNM-33, which authorize the possession and use of SNM at the Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility in Hopkins, South Carolina, and Hematite Fuel Fabrication Facility in Festus Township, Missouri, respectively. Westinghouse is also the holder of several export licenses as noted in the Order. The Order approves the indirect transfer of control of the these licenses resulting from the acquisition of Westinghouse's intermediate parent company, TSB Nuclear Energy Services Inc., by Brookfield WEC Holdings Inc., a Delaware limited liability company, which is ultimately owned and controlled by Brookfield Asset Management Inc., a Canadian company. The Order became effective upon issuance.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for public comment draft regulatory guide (DG), DG-1351, ``Dispositioning of Technical Specifications that are Insufficient to Ensure Plant Safety.'' This DG proposes new guidance that describes methods and procedures that are acceptable to the (NRC) staff for dispositioning of technical specifications (TS) that are insufficient to ensure power plant safety.

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.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) received and is considering approval of three amendment requests. The amendment requests are for Oconee Nuclear Station, Unit Nos. 1, 2, and 3; Duane Arnold Energy Center; and Callaway Plant, 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.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of an amendment to Renewed Facility Operating License No. DPR- 46, issued to Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD), for operation of the Cooper Nuclear Station (CNS). The proposed amendment would modify the CNS technical specifications by revising the two recirculation loop and single recirculation loop Safety Limit Minimum Critical Power Ratio (SLMCPR) values to reflect the results of a cycle specific calculation. For this amendment request, the NRC proposes to determine that it involves no significant hazards consideration. Because this 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) is considering an amendment to nuclear reactor licenses DPR-39 and DPR-48 to add a license condition that reflects the NRC's approval of the license termination plan (LTP) and provides criteria for when NRC approval is needed for LTP changes. The NRC has prepared a final environmental assessment (EA) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for this licensing action.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is amending its regulations to make miscellaneous administrative updates and corrections. The amendments update descriptions of agency organization and functions, correct cross-reference, typographical, and grammatical errors, and add a certification recipient and clarifying language. This document is necessary to inform the public of these non-substantive amendments to the NRC's regulations.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of amendments to Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. DPR- 33, DPR-52, and DPR-68 for the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant (Browns Ferry), Units 1, 2, and 3, respectively; Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-77 and DPR-79 for the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant (Sequoyah), Units 1 and 2, respectively; and Facility Operating License Nos. NPF-90 and NPF-96 for the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant (Watts Bar), Units 1 and 2, respectively. The proposed amendments would revise the implementation date for the NRC-approved license amendments to upgrade the Emergency Action Level (EAL) schemes for Browns Ferry, Units 1, 2, and 3; Sequoyah, Units 1 and 2; and Watts Bar, Units 1 and 2.

On June 19, 2018, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) published a biweekly notice providing the public with the opportunity to comment, request a hearing, and petition for leave to intervene. Due to a publication error, which was corrected by the Office of the Federal Register on June 22, 2018, incorrect information about a license amendment request submitted to the NRC on April 13, 2018, by Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc., regarding Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Unit Nos. 3 and 4, was published in the biweekly notice. The NRC is issuing this notice to provide adequate time for members of the public to submit comments, request a hearing, and petition for leave to intervene on this license amendment request.

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 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has granted the request of NextEra Energy Duane Arnold, LLC (NextEra) to withdraw its application dated August 31, 2017, for a proposed amendment to Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC), Facility Operating License No. DPR-49. The proposed amendment would have modified the licensing basis by the addition of a license condition to allow for the implementation of the NRC's regulations on ``Risk-Informed Categorization and Treatment of Structures, Systems, and Components (SSCs) for Nuclear Power Reactors.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a renewal of special nuclear materials (SNM) License No. SNM-95 held by the Pennsylvania State University (PSU), University Park, Pennsylvania, to possess and use SNM for education, research, and training programs. The renewed license authorizes PSU to continue to possess and use SNM for an additional 10 years from the date of issuance.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is amending the licensing, inspection, special project, and annual fees charged to its applicants and licensees. These amendments are necessary to implement the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990, as amended (OBRA-90) which requires the NRC to recover approximately 90 percent of its annual budget through fees.

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. 123 and 122 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.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of amendments to licenses held by Exelon Generation Company, LLC (Exelon, the licensee) for the operation of Braidwood Station (Braidwood), Unit Nos. 1 and 2; Byron Station (Byron), Unit Nos. 1 and 2; Clinton Power Station (Clinton), Unit No. 1; Dresden Nuclear Power Station (Dresden), Unit Nos. 1, 2, and 3; LaSalle County Station (LaSalle), Unit Nos. 1 and 2; and Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station (Quad Cities), Unit Nos. 1 and 2 (the facilities). The proposed amendments would revise the emergency response organization (ERO) positions identified in the emergency plan for each facility. 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 considering the renewal of Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) License No. SNM-1107 to allow Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC (WEC) to continue to operate its Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility (CFFF) for an additional 40 years. The NRC has prepared a final environmental assessment (EA) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for this licensing action.

We are publishing our semiannual regulatory agenda (the Agenda) in accordance with Public Law 96-354, ``The Regulatory Flexibility Act,'' and Executive Order 12866, ``Regulatory Planning and Review.'' The Agenda is a compilation of all rulemaking activities on which we have recently completed action or have proposed or are considering action. We have completed 6 rulemaking activities since publication of our last Agenda on January 12, 2018 (83 FR 2018). This issuance of our Agenda contains 28 active and 20 long-term rulemaking activities: 3 are Economically Significant; 8 represent Other Significant agency priorities; 35 are Substantive, Nonsignificant rulemaking activities; and 2 are Administrative rulemaking activities. In addition, 3 rulemaking activities impact small entities. We are requesting comment on the rulemaking activities as identified in this Agenda.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering renewal of Source Material License SUA-1350 issued to Kennecott Uranium Corporation (KUC) for continued operations at the Sweetwater Uranium Project (SUP) in Sweetwater County, Wyoming (Docket No. 40-8584). The NRC has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for this licensing action.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is soliciting public comments on a draft letter to the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) clarifying the regulatory paths for the use of lead test assemblies (LTAs). This draft letter would finalize the NRC staff's views on the preliminary positions regarding LTAs provided in a letter to NEI dated June 29, 2017. The NRC does not currently have consolidated regulatory guidance regarding the use of LTAs. Therefore, the NRC has drafted this letter to clarify its positions regarding the use of LTAs. These positions would affect light-water reactor licensees who wish to irradiate LTAs.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuing an environmental assessment (EA) and a finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for its review and approval of the decommissioning funding plans (DFPs) submitted by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PGEC) on December 17, 2012, and December 17, 2015, for the independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) at Diablo Canyon in Avila Beach, California.