Nuclear Regulatory Commission November 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Notice is hereby given that the staff of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has prepared a model licensee application relating to the modification of shutdown testing requirements in technical specifications (TS) for Boiling Water Reactors (BWR). The purpose of this model is to permit the NRC to efficiently process amendments that propose to modify LCO 3.10.1, and the associated Bases, to expand its scope to include provisions for temperature excursions greater than [200][deg]F as a consequence of inservice leak and hydrostatic testing, and as a consequence of scram time testing initiated in conjunction with an inservice leak or hydrostatic test, while considering operational conditions to be in Mode 4. Licensees of nuclear power reactors to which the model applies could then request amendments, confirming the applicability to their reactors.

The NRC is preparing a submittal to OMB for review of continued approval of information collections under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). Information pertaining to the requirement to be submitted: 1. The title of the information collection: 10 CFR Part 50, ``Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities.'' 2. Current OMB approval number: 3150-0011. 3. How often the collection is required: As necessary in order for NRC to meet its responsibilities to conduct a detailed review of applications for licenses and amendments thereto to construct and operate nuclear power plants, preliminary or final design approvals, design certifications, research and test facilities, reprocessing plants and other utilization and production facilities, licensed pursuant to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act) and to monitor their activities. 4. Who is required or asked to report: Licensees and applicants for nuclear power plants and research and test facilities. 5. The number of annual respondents: 187. 6. The number of hours needed annually to complete the requirement or request: 6,168.6M: 3,141.4M hours reporting (an average of 69 hrs/ response) + 3,027.2M hours recordkeeping (an average of 16.2K hrs/ recordkeeper). 7. Abstract: 10 CFR Part 50 of the NRC's regulations ``Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities,'' specifies technical information and data to be provided to the NRC or maintained by applicants and licensees so that the NRC may take determinations necessary to protect the health and safety of the public, in accordance with the Act. The reporting and recordkeeping requirements contained in 10 CFR 50 are mandatory for the affected licensees and applicants. Submit, by January 23, 2007, comments that address the following questions: 1. Is the proposed collection of information necessary for the NRC to properly perform its functions? Does the information have practical utility? 2. Is the burden estimate accurate? 3. Is there a way to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected? 4. How can the burden of the information collection be minimized, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology? A copy of the draft supporting statement may be viewed free of charge at the NRC Public Document Room, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Room O-1 F23, Rockville, MD 20852. OMB clearance requests are available at the NRC worldwide Web site: https:// www.nrc.gov/public-involve/doc-comment/omb/. The document will be available on the NRC home page site for 60 days after the signature date of this notice. Comments and questions about the information collection requirements may be directed to the NRC Clearance Officer, Brenda Jo. Shelton, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, T5-F52, Washington, DC 20555-0001, by telephone at 301-415-7233, or by Internet electronic mail at INFOCOLLECTS@NRC.GOV.

The NRC is issuing its Final License Renewal Interim Staff Guidance LR-ISG-2006-01. This LR-ISG provides interim guidance to applicants for license renewal for a plant with a BWR Mark I steel containment to provide a plant-specific aging management program that addresses the potential loss of material due to corrosion in the inaccessible areas of their Mark I steel containment drywell shell for the period of extended operation. The NRC staff issues LR-ISGs to facilitate timely implementation of the license renewal rule and to review activities associated with a license renewal application. The NRC staff will also incorporate the approved LR-ISG into the next revision of the license renewal guidance documents.

Notice is hereby given that the staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has prepared a model license amendment request (LAR), model safety evaluation (SE), and model proposed no significant hazards consideration (NSHC) determination related to deletion of E Bar (average disintegration energy, E) definition and revision to reactor coolant system (RCS) specific activity technical specification. This request revises the RCS specific activity specification for pressurized water reactors to utilize a new indicator, Dose Equivalent Xenon-133 instead of the current indicator known as E Bar. The purpose of these models is to permit the NRC to efficiently process amendments to incorporate these changes into plant-specific Technical Specifications (TS) for Babcock and Wilcox, Westinghouse, and Combustion Engineering Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs). Licensees of nuclear power reactors to which the models apply can request amendments conforming to the models. In such a request, a licensee should confirm the applicability of the model LAR, model SE and NSHC determination to its plant. The NRC staff is requesting comments on the model LAR, model SE and NSHC determination for referencing in license amendment applications.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has updated NUREG-0725, ``Public Information Circular for Shipments of Irradiated Reactor Fuel.'' This document provides information on shipments of irradiated reactor fuel (spent fuel) that are subject to regulation by the NRC.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing to amend its regulations that govern domestic licensing of production and utilization facilities so that the requirements governing criticality control for spent fuel pool storage racks would not apply to the fuel within a spent fuel transportation package or storage cask when a package or cask is in a spent fuel pool. These packages and casks are subject to separate criticality control requirements. This action is necessary to avoid applying two different sets of criticality control requirements to fuel within a package or cask in a spent fuel pool.

On September 29, 2006 (71 FR 57584), the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) published, for public comment, a Notice of Availability of Draft Interim Staff Guidance (ISG) document HLWRS-ISG- 02, ``Preclosure Safety AnalysisLevel of Information and Reliability Estimation.'' On October 26, 2006, the U.S. Department of Energy requested a 30-day extension to the public comment period for HLWRS- ISG-02, from November 13, 2006, to December 13, 2006. In response to this request, NRC is granting a 30-day extension to the public comment period for HLWRS-ISG-02, to December 13, 2006.

Notice is hereby given that the staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has prepared a model license amendment request (LAR), model safety evaluation (SE), and model proposed no significant hazards consideration (NSHC) determination related to changes to the completion times (CT) in Standard Technical Specification (STS) 3.6.6A, ``Containment Spray and Cooling Systems,'' contained in NUREG-1432 (Standard Technical Specifications for Combustion Engineering Plants, Rev. 3.0). The proposed changes would revise STS 3.6.6A by extending the CT for one containment spray system (CSS) train inoperable from 72 hours to seven days, and add a Condition, Required Actions and associated CT when one CSS train and one containment cooling system (CCS) train are inoperable. These changes are based on analyses provided in a joint applications report submitted by the Combustion Engineering Owner's Group (CEOG). The CEOG participants in the Technical Specifications Task Force (TSTF) proposed these changes to the STS in Change Traveler No. TSTF-409, Revision 2. The purpose of these models is to permit the NRC to efficiently process amendments to incorporate these changes into plant-specific STS for Combustion Engineering pressurized water reactors (PWRs). Since TSTF-409 involves a risk-informed approach to extending the CT for one CSS inoperable, the NRC staff must verify that licensees who apply for this TS change have a valid, up-to-date probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) model that employs PRA principles to ensure that public health and safety are maintained when the CSS CT of 7 days is implemented. Therefore, the model LAR contains several conditions requiring licensees to make specific validations of their plant PRA quality and methods. The intent of using the CLIIP to adopt TSTF-409 is to eliminate the need for additional technical review and requests for additional information (RAIs) on plant-specific amendments. Licensees of nuclear power reactors to which the models apply can request amendments conforming to the models. In such a request, a licensee should confirm the applicability of the model SE and NSHC determination to its plant, and provide the expected supplemental information requested in the model LAR.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has prepared a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) as its evaluation of a request by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for license amendments to increase the maximum thermal power at Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant (BFN) from 3458 megawatts-thermal (MWt) to 3952 MWt for Units 2 and 3 and from 3293 MWt to 3952 MWt for Unit 1. These represent power increases of approximately 15 percent for BFN Units 2 and 3 and a total of 20 percent for BFN Unit 1. As stated in the NRC staff's position paper dated February 8, 1996, on the Boiling-Water Reactor Extended Power Uprate (EPU) Program, the NRC staff would prepare an environmental impact statement if it believes a power uprate would have a significant impact on the human environment. The NRC staff did not identify any significant impact from the information provided in the licensee's EPU applications for BFN Units 1, 2, and 3, or from the NRC staff's independent review; therefore, the NRC staff is documenting its environmental review in an EA. Also, in accordance with the position paper, the draft EA and Finding of No Significant Impact are being published in the Federal Register with a 30-day public comment period.

The NRC and DOE announce their intent to conduct a public meeting to discuss interactions during the review of non-high-level waste determinations under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2005. The meeting date, time and location are listed below: Date: Thursday, November 16, 2006. Time: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Location: L'Enfant Plaza Hotel, Meeting RoomsMonet 1 and 2, 480 L'Enfant Plaza, Washington, DC 20024, phone: 202-484-1000. Agenda: 9-9:15: Introductions and Opening Remarks. 9:15-10:45: Discussion of NDAA consultation. 10:45-11: Opportunity for Public Comment.