Nuclear Regulatory Commission 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On May 18, 2009 (74 FR 23254), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) published for public comment a proposed rule that would amend certain emergency preparedness (EP) requirements in its regulations that govern domestic licensing of production and utilization facilities. A conforming provision would also be added in the regulations that govern licenses, certifications, and approvals for new nuclear power plants. The proposed amendments would codify certain voluntary protective measures contained in NRC Bulletin 2005-02, ``Emergency Preparedness and Response Actions for Security-Based Events,'' and other generically applicable requirements similar to those previously imposed by Commission orders. They would also amend other licensee emergency plan requirements based on a comprehensive review of the NRC's EP regulations and guidance. The proposed requirements would enhance the ability of licensees in preparing to take and taking certain emergency preparedness and protective measures

By letter dated October 16, 2008, Governor Jon S. Corzine of New Jersey requested that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or Commission) enter into an Agreement with the State of New Jersey (State or New Jersey) as authorized by Section 274 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (Act).

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing to amend its spent fuel storage cask regulations by revising the Transnuclear, Inc. (TN), Standardized NUHOMS [supreg] System listing within the ``List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks'' to include Amendment No. 10 to Certificate of Compliance (CoC) Number 1004. Amendment No. 10 would modify the CoC to add a dry shielded canister (DSC) designated the NUHOMS [supreg]-61BTH DSC, add a dry shielded canister designated the NUHOMS [supreg]-32PTH1 DSC, add an alternate high-seismic option of the horizontal storage module (HSM) for storing the 32PTH1 DSC, allow storage of Westinghouse 15x15 Partial Length Shield Assemblies in the NUHOMS [supreg]-24PTH DSC, allow storage of control components in the NUHOMS [supreg]-32PT DSC, and add a new Technical Specification, which applies to Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation sites located in a coastal marine environment, that any load bearing carbon steel component which is part of the HSM must contain at least 0.20 percent copper as an alloy addition.

The NRC invites public comment about our intention to request the OMB's approval for renewal of an existing information collection that is summarized below. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35).

On September 15, 2008 (73 FR 53286), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) published a notice of availability and request for comments on its draft proposed revised Enforcement Policy (Enforcement Policy). A corrected proposed revised Enforcement Policy was published on October 16, 2008 (73 FR 61442). The public comment period for the revised Enforcement Policy ended on November 14, 2008. The NRC is now soliciting written comments from interested parties including public interest groups, States, members of the public and the regulated industry (i.e., reactor and materials licensees, vendors, and contractors), on additional proposed revisions to Section 6.0, Supplements-Violation Examples, of the proposed revised Enforcement Policy. This Notice of Availability and request for comments apply only to new proposed revisions to Section 6.0 of the proposed revised Enforcement Policy.

Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), with the cooperation of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Land Quality Division, is issuing a final Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) that assesses the potential environmental impacts of the construction, operation, aquifer restoration, and decommissioning at an in-situ leach (ISL) uranium milling facility located in particular regions of the western United States. The rationale for developing the GEIS is that ISL facilities use the same or very similar technology, such that the potential environmental impacts associated with the technology could be assessed on a generic (programmatic) basis. In this way repetitive reviews of certain of these impacts could be avoided, thus focusing NRC's evaluation on unique issues of concern for each ISL license application.

The NRC staff is soliciting public comment on its Proposed Interim Staff Guidance (ISG) COL/DC-ISG-011 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) Accession No. ML090550772). This ISG is to clarify the NRC staff position on finalizing licensing basis information at a point during the licensing review, a so-called freeze- point, and the control of licensing basis information during and following the initial review of applications for design certifications (DCs) or combined licenses (COLs). The NRC staff issues COL/DC-ISGs to facilitate timely implementation of current staff guidance and to facilitate activities associated with review of applications for DCs and COLs by the Office of New Reactors. The NRC staff intends to incorporate the final approved COL/DC-ISG-011 into the next revision of Regulatory Guide 1.206, ``Combined License Applications for Nuclear Power Plants.''

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has received and requests public comment on a petition for rulemaking dated April 16, 2009, filed by the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) (petitioner). The petition was docketed by the NRC and has been assigned Docket No. PRM- 70-8. The petitioner requests that the NRC amend its regulations to clarify the existing event reporting requirements based on experience gained since the requirements were implemented in 2000.

The NRC invites public comment about our intention to request the OMB's approval for renewal of an existing information collection that is summarized below. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35).

The NRC is proposing to amend its regulations to incorporate by reference the latest revisions of two regulatory guides (RG) that would approve new and revised code cases published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). These are RG 1.84, ``Design, Fabrication, and Materials Code Case Acceptability, ASME Section III,'' Revision 35, and RG 1.147, ``Inservice Inspection Code Case Acceptability, ASME Section XI, Division 1,'' Revision 16. This action would allow the use of the code cases listed in these RGs as alternatives to requirements in the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel (BPV) Code regarding the construction and inservice inspection (ISI) of nuclear power plant components. Concurrent with this action, the NRC is publishing a notice of the issuance and availability of the RGs in the Federal Register.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is amending its spent fuel storage regulations by revising the Holtec International HI- STORM 100 dry cask storage system listing within the ``List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks'' to include Amendment No. 6 to Certificate of Compliance (CoC) Number 1014. Amendment No. 6 will modify the CoC to add instrument tube tie rods used for pressurized water reactor 15x15 and 17x17 fuel lattices, for both intact and damaged fuel assemblies, to the approved contents of the MPC-24, MPC-24E, MPC-24EF, MPC-32, and MPC-32F models; and to correct legacy editorial issues in Appendices A and B Technical Specifications.