Nuclear Regulatory Commission May 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued Bulletin 2011-01 to all holders of operating licenses for nuclear power reactors, except those who have permanently ceased operation and have certified that fuel has been removed from the reactor vessel. The NRC has issued this Bulletin to obtain a comprehensive verification of compliance with the regulatory requirements regarding the conditions of licenses.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is holding a public meeting on June 1, 2011, to provide an opportunity for the NRC and the public to discuss the proposed enhanced weapons rule, the two draft regulatory guides, and the draft weapons safety assessment documents.

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). Information pertaining to the requirement to be submitted: 1. The title of the information collection: 10 CFR Part 75 Safeguards on Nuclear Material, Implementation of US/IAEA Agreement. 2. Current OMB approval number: OMB 3150-0055. 3. How often the collection is required: Occasionally. 4. Who is required or asked to report: Licensees of facilities on the U.S. eligible list who have been selected by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for reporting or recordkeeping activities. 5. The number of annual respondents: 6. 6. The number of hours needed annually to complete the requirement or request: 2,400.4 (6 Respondents x 400 hours per response). 7. Abstract: 10 CFR part 75 requires selected licensees to permit inspections by IAEA representatives, give immediate notice to the NRC in specified situations involving the possibility of loss of nuclear material, and give notice for imports and exports of specified amounts of nuclear material. These licensees will also follow written material accounting and control procedures, although actual reporting of transfer and material balance records to the IAEA will be done through the U. S. State system (Nuclear Materials Management and Safeguards System, collected under OMB clearance numbers 3150-0003, 3150-0004, 3150-0057, and 3150-0058). The NRC needs this information to implement its responsibilities under the US/IAEA agreement. Submit, by July 22, 2011, 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? The public may examine and have copied for a fee publicly available documents, including the draft supporting statement, at the NRC's Public Document Room, Room O-1F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. OMB clearance requests are available at the NRC 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 submitted in writing or in electronic form will be made available for public inspection. Because your comments will not be edited to remove any identifying or contact information, the NRC cautions you against including any information in your submission that you do not want to be publicly disclosed. Comments submitted should reference Docket No. NRC- 2011-0057. You may submit your comments by any of the following methods. Electronic comments: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket No. NRC-2011-0057. Mail comments to NRC Clearance Officer, Tremaine Donnell (T-5 F53), U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. Questions about the information collection requirements may be directed to the NRC Clearance Officer, Tremaine Donnell (T-5 F53), U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, by telephone at 301-415-6258, or by e-mail to INFOCOLLECTS.Resource@NRC.GOV.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or Commission) plans to hold a public workshop on June 20-21, 2011, in New York, New York, to solicit comments on certain issues under consideration to amend the medical use regulations, including reporting and notifications of Medical Events (MEs) for permanent implant brachytherapy. The NRC plans to hold a second public workshop on the same subject matter in August 2011 in Houston, Texas. The specific location and dates for the second workshop in Houston are currently being determined. The NRC is also making available for comment preliminary draft rule language concerning the NRC's proposed amendments to the medical use regulations. This document briefly summarizes the proposed amendments.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is proposing to amend its regulations by adding additional requirements for source material licensees who possess significant quantities of uranium hexafluoride (UF6). The proposed amendments would require such licensees to conduct integrated safety analyses (ISAs) similar to the ISAs performed by 10 CFR part 70 licensees; set possession limits for UF6 for determining licensing authority (NRC or Agreement States); add defined terms; add an additional evaluation criterion for applicants who submit an evaluation in lieu of an emergency plan; require the NRC to perform a backfit analysis under specified circumstances; and make administrative changes to the structure of the regulations. The proposed ISA requirements would not apply to facilities that are currently undergoing decommissioning under the current regulations. This rulemaking pertains to 10 CFR part 40 licensees and applicants who possess, or plan to possess, significant quantities of UF6. The current regulations do not contain ISA requirements for evaluating the consequences of facility accidents. The proposed amendment would require applicants and licensees who possess or plan to possess significant amounts of UF6 to conduct an ISA and submit an ISA summary to the NRC. The ISA, which evaluates and categorizes the consequences of accidents at NRC licensed facilities, would address both the radiological and chemical hazards from licensed material and hazardous chemicals produced in the processing of licensed material. Similar hazards that exist at other fuel cycle facilities are addressed by ISA requirements elsewhere in the regulations. The NRC is also proposing new guidance on the implementation of the additional regulatory requirements for licensees that would be authorized under this rulemaking.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has decided to consider the issues raised in a petition for rulemaking (PRM) submitted by Robert Meyer, on behalf of the Professional Reactor Operator Society (PROS), the petitioner, in the planned ``Quality Control/Quality Verification'' (QC/QV) rulemaking (Docket ID: NRC-2009-0090). The petitioner asked the NRC to amend the regulations that govern fitness- for-duty programs. Specifically, the petitioner asked the NRC to change the term ``unit outage'' to ``site outage'' and that the definition of ``site outage'' read ``up to one week prior to disconnecting the reactor unit from the grid and up to 75-percent turbine power following reconnection to the grid.''

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or Commission) is making available for comment preliminary proposed rule language concerning the NRC's proposed amendments to the material control and accounting (MC&A) regulations. These regulations apply to NRC licensees who are authorized to hold special nuclear material (SNM) and to certain licensees within the jurisdiction of the Agreement States that hold SNM and submit material status reports to the NRC. The goal of this rulemaking is to revise and consolidate the MC&A requirements. This Notice briefly summarizes the proposed amendments. After the Commission has reviewed and approved the proposed rule, it will be formally published for comment.

The NRC staff is issuing NUREG-1950, ``Disposition of Public Comments and Technical Bases for Changes in the License Renewal Guidance Documents NUREG-1801 and NUREG-1800.'' This document is a knowledge management transfer document associated with Revision 2 of NUREG-1801, ``Generic Aging Lessons Learned (GALL) Report,'' and Revision 2 of NUREG-1800, ``Standard Review Plan for Review of License Renewal Applications for Nuclear Power Plants.'' The technical changes that were made when revising the guidance contained in NUREG-1801 are captured in this document, along with the supporting technical bases. Changes to NUREG-1800, many of which derive from the changes in NUREG-1801, are also discussed in this document. Consequently, this document provides an understanding of the underlying rationale used by the NRC to develop Revisions 2 of NUREG-1801 and NUREG-1800. This document also contains the NRC staff's analysis of the public comments received on the Draft Revisions 2 of both the GALL Report and the Standard Review Plan for License Renewal (SRP-LR), published for public comment in May 2010 (75 FR 27838), with the public comment period expiring on July 2, 2010. The disposition of the comments accepted by the NRC staff and used as basis for instituting a change to either the GALL Report or the SRP-LR are detailed in this document. In addition, the public comments that did not result in a change to either NUREG are also dispositioned, and a technical basis for the staff's handling of these comments is presented.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for public comment Draft Regulatory Guide (DG)-1250, ``Guidance for ITAAC Closure Under 10 CFR Part 52.'' The DG-1250 describes a method that the staff of the NRC considers acceptable for use in satisfying the requirements for documenting the completion of inspections, tests, analyses, and acceptance criteria (ITAAC).

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). Information pertaining to the requirement to be submitted: 1. The title of the information collection: Notice of Enforcement Discretion (NOEDs) for Operating Power Reactors and Gaseous Diffusion Plants (GDP) (NRC Enforcement Policy). 2. Current OMB approval number: 3150-0136. 3. How often the collection is required: On occasion. 4. Who is required or asked to report: Nuclear power reactor licensees and gaseous diffusion plant certificate holders. 5. The number of annual respondents: Approximately 11. 6. The number of hours needed annually to complete the requirement or request: 1,705. 7. Abstract: The NRC's Enforcement Policy addresses circumstances in which the NRC may exercise enforcement discretion. A specific type of enforcement discretion is designated as a NOED and relates to circumstances which may arise where a nuclear power plant licensee's compliance with a Technical Specification Limiting Condition for Operation or other license conditions would involve: (1) An unnecessary plant shutdown; (2) performance of testing, inspection, or system realignment that is inappropriate for the specific plant conditions; or (3) unnecessary delays in plant startup without a corresponding health and safety benefit. Similarly, for a gaseous diffusion plant, circumstances may arise where compliance with a Technical Safety Requirement or other condition would unnecessarily require a total plant shutdown, or, compliance would unnecessarily place the plant in a condition where safety, safeguards, or security features were degraded or inoperable. A licensee or certificate holder seeking the issuance of a NOED, must document the safety basis for the request, including: An evaluation of the safety significance and potential consequences of the proposed request, a description of proposed compensatory measures, a justification for the duration of the request, the basis for the licensee's or certificate holder's conclusion that the request does not have a potential adverse impact on the public health and safety, that there will be no adverse consequences to the environment, and any other information the NRC staff deems necessary before the NRC staff makes a decision whether to exercise discretion. In addition, the NRC's Enforcement Policy includes a provision allowing licensees to voluntarily adopt fire protection requirements contained in the National Fire Protection Association Standard 805, ``Performance Based Standard for Fire Protection for Light Water Reactor Electric Generating Plants, 2001 Edition'' (NFPA 805). Licensees who wish to implement the risk-informed process in NFPA 805 must submit a letter of intent (LOI) to the NRC. Licensees who wish to withdraw from the NFPA 805 risk-informed process must submit a letter of retraction. Submit, by July 5, 2011, 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? The public may examine and have copied, for a fee, publicly available documents, including the draft supporting statement, at the NRC's Public Document Room, Room O-1F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. The OMB clearance requests are available at the NRC Web site: https://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/ doc-omment/omb/. The document will be available on the NRC Web site for 60 days after the signature date of this notice. Comments submitted in writing or in electronic form will be made available for public inspection. Because your comments will not be edited to remove any identifying or contact information, the NRC cautions you against including any information in your submission that you do not want to be publicly disclosed. Comments submitted should reference Docket No. NRC- 2011-0053. You may submit your comments by any of the following methods. Electronic comments: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket No. NRC-2011-0053. Mail comments to NRC Clearance Officer, Tremaine Donnell (T-5F53), U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. Questions about the information collection requirements may be directed to the NRC Clearance Officer, Tremaine Donnell (T-5 F53), U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, by telephone at 301-415-6258, or by email to INFOCOLLECTS.Resource@NRC.GOV.