Nuclear Regulatory Commission December 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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 design control document (DCD) and is issuing License Amendment No. 56 to Combined Licenses (COL) NPF-91 and NPF-92. 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, Authority of Georgia, 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 asked for 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 amending its regulations to reflect changes to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 requires the NRC to amend its FOIA regulations to update procedures for requesting information from the NRC and procedures that the NRC must follow in responding to FOIA requests.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing Revision 0 to Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.231, ``Acceptance of Commercial- Grade Design and Analysis Computer Programs for Nuclear Power Plants.'' This RG describes methods that the NRC considers acceptable in meeting regulatory requirements for acceptance and dedication of commercial- grade design and analysis computer programs used in safety-related applications for nuclear power plants.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has recently submitted to OMB for review the following proposal for the collection of information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). The information collection is entitled, ``Reporting of Defects and Noncompliance.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing Regulatory Guide (RG) 4.24, ``Aquatic Environmental Studies for Nuclear Power Stations.'' This RG provides technical guidance to applicants for the development of aquatic studies involving environmental reviews that are part of NRC licensing actions related to new nuclear power stations.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has recently submitted a request for renewal of an existing collection of information to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. The information collection is entitled, ``NRC Form 850A, ``Request for NRC Contractor Building Access Authorization'' NRC Form 850B, ``Request for NRC Contractor Information Technology Access Authorization'' NRC Form 850C, ``Request for NRC Contractor Security Clearance.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a renewal of Facility Operating License No. NPF-43, held by DTE Electric Company (DTE or the licensee), for the continued operation of Fermi Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 2 (Fermi 2). The renewed facility operating license No. NPF-43 authorizes operation of Fermi 2 at reactor core power level not in excess of 3,486 megawatts thermal (approximately 1170 megawatts electric), in accordance with the provisions of the renewed license and technical specifications. In addition, the NRC has prepared a record of decision (ROD) that supports the decision to renew facility operating license No. NPF-43.

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 design control document (DCD) and is issuing License Amendment No. 39 to Combined Licenses (COL), NPF-91 and NPF-92. 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, Authority of Georgia, 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 asked for 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 granting an exemption to allow a departure from the certification information of Tier 1 of the generic design control document (DCD) and is issuing License Amendment No. 46 to Combined Licenses (COL), NPF-91 and NPF-92. 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, Authority of Georgia, 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 asked for 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) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, are issuing a supplement to the final environmental impact statement (EIS), NUREG-2176, ``Environmental Impact Statement for Combined Licenses (COL) for Turkey Point Nuclear Plant, Units 6 and 7.'' Florida Power and Light Company (FPL) submitted an application for COLs to construct and operate two new nuclear power plants at its Turkey Point site near Homestead, Florida. This supplement to the final EIS considers and responds to 59 comment letters that were inadvertently not included in the final EIS.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an order approving an application filed by Susquehanna Nuclear, LLC (Susquehanna Nuclear), on behalf of itself and Riverstone Holdings, LLC (Riverstone), on June 29, 2016, as supplemented by letter dated November 14, 2016. The application sought NRC approval of the indirect transfer of Susquehanna Nuclear's interests in Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. NPF-14 and NPF-22 for the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1 and 2 (SSES), respectively, as well as the general license for the SSES Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI), from the ultimate parent, Talen Energy Corporation (Talen), to Riverstone. The NRC's approval of the indirect license transfer is subject to certain conditions, which are described in the order. The order is effective upon issuance.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing a partial exemption from three record keeping requirements in its regulations in response to a September 14, 2016, request from Duke Energy Florida, (DEF, or the licensee). Specifically, the licensee requested that the Crystal River Unit 3 Nuclear Generating Plant (CR- 3), be granted a partial exemption from regulations that require retention of records for certain systems, structures, and components.

The Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards was established by Section 29 of the Atomic Energy Act (AEA) of 1954, as amended. Its purpose is to provide advice to the Commission with regard to the hazards of proposed or existing reactor facilities, to review each application for a construction permit or operating license for certain facilities specified in the AEA, and such other duties as the Commission may request. The AEA as amended by Public Law 100-456 also specifies that the Defense Nuclear Safety Board may obtain the advice and recommendations of the ACRS. Membership on the Committee includes individuals experienced in reactor operations, management; probabilistic risk assessment; analysis of reactor accident phenomena; design of nuclear power plant structures, systems and components; materials science; and mechanical, civil, and electrical engineering. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has determined that renewal of the charter for the ACRS until December 1, 2018 is in the public interest in connection with the statutory responsibilities assigned to the ACRS. This action is being taken in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is withdrawing three regulatory guides (RGs): RG 1.3, Revision 2, ``Assumptions Used for Evaluating the Potential Radiological Consequences of a Loss of Coolant Accident for Boiling Water Reactors,'' dated June 1974; RG 1.4, Revision 2, ``Assumptions Used for Evaluating the Potential Radiological Consequences of a Loss of Coolant Accident for Pressurized Water Reactors,'' dated June 1974; and RG 1.5 (Safety Guide 5), ``Assumptions Used for Evaluating the Potential Radiological Consequences of a Steam Line Break Accident for Boiling Water Reactors,'' dated March 1971. These three RGs are being withdrawn because the guidance contained in them has been superseded and is now incorporated into RG 1.183, ``Alternative Radiological Source Terms for Evaluating Design Basis Accidents at Nuclear Power Reactors,'' and RG 1.195, ``Methods and Assumptions for Evaluating Radiological Consequences of Design Basis Accidents at Light-Water Nuclear Power Reactors.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is announcing the discontinuation of further regulatory action on Draft Regulatory Guide (DG) DG-1216, ``Plant-Specific Applicability of Transition Break Size Specified in 10 CFR 50.46a,'' and its withdrawal. Draft Regulatory Guide DG-1216 was a proposed new regulatory guide written to provide implementing guidance for a proposed rule ``Risk-Informed Changes to Loss-of-Coolant Accident Technical Requirements,'' (Emergency core cooling system (ECCS) rulemaking)) that provided a voluntary, alternate approach for evaluating the performance of an ECCS. The NRC is discontinuing further regulatory action on the DG and not publishing the DG in final form because the NRC has discontinued the underlying rulemaking.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a renewal of Facility Operating License No. R-84, held by the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI or the licensee) for the continued operation of its AFRRI Training, Research, Isotopes Production, General Atomics (TRIGA) reactor for an additional 20 years.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is confirming the effective date of December 21, 2016, for the direct final rule that was published in the Federal Register on October 7, 2016. The direct final rule amended the NRC's spent fuel storage regulations by revising the ``List of approved spent fuel storage casks'' to include Amendment No. 6 to Certificate of Compliance (CoC) No. 1031 for the NAC International, MAGNASTOR[supreg] Cask System.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is revising its licensing guidance for licenses authorizing medical use of byproduct material. The NRC is requesting public comment on draft NUREG-1556, Volume 9, Revision 3, ``Consolidated Guidance About Materials Licenses: Program-Specific Guidance About Medical Use Licenses.'' The document has been updated from the previous revision to include information on safety culture, security of radioactive materials, protection of sensitive information, and changes in regulatory policies and practices. This document is intended for use by applicants, licensees, and the NRC staff.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) received and is considering approval of two amendment requests. The amendment requests are for Point Beach Nuclear Plant, Unit 1; and Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station, Units 2 and 3. 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.