Nuclear Regulatory Commission 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is correcting a notice that was published in the Federal Register (FR) on January 9, 2017, regarding Category 3 source security and accountability. This action is necessary to delete erroneous text in the paragraph under the heading ``IV. Public Comments Process.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an exemption in response to an October 13, 2016, letter from Duke Energy Progress (DEP). On May 2, 2013, DEP requested that the NRC suspend review of its combined license (COL) application until further notice. On October 13, 2016, DEP requested an exemption from certain regulatory requirements which, if granted, would allow them to revise their COL application for Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant (Harris) Units 2 and 3 in order to address enhancements to the Emergency Preparedness (EP) rules by December 31, 2019, rather than by December 31, 2016, as the regulations currently require. The NRC staff reviewed this request and determined that it is appropriate to grant the exemption to the EP update requirements until December 31, 2019, but stipulated that the updates to the Final Safety Analysis Report must be submitted prior to requesting the NRC resume its review of the COL application, or by December 31, 2019, whichever comes first.

On May 12, 2016, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) submitted an application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for an early site permit (ESP) for the Clinch River Nuclear Site located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. A notice of receipt and availability of this application was published in the Federal Register on June 23, 2016. The TVA also provided supplemental information in support of the application to the NRC.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering the issuance to license amendment of SUB-348, issued on July 13, 1961 and held by the Department of the Army, U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDEC), Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC or the licensee), for its facilities located at the Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County, New Jersey.

The Licensing Support System Advisory Review Panel was established by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) as a Federal Advisory Committee in 1989. Its purpose was to provide advice on the fundamental issues of design and development of an electronic information management system to be used to store and retrieve documents relating to the licensing of a geologic repository for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste, and on the operation and maintenance of the system. This electronic information management system was known as the Licensing Support System (LSS). In November 1998, the Commission approved amendments to title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations part 2 that renamed the Licensing Support System Advisory Review Panel as the Licensing Support Network Advisory Review Panel. The Licensing Support Network (LSN) was shut down in 2011 and the document collection was submitted to the Office of the Secretary. The document collection was made publically available in the NRC's ADAMS system in August 2016 and contains over 3.69 million documents associated the proposed high-level waste facility at Yucca Mountain. Membership on the Panel will continue to be drawn from those whose interests that could be affected by the use of the LSN document collection, including the Department of Energy, the NRC, the State of Nevada, the National Congress of American Indians, affected units of local governments in Nevada, the Nevada Nuclear Waste Task Force, and nuclear industry groups. Federal agencies with expertise and experience in electronic information management systems may also participate on the Panel. The NRC has determined that renewal of the charter for the LSNARP until January 5, 2019, is in the public interest in connection with duties imposed on the Commission by law. This action is being taken in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act after consultation with the Committee Management Secretariat, General Services Administration.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) invites public comment on the renewal of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for an existing collection of information. The information collection is entitled, ``NRC Form 327, Special Nuclear Material (SNM) and Source Material (SM) Physical Inventory Summary Report, and NUREG/ BR-0096, Instructions and Guidance for Completing Physical Inventory.''

On October 18, 2016, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a Staff Requirements Memorandum (SRM) for COMJMB-16-0001 and directed NRC staff to take specific actions to evaluate whether it is necessary to revise NRC regulations or processes governing source protection and accountability. Specifically, the Commission asked the staff to conduct an evaluation of, among other things, the pros and cons of different methods of requiring transferors of Category 3 quantities of radioactive material to verify the validity of a transferee's license prior to transfer, the pros and cons of including Category 3 sources in the National Source Tracking System (NSTS), and the risks posed by aggregation of Category 3 sources into Category 2 quantities. As part of this evaluation, the NRC is seeking input from licensees, Agreement States, and the public to inform the staff's assessment of potential revisions to regulations or processes requiring Category 3 source protection and accountability.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has granted the request of Exelon Generation Company, LLC (Exelon, the licensee), to withdraw its application dated July 28, 2016, for a proposed amendment to Facility Operating License No. NPF-62. The proposed amendment request would have changed the organization, staffing, and training requirements contained in Section 5.0 of the Technical Specifications after the license no longer authorizes operation of the reactor or placement or retention of fuel in the reactor pressure vessel.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) received and is considering issuance of an amendment to Facility Operating License No. NPF-96, issued to the Tennessee Valley Authority, for operation of the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant (WBN), Unit 2. The proposed amendment would revise the WBN, Unit 2, Cyber Security Plan (CSP) Implementation Schedule for Milestone 8 and would revise the associated license condition in the Facility Operating License. Because the 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) has issued combined licenses (Nos. NPF-101 and NPF-102) to Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (DEC) William States Lee III Nuclear Station Units 1 and 2. In addition, the NRC has prepared a Summary Record of Decision (ROD) that supports the NRC's decision to issue the above-named combined licenses.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing a notice of intent to enter into a modified indemnity agreement with Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, (DEC) to operate William States Lee III Nuclear Station (WLS) Units 1 and 2. The NRC is required to publish notice of its intent to enter into an indemnity agreement which contains provisions different from the general form found in the NRC's regulations. A modification to the general form is necessary to accommodate the unique timing provisions of a combined license (COL).

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) received and is considering approval of one amendment request. The amendment request is for Kewaunee Power Station. For this amendment request, the NRC proposes to determine that it involves no significant hazards consideration. Because the amendment request contains sensitive unclassified non-safeguards information (SUNSI) and safeguards information (SGI), an order imposes procedures to obtain access to SUNSI and SGI for contention preparation.