Nuclear Regulatory Commission July 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is discontinuing a rulemaking activity that would have amended the NRC's regulations to add a new part to the existing regulatory framework specific to nuclear spent fuel reprocessing facilities. The purpose of this action is to inform members of the public that this rulemaking activity is being discontinued and to provide a brief discussion of the NRC's decision. This rulemaking activity will no longer be reported in the NRC's portion of the Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions (the Unified Agenda).

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering an application for the subsequent license renewal of Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-38, DPR-47, and DPR-55, which authorize Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (Duke Energy or the applicant) to operate Oconee Nuclear Station (ONS), Units 1, 2, and 3. The renewed licenses would authorize the applicant to operate ONS for an additional 20 years beyond the period specified in each of the current renewed licenses. The current renewed operating licenses for ONS expire as follows: Unit 1 on February 6, 2033, Unit 2 on October 6, 2033, and Unit 3 on July 19, 2034.

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, ``General Domestic Licenses for Byproduct Material.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing to amend its small business size standards, which are used to qualify an NRC licensee as a ``small entity'' under the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, as amended (RFA). The purpose of these size standards is for reducing annual NRC license fees for small entities. These standards do not apply to NRC contracting for goods and services. The NRC is proposing to increase the upper and lower tiers for its receipts-based small entity size standards for small businesses and small not-for- profit organizations. This change will allow NRC standards to remain consistent with the inflation adjustments made by the Small Business Administration (SBA) size standard for nonmanufacturing concerns. In addition, in accordance with the Small Business Runway Extension Act of 2018 (Runway Act), the NRC is proposing to change the calculation of annual average receipts for the receipts-based NRC size standard for small businesses that provide a service or small businesses not engaged in manufacturing from a 3-year averaging period to a 5-year averaging period. The public is invited to submit comments on this proposed rule.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing a new Regulatory Guide (RG) 3.76 (Revision 0), ``Implementation of Aging Management Requirements for Spent Fuel Storage Renewals.'' This new guidance describes an approach that is acceptable to the staff of the NRC to meet the regulatory requirements for spent fuel storage renewals. It addresses requirements for the renewal of specific licenses for independent spent fuel storage installations (ISFSIs) and certificates of compliance (CoCs) for spent fuel storage cask designs pursuant to NRC requirements.

On June 24, 2021, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) noticed receipt of, and solicited public comments on, the post-shutdown decommissioning activities report (PSDAR) for the Indian Point Nuclear Generating, Unit Nos. 1, 2, and 3 (Indian Point Energy Center (IPEC)), submitted by Holtec Decommissioning International, LLC (HDI). The PSDAR, which includes the site-specific decommissioning cost estimate (DCE), provides an overview of HDI's planned activities, schedule, projected costs, and environmental impacts for the decommissioning of the IPEC. The NRC will hold a public meeting to discuss the PSDAR and DCE and to receive comments.

Pursuant to section 189.a.(2) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is publishing this regular monthly notice. The Act requires the Commission to publish notice of any amendments issued, or proposed to be issued, and grants the Commission the authority to issue and make immediately effective any amendment to an operating license or combined license, as applicable, upon a determination by the Commission that such amendment involves no significant hazards consideration (NSHC), notwithstanding the pendency before the Commission of a request for a hearing from any person. This monthly notice includes all amendments issued, or proposed to be issued, from May 27, 2021, to June 24, 2021. The last monthly notice was published on June 15, 2021.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has rescheduled the public teleconference meeting of the Advisory Committee on the Medical Uses of Isotopes (ACMUI) previously scheduled for July 15, 2021. The meeting notice, published in the Federal Register on June 17, 2021 (86 FR 32285), is being reissued to inform public stakeholders that the ACMUI meeting will now be held on September 2, 2021. The meeting agenda and any updates are available at https://www.nrc.gov/ reading-rm/doc-collections/acmui/meetings/2021.html or by emailing Ms. Kellee Jamerson at the contact information below. The agenda is subject to change.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of amendments to Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. NPF- 72 and NPF-77, that were issued to Exelon Generation Company, LLC, (licensee) for operation of the Braidwood Station, Units 1 and 2. The proposed amendments are contained in the licensee's letter dated May 27, 2021, and would change technical specifications (TSs) surveillance requirement (SR) 3.7.9.2 to allow an ultimate heat sink (UHS) temperature of less than or equal to 102.8 degrees Fahrenheit ([deg]F) until September 30, 2021.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an Order approving the application dated November 19, 2020, as supplemented by letter dated April 13, 2021, filed by NorthStar Nuclear Decommissioning Company, LLC (NNDC) and ADP CR3, LLC (ADP CR3), on behalf of themselves, NorthStar Vermont Yankee, LLC (NVY), and their corporate parents related to NorthStar Group Services, Inc (NorthStar). The application sought NRC consent to the indirect transfer of (1) NNDC's licensed authority under, and NVY's licensed ownership of, Renewed Facility Operating License No. DPR-28 for the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station (Vermont Yankee) and the general license for the Vermont Yankee independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI); and (2) ADP CR3's licensed authority under Facility Operating License No. DPR-72 for the Crystal River Unit 3 Nuclear Generating Plant (CR3) and the general license for the CR3 ISFSI. Duke Energy Florida, LLC (DEF) will remain the licensed owner of CR3, and the application does not involve any direct or indirect transfer of DEF's license or responsibilities. No physical changes to the Vermont Yankee or CR3 facilities or operational changes were proposed in the application. The application requested NRC consent to these indirect transfers in order to complete an internal reorganization with new intermediary holding companies that would acquire control of NorthStar.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing to amend its regulations to certify the NuScale standard design for a small modular reactor. Applicants or licensees intending to construct and operate a NuScale standard design may do so by referencing this design certification rule. The applicant for certification of the NuScale standard design is NuScale Power, LLC. The public is invited to submit comments on this proposed rule.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is amending its regulations to renew the U.S. Advanced Boiling Water Reactor standard design certification. Applicants or licensees intending to construct and operate a U.S. Advanced Boiling Water Reactor standard design may do so by referencing this design certification rule. The applicant for the renewal of the U.S. Advanced Boiling Water Reactor standard design certification is General Electric-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas, LLC.