Nuclear Regulatory Commission – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In response to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) Memorandum and Order, CLI-22-03 (February 24, 2022), the NRC received Subsequent License RenewalAppendix E Environmental Report Supplement 2 (ER Supplement), dated November 7, 2022, related to the subsequent renewal of Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-38, DPR-47, and DPR-55, which authorizes Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (Duke Energy, the applicant) to operate Oconee Nuclear Station (Oconee), Units 1, 2, and 3. The ER Supplement addresses certain environmental impacts of operating Oconee for an additional period of 20 years beyond the current license expiration dates. The NRC will conduct a limited scoping process to gather additional information necessary to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to evaluate the environmental impacts for the subsequent license renewal (SLR) of the operating licenses for Oconee. The NRC is seeking public comment on the proper scope of the EIS to be prepared for this action.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an order to extend the effectiveness of a September 24, 2019, order, which approved the direct transfer of Possession Only License No. DPR-45 for the La Crosse Boiling Water Reactor from the current holder, LaCrosseSolutions, LLC, to Dairyland Power Cooperative and approved a conforming license amendment, for 3 months beyond its current December 24, 2022, expiration date.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will conduct a scoping process to gather information necessary to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to evaluate the environmental impacts for the license renewal of the operating licenses for Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant (CPNPP), Units 1 and 2. The NRC is seeking public comment on this action and has scheduled a public scoping meeting that will take place in Glen Rose, Texas.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is notifying the public that documents regarding draft and final Regulatory Guides that historically have been published in the ``Notices'' section of the Federal Register will now be published in the ``Proposed Rules'' and ``Rules and Regulations'' sections of the Federal Register. The Office of the Federal Register recently informed the NRC that under their guidelines, these documents fall into the ``Proposed Rules'' and ``Rules and Regulations'' categories and requested that the NRC reclassify these notices.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved the SHINE Medical Technologies, LLC (SHINE) request to amend Construction Permit No. CPMIF-001 for the SHINE Medical Isotope Production Facility (SHINE facility) in Rock County, Wisconsin. The approved amendments extend the latest date for completion of the construction of the SHINE facility from December 31, 2022, to December 31, 2025, and administratively change the name of the construction permit holder from SHINE Medical Technologies, LLC to SHINE Technologies, LLC.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has recently submitted a proposed collection of information to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. The information collection is entitled, ``Equal Employment Opportunity Electronic Complaint System.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering issuance of an amendment to Provisional Operating License No. DPR-5, and Renewed Facility License Nos. DPR-26 and DPR-64, issued to Holtec Decommissioning International, LLC, on behalf of Holtec Indian Point 2, LLC and Holtec Indian Point 3, LLC, for Indian Point Nuclear Generating Unit Nos. 1, 2, and 3, collectively referred to as the Indian Point Energy Center. The proposed amendment would remove the Cyber Security Plan requirements contained in License Condition 3.d of the Indian Point Unit 1 Provisional License, License Condition 2.H of the Indian Point Unit 2 Renewed Facility License, and License Condition 2.G of the Indian Point Unit 3 Renewed Facility License to reflect the cyber security requirements associated with decommissioning power reactors.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) received and is considering approval of three amendment requests. The amendment requests are for Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2; Byron Station, Unit 2; and Beaver Valley Power Station, Units 1 and 2. For each amendment request, the NRC proposes to determine that they involve no significant hazards consideration (NSHC). Because each amendment request contains sensitive unclassified non-safeguards information (SUNSI), an order imposes procedures to obtain access to SUNSI for contention preparation by persons who file a hearing request or petition for leave to intervene.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) published a final rule in the Federal Register on October 27, 2022, amending its regulations to incorporate by reference the 2019 Edition of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section III, Division 1, and Section XI, Division 1, and the 2020 Edition of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Operation and Maintenance of Nuclear Power Plants, Division 1: OM Code: Section IST, for nuclear power plants. These amendments were made in accordance with NRC's policy to periodically update the regulations to incorporate by reference new editions of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Codes and are intended to maintain the safety of nuclear power plants and to make NRC activities more effective and efficient. The final rule contained minor editorial errors, and this action is necessary to correct the final rule and the regulations.

Pursuant to 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.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is granting an exemption to allow a departure from the Tier 1 information in the plant-specific design control document (DCD) and is issuing License Amendment No. 187 to Combined License (COL) NPF-92. The COL was issued to Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc. (SNC); Georgia Power Company; Oglethorpe Power Corporation; MEAG Power SPVM, LLC; MEAG Power SPVJ, LLC; MEAG Power SPVP, LLC; and the City of Dalton, Georgia; for the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant (VEGP) Unit 4, located in Burke County, Georgia. SNC is the entity that is licensed to construct and operate VEGP Unit 4. The granting of the exemption allows the departure from 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) has recently submitted a proposed collection of information to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. The information collection is entitled, ``Scheduling Information for the Licensing of Accident Tolerant, Higher Burnup, and Increased Enrichment Fuels.''

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 Forms 542 and 542A, Uniform Low-Level Radioactive Waste Manifest Index and Regional Compact Tabulation and Continuation Page.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) invites public comment on this proposed information collection. The information collection is entitled, ``Regulatory Issue Summary 2009-06, Revision 1, Importance of Giving the NRC Advance Notice of Intent to Pursue License Renewal.''

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 Forms 540 and 540A, Uniform Low-Level Radioactive Waste Manifest (Shipping Paper) and Continuation Page.''

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has received a petition for rulemaking from Ralph O. Meyer dated August 1, 2022, requesting that the NRC revise its regulations regarding the licensing safety analysis for loss-of-coolant accidents. The petition was docketed by the NRC on October 11, 2022, and has been assigned Docket No. PRM-50-124. The NRC is examining the issues raised in PRM-50-124 to determine whether they should be considered in rulemaking. The NRC is requesting public comment on this petition at this time.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is amending its regulations regarding fitness for duty (FFD) programs for certain NRC licensees and other entities to align the NRC's drug testing requirements more closely with the updates made to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' ``Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs'' in 2008 and as revised in 2017. This final rule also incorporates lessons learned from implementing the NRC's current FFD regulations. These changes enhance the ability of NRC licensees and other entities to identify individuals using illegal drugs, misusing legal drugs, or attempting to subvert the drug testing process. This final rule provides additional protections to individuals subject to drug testing and improves the clarity, organization, and flexibility of the NRC's FFD regulations. This final rule provides a new flexibility for the collection and drug testing of an oral fluid specimen as an alternative to the collection and testing of a urine specimen under direct observation conditions. The NRC also is issuing final implementation guidance for this final rule.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing for public comment a draft regulatory guide (DG), DG-1391, ``Performance- Based Containment Leak Test Program''. This DG is proposed Revision 1 to regulatory guide (RG) 1.163 of the same name. The proposed revision provides guidance on an acceptable performance-based leak-test program, leakage-rate test methods, procedures, and analyses that may be used to comply with NRC regulations.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering a renewal for twenty years of special nuclear materials (SNM) License SNM-2500 for the possession, transfer, and storage of radioactive material at the Morris Operation independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) in Grundy County, Illinois. The license is held by GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas, LLC, and, if renewed, would expire on May 31, 2042.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has received Environmental Report, Supplement 1, from Virginia Electric and Power Company (Dominion, the applicant), dated September 28, 2022, related to Dominion's application for subsequent license renewal (SLR) of Renewed Facility Operating License Nos. NPF-4 and NPF-7 for North Anna Power Station Units 1 and 2 (North Anna). The NRC staff will prepare a supplement to its draft supplemental environmental impact statement (DSEIS) for North Anna subsequent license renewal, i.e., NUREG-1437, Supplement 7, Second Renewal, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants, Supplement 7, Second Renewal, Regarding Subsequent License Renewal for North Anna Power Station Units 1 and 2, Draft Report'' (August 2021). The subsequent renewed operating licenses would authorize the applicant to operate North Anna for an additional 20 years beyond the period specified in each of the current renewed licenses. The current renewed operating licenses for North Anna Units 1 and 2 expire on April 1, 2038, and August 21, 2040, respectively. The NRC will conduct a limited scoping process to gather information necessary to prepare a supplement to its DSEIS to evaluate the environmental impacts of SLR of the operating licenses for North Anna. The NRC is seeking public comment on the proper scope of the site- specific environmental impact statement (EIS) supplement to be prepared for this action.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing Interim Staff Guidance (ISG) ``Safety Review of Light-Water Power Reactor Construction Permit Applications'' to clarify existing guidance and to assist the NRC staff in determining whether an application to construct a light-water power reactor (LWR) facility meets the minimum requirements to issue a construction permit (CP). The NRC anticipates the submission of power reactor CP applications in the next few years based on preapplication engagement initiated by several prospective applicants. This guidance is applicable to all applicants for a CP for a light-water power reactor but not to non-LWR applicants or those following the Advanced Reactor Content of Application Project (ARCAP) guidance to the extent the guidance is issued as final and is relevant to the application from a technical and regulatory perspective.