[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 180 (Wednesday, September 17, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54503-54504]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-23691]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Consolidated
Decommissioning Guidance; Notice of Availability
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) is announcing the availability of
the three volumes (Revision 1 of Volume 1, and final Volumes 2 and 3)
of NUREG-1757, ``Consolidated NMSS Decommissioning Guidance.'' The
first volume is ``Consolidated NMSS Decommissioning Guidance:
Decommissioning Process for Materials Licensees'' (NUREG-1757, Vol. 1,
Rev. 1), which provides guidance for planning and implementing the
termination of materials licenses. The second volume, ``Consolidated
NMSS Decommissioning Guidance: Characterization, Survey, and
Determination of Radiological Criteria'' (NUREG-1757, Vol. 2), provides
guidance for compliance with the radiological criteria for termination
of licenses. The third volume, ``Consolidated NMSS Decommissioning
Guidance: Financial Assurance, Recordkeeping, and Timeliness'' (NUREG-
1757, Vol. 3), provides guidance for compliance with the financial
assurance, recordkeeping, and timeliness criteria for decommissioning
of materials facilities.
The guidance is intended for NRC staff, licensees, and the public.
The guidance consolidation effort is supportive of the NRC's Strategic
Plan performance goals to make NRC activities and decisions more
effective, efficient, and realistic and to reduce unnecessary
regulatory burden.
ADDRESSES: Volumes 1, 2, and 3 of NUREG-1757 are available for
inspection and copying for a fee at the Commission's Public Document
Room, U.S. NRC's Headquarters Building, 11555 Rockville Pike (First
Floor), Rockville, Maryland. The Public Document Room is open from 7:45
a.m. to 4:15 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays.
NUREG-1757 also is available electronically from the ADAMS Electronic
Reading Room on the NRC Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html, and on the NRC Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1757/.
Copies of NUREG-1757 also may be purchased from one of these two
sources: (1) The Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing
Office, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-0001; Internet: http://bookstore.gpo.gov/; telephone: 202-512-1800; fax: 202-512-2250; or (2)
The National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161-0002,
Internet: www.ntis.gov; telephone 1-800-553-6847 or, locally, 703-605-
6000.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Duane W. Schmidt, Mail Stop: T-7F27,
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
Telephone: (301) 415-6919; Internet: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
As part of its redesign of the materials license program, NMSS has
consolidated and updated numerous decommissioning guidance documents
into a three-volume NUREG report, NUREG-1757, ``Consolidated NMSS
Decommissioning Guidance.'' Information on the overall decommissioning
guidance consolidation and updating project can be found in the Federal
Register notice publishing the plan for the project (66 FR 21793; May
1, 2001). NUREG-1757 provides guidance for planning and implementing
license termination under the License Termination Rule (10 CFR part 20,
subpart E) (LTR). This NUREG report addresses compliance with the
radiological criteria for license termination of the LTR, and it
incorporates the risk-informed and performance-based alternatives of
the rule. This NUREG also provides guidance for compliance with the
requirements for financial assurance and recordkeeping for
decommissioning and timeliness in decommissioning of materials
facilities.
The approaches described in NUREG-1757 help to identify the
information (subject matter and level of detail) needed for a wide
range of radioactive materials licensees to meet the financial
assurance, recordkeeping, and timeliness requirements for
decommissioning and to terminate a license. NUREG-1757 describes and
makes available to the public: (1) Methods acceptable to the NRC staff
in implementing specific parts of the Commission's regulations; (2)
techniques and criteria used by the staff in evaluating decommissioning
actions; and (3) guidance to licensees responsible for decommissioning
NRC-licensed sites.
NUREG-1757 updates and builds upon the risk-informed approach used
in the NMSS Decommissioning Handbook (NUREG/BR-0241, ``NMSS Handbook
for Decommissioning Fuel Cycle and Materials Facilities,'' March 1997)
and the ``NMSS Decommissioning Standard Review Plan,'' NUREG-1727,
September 2000. The three volumes of NUREG-1757 supersede NUREG/BR-0241
and NUREG-1727 in their entirety and should be used as guidance for
decommissioning.
Discussion
The following table provides a summary of: (1) The guidance
provided in each volume of NUREG-1757; (2) licensees to which the
guidance applies; and (3) licensee submittals to which the guidance
applies.
[[Page 54504]]
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Licensees to which the guidance Licensee submittals to which the
Volume Subject applies guidance applies
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1 Decommissioning Process for Fuel cycle, fuel storage, and Decommissioning license
Materials Licensees. materials licensees. amendment requests,
decommissioning plans, and
related compliance documents.
2 Characterization, Survey, and All licensees that must Decommissioning license
Determination of Radiological terminate licenses under the amendment requests,
Criteria. LTR (fuel cycle, fuel storage, decommissioning plans, license
materials, and reactor termination plans, and related
licensees). compliance documents.
3. Financial Assurance, Fuel cycle, fuel storage, and Financial assurance plans and
Recordkeeping, and Timeliness. materials licensees. instruments, recordkeeping
plans, decommissioning license
amendment requests,
decommissioning plans, and
related compliance documents.
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On September 26, 2002 (67 FR 60706), NRC announced the availability
of final NUREG-1757, Volume 1, entitled ``Consolidated NMSS
Decommissioning Guidance: Decommissioning Process for Materials
Licensees.'' In order to ensure consistency between the volumes of this
NUREG report and to provide the most recent regulatory guidance
available, the NRC staff decided that republication of Volume 1, as
Revision 1, was appropriate. Revision 1 was developed concurrently with
the finalization of Volumes 2 and 3 of this NUREG report. The major
changes in Revision 1 include: (1) Revised guidance regarding issuance
of Federal Register notifications during the decommissioning process;
(2) removal of example Federal Register notices; (3) guidance on the
disposition of solid materials; (4) updated guidance regarding staff
actions to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act; and (5)
references to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/NRC Memorandum
of Understanding for consultation on decommissioning sites (67 FR
65375; October 24, 2002). Volume 1, Revision 1 provides guidance for
developing those parts of a decommissioning plan addressing general
site description and current radiological conditions; decommissioning
activities, management, and quality assurance; and modifications to
decommissioning programs and procedures.
On September 26, 2002 (67 FR 60707), NRC announced the availability
and solicited comments on draft NUREG-1757, Volume 2, entitled
``Consolidated NMSS Decommissioning Guidance: Characterization, Survey,
and Determination of Radiological Criteria.'' NRC staff reviewed and
considered the comments and incorporated them, where appropriate, in
the final Volume 2. Appendix P of the final Volume 2 provides the
public comments received and the NRC staff response to those comments.
The final Volume 2 provides guidance for demonstrating compliance with
the LTR. Specifically, final Volume 2 provides guidance on facility
radiation surveys, especially final status surveys; dose assessments;
and demonstrations that residual radioactivity levels are as low as is
reasonably achievable (ALARA).
In addition, final Volume 2 provides guidance for identifying and
accounting for potential dose contributions from partial site releases
(see Final Rule, ``Releasing Part of a Power Reactor Site or Facility
for Unrestricted Use Before the NRC Approves the License Termination
Plan;'' 68 FR 19711; April 22, 2003). Final Volume 2 provides guidance
on how to account for dose contributions from previously released areas
to ensure that the entire site, including the previously released
areas, meets the radiological criteria of the LTR.
On January 10, 2003 (68 FR 1487), NRC announced the availability
and solicited comments on draft NUREG-1757, Volume 3, entitled
``Consolidated NMSS Decommissioning Guidance: Financial Assurance,
Recordkeeping, and Timeliness.'' NRC staff reviewed and considered the
comments and incorporated them, where appropriate, in the final Volume
3. Appendix B of the final Volume 3 provides the public comments
received and the NRC staff response to those comments. The final Volume
3 provides guidance for demonstrating compliance with the financial
assurance, recordkeeping, and timeliness requirements for
decommissioning materials facilities.
While NUREG-1757 is intended for use by applicants, licensees, and
NRC license reviewers, it is also available to other NRC personnel,
Agreement State staff, and the public. NRC staff will use the policies
and procedures discussed in NUREG-1757 to evaluate a licensee's
decommissioning actions, financial assurance and recordkeeping for
decommissioning, and timeliness in decommissioning.
NUREG-1757 is not a substitute for regulations, and compliance with
it is not required. Methods and solutions different from those in
NUREG-1757 will be acceptable, if they provide a basis for concluding
that the decommissioning actions are in compliance with the
Commission's regulations.
Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act
In accordance with the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement
Fairness Act of 1996, the NRC has determined that this action is not a
major rule and has verified this determination with the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget.
Dated at Rockville, MD, this 11th day of September, 2003.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Daniel M. Gillen,
Chief, Decommissioning Branch, Division of Waste Management, Office of
Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 03-23691 Filed 9-16-03; 8:45 am]
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