[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 239 (Wednesday, December 14, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-30694]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: December 14, 1994]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

10 CFR PART 72

RIN 3150-AE37

 

Notification of Events

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is amending its 
regulations to revise licensee reporting requirements regarding the 
notification of events related to radiation safety at Independent Spent 
Fuel Storage Installations (ISFSIs) and a Monitored Retrievable Storage 
Installation (MRS). This action will ensure that significant 
occurrences at these licensed facilities are promptly reported to NRC 
so that the Commission can evaluate whether the licensee has taken 
appropriate actions to protect the public health and safety and whether 
prompt NRC action is necessary to address generic safety concerns.

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 13, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Naiem S. Tanious, Office of Nuclear 
Regulatory Research, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, 
DC, 20555. Telephone (301) 415-6103.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On August 16, 1991, (56 FR 40757), the NRC amended its regulations 
in Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), parts 20, 30, 40, 
and 70 to better describe those events that must be reported to the NRC 
because they pose a potential hazard to public health and safety or the 
environment and should be evaluated by NRC to determine whether further 
NRC action is necessary. These new reporting requirements covered the 
following areas: Inability to control licensed material, unplanned 
contamination events, failure of safety equipment, personal injury 
events, and fires and explosions.
    Public comments received when the amendments were proposed 
suggested that part 72 also be amended to require notification of 
events at an ISFSI or MRS. The NRC responded that it would consider the 
suggestion and initiate rulemaking to amend part 72, if appropriate. In 
considering the suggestion, the NRC took account of the fact that, 
except for criticality, part 72 itself contains no generally applicable 
reporting requirements for the types of events covered by the recent 
amendments to parts 30, 40, and 70. Furthermore, to date among the 
seven existing part 72 specific license ISFSIs, the reporting 
requirements have been imposed by license condition on a case-by-case 
basis and are not consistent. Therefore, the NRC decided that it is 
desirable to proceed with amending part 72.
    On September 14, 1993 (58 FR 48004), the NRC published the notice 
of proposed rulemaking that would add new reporting requirements to 
part 72. The proposed reporting requirements in Sec. 72.75 were similar 
to the reporting requirements in the amendments to parts 30, 40, and 
70, but with some changes appropriate to ISFSIs and the MRS. These 
changes dealt with defects in storage systems, unplanned medical 
treatments involving radioactive contamination, and fires and 
explosions. The public comment period expired November 29, 1993.

Public Comments on the Proposed Rule

    The NRC received letters from seven commenters: one letter from an 
organization that represents the nuclear power industry, one from a 
private citizen, two from States, and three from electric utilities. 
All of the commenters supported the goal of establishing uniform 
reporting requirements; however, most commenters identified specific 
provisions that they believed should be revised. Some commenters 
supported the proposed requirements because they are generally 
consistent with existing part 50 requirements. The following is a 
summary of the comments and NRC's responses.

The 4-hour threshold for immediate reporting

    Some commenters stated that the 4-hour threshold for immediate 
reports was too long. They were concerned that events described in the 
proposed rule may require actions by local authorities to protect 
persons offsite. Therefore, the commenters believed that immediate 
reports should be made within minutes, not hours.
    The NRC agrees that emergencies should be reported immediately. 
Even though already addressed in Sec. 72.32, Sec. 72.75 has been 
clarified to explicitly specify that all emergencies, as classified by 
the licensee's emergency plan or by license condition, must be reported 
to the NRC Operations Center after notification to State and local 
authorities. Additionally, this notification must be made within one 
hour of the emergency declaration by the licensee. The remaining 
reporting requirements in Sec. 72.75 are for events which are 
significant, but not emergencies; therefore, reporting to the NRC 
within one hour is not necessary. The NRC believes that for these non-
emergency type events a 4-hour reporting period is appropriate.

Immediate notification of off-site agencies

    In one commenter's view, appropriate off-site agencies should be 
notified immediately, i.e., within 15 minutes, of any classifiable 
accident, and that timely notification is essential to ensure that 
emergency response actions, when required, are not unduly or 
unnecessarily delayed.
    Section 72.75 has been clarified to specify that emergency events 
be promptly reported to off-site agencies as specified in the 
licensee's emergency plan. The NRC agrees that, in the event of an 
emergency, NRC and State and local agencies should be notified in less 
time than 1 hour. In particular, if an event is significant enough to 
be an emergency, then part 72 emergency planning requirements would 
govern, including notification of the NRC Operations Center and off-
site State and Federal agencies as soon as practical and, in any event, 
in less than 1 hour.
    In addition to achieving more consistency in reporting events among 
ISFSI licensees, two objectives of this rulemaking remain the same as 
those already achieved by the earlier notification of events rulemaking 
for parts 30, 40, and 70, that is, to assure that all significant 
events are reported, and that the NRC and the industry have knowledge 
of and feedback from operating experience (56 FR 40757; August 16, 
1991, general comment No. 3).

Thirty-day time limit for written reports

    One commenter stated that the 30-day time limit for written 
followup reports was too long. The commenter stated that the public has 
a right to know of events as soon as possible and that written reports 
should be submitted within one week so they can be placed in the public 
document room.
    The NRC notes that the telephone notifications made to the 
Operations Center are formalized and distributed to the public document 
room and the NRC's computer bulletin board within approximately one 
working day. However, for a written followup investigation, the 30-day 
time limit is standard. For these types of events, the licensee may 
need to take measurements, collect samples, decontaminate and clean up, 
assemble the facts, and write the report. Also, a 30-day period has 
been found to be adequate for similar requirements in parts 20, 30, 40, 
50, and 70. Therefore, the 30-day time limit is a balance of the 
public's need to know as soon as possible and the licensee's need to 
have an adequate amount of time to complete the previously described 
tasks in order to provide a meaningful report.

Changing the words ``a medical facility'' to ``an offsite medical 
facility''

    One commenter recommended changing the words, ``a medical 
facility'' to ``an offsite medical facility'' in Sec. 72.75(a)(5). With 
this change Sec. 72.75(a)(5) would read: ``An event that requires 
unplanned medical treatment at an offsite medical facility of an 
individual with radioactive contamination on the individual's clothing 
or body which could cause further contamination.'' The commenter 
suggested that this word change would make Sec. 72.75(a)(5) consistent 
with Sec. 50.72(b)(2)(v).
    The NRC agrees with the commenter and the change has been made in 
the final rule. The word ``offsite'' was not used in the earlier 
reporting requirements that were added to parts 30, 40, and 70 because 
some of these licensees are hospitals. It is clear that a hospital 
would not be a part 72 specific license ISFSI.

Mechanism for notification of off-site authorities

    One commenter asked whether there is a mechanism in place to ensure 
that off-site authorities will be notified in a timely manner.
    Yes. If the event is an emergency, the licensee emergency plans are 
such a mechanism. If the event is not an emergency, this rule provides 
a mechanism to ensure timely notification.

Revising Sec. 72.216 to include Sec. 72.74 events

    One commenter suggested that if 10 CFR 72.216 is to be revised to 
require compliance with the new reporting requirements of Sec. 72.75, 
it would be logical to also revise it to include 10 CFR 72.74 
concerning criticality reporting requirements.
    The NRC agrees with the comment and the final rule has been revised 
such that Sec. 72.216 now requires reporting of those events described 
in Sec. 72.74.

Reporting events under Sec. 50.72 instead of Sec. 72.75

    One commenter suggested that general licensees located at a reactor 
site with a part 50 operating license should be required to report 
events in accordance with Sec. 50.72, instead of the new Sec. 72.75. 
According to the commenter, this change would promote uniformity in 
reporting requirements without creating an additional burden on general 
licensees.
    The NRC disagrees. Such general licensees under part 72 are already 
required to comply with Sec. 50.72, which covers predominantly reactor 
related events and conditions but not spent fuel and high-level waste 
(HLW). Thus, it is necessary for general licensees to comply with 
Sec. 72.75, which only covers events and conditions related to spent 
fuel and HLW.

Uniformity of requirements of 10 CFR 72.75 and 10 CFR 50.72

    One commenter expressed the concern that the requirements of 
Sec. 72.75 and Sec. 50.72 are not uniform. The commenter pointed out 
that the proposed rule in Secs. 72.75(a)(1) and (a)(4) requires 
reporting within 4 hours, whereas similar requirements in 
Secs. 50.72(b)(1)(i)(B), and (b)(1)(vi) require reporting of the same 
events within 1 hour.
    Reporting of similar events or conditions are covered in both 
Sec. 50.72 and Sec. 72.75, but the potential consequences are not the 
same. For example, events and conditions covered by Sec. 50.72 (b)(1) 
relate to nuclear power plants whereas events and conditions covered by 
Sec. 72.75 relate to spent fuel or HLW. The consequences of certain 
events at nuclear power reactors have the potential to be somewhat more 
significant than the consequences of similar events involving spent 
fuel or HLW at ISFSIs. Therefore, the reporting time has been linked to 
the potential consequences of the event and uniformity is not 
necessary. It should be noted, however, that the immediate notification 
requirements for emergency event reporting have not been changed. This 
has been clarified in Sec. 72.75.

Reporting safety equipment failures

    Some commenters requested that the proposed reporting requirement 
in Sec. 72.75(b)(2) for safety equipment failures be revised to be 
consistent with the language in Sec. 50.72(b)(2)(iii). The commenters 
stated that the proposed reporting requirement seemed significantly 
more restrictive than Sec. 50.72.
    The NRC disagrees. The requirements in Sec. 50.72(b)(2)(iii) apply 
to events or conditions of the nuclear power plant and require 
reporting within four hours whereas Sec. 72.75 (b)(2) applies to events 
or conditions of the spent fuel or HLW and requires reporting within 24 
hours.
    Having considered all comments received and other input, the NRC 
has determined that the following final rule should be promulgated.

Environmental Impact: Categorical Exclusion

    The NRC has determined that this final rule is the type of action 
described in the categorical exclusion of 10 CFR 51.22(c)(3)(iii). 
Therefore, neither an environmental impact statement nor an 
environmental assessment has been prepared for this regulation.

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement

    This final rule amends information collection requirements that are 
subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et 
seq.). These requirements were approved by the Office of Management and 
Budget, approval number 3150-0132.
    The public reporting burden for this collection of information is 
estimated to average 8 hours per response, including the time for 
reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and 
maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the 
collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate 
or any other aspect of this collection of information, including 
suggestions for reducing the burden, to the Information and Records 
Management Branch (T-6 F33), U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC, 20555; and to the Desk Officer, Office of Information 
and Regulatory Affairs, NEOB-10202 (3150-0132), Office of Management 
and Budget, Washington, DC 20503.

Regulatory Analysis

    The Commission has prepared a regulatory analysis for this final 
rule. The analysis examines the costs and benefits of the alternatives 
considered by the Commission. The Commission requested public comments 
on the draft regulatory analysis, but no comments were received. No 
changes to the draft regulatory analysis were therefore considered to 
be necessary. As a result, the draft regulatory analysis is adopted as 
the final regulatory analysis without change. The regulatory analysis 
is available for inspection in the NRC Public Document Room, 2120 L 
Street NW. (Lower Level), Washington, DC.

Regulatory Flexibility Certification

    The NRC has prepared an analysis of the impact of this final rule 
on small entities. The analysis indicates that the final rule is 
expected to have no significant economic impact on part 72 licensees, 
because the estimated cost to industry of reporting postulated events 
would be in the range of $0 - 2112 annually. Moreover, none of the 
current part 72 licensees are considered small entities. In any case, 
no report would be required of licensees unless there is an incident 
involving spent fuel or HLW that meets the criteria specified in these 
amendments. Hence, the impact on part 72 licensees should be minimal. 
The analysis is available for inspection in the NRC Public Document 
Room, 2120 L Street NW (Lower Level), Washington, DC.

Backfit Analysis

    The NRC has determined that the backfit rule 10 CFR 50.109, does 
not apply to this final rule because these amendments do not involve 
any provisions which would impose backfits as defined in 
Sec. 50.109(a)(1). Also, the NRC has determined that backfitting 
requirements in Sec. 72.62 do not apply to this proposed rule because 
the proposed event reporting requirements are not procedures required 
to operate an ISFSI or MRS. Therefore, a backfit analysis is not 
required.

Criminal penalties

    For purposes of Section 223 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as 
amended, relating to willful violations of requirements notice is 
hereby given that these amendments are being adopted and promulgated 
pursuant to Sections 161b, 161i, or 161o of the Act.

List of Subjects

10 CFR Part 72

    Manpower training programs, Nuclear materials, Occupational safety 
and health, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Security 
measures, Spent fuel.
    For the reasons set out in the preamble and under the authority of 
the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended; the Energy Reorganization 
Act of 1974, as amended; the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as 
amended; and 5 U.S.C. 553, the Commission is proposing to adopt the 
following amendments to 10 CFR part 72.

PART 72--LICENSING REQUIREMENTS FOR THE INDEPENDENT STORAGE OF 
SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL AND HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE

    1. The authority citation for part 72 is revised to read as 
follows:

    Authority: Secs. 51, 53, 57, 62, 63, 65, 69, 81, 161, 182, 183, 
184, 186, 187, 189, 68 Stat. 929, 930, 932, 933, 934, 935, 948, 953, 
954, 955, as amended, sec. 234, 83 Stat. 444, as amended (42 U.S.C. 
2071, 2073, 2077, 2092, 2093, 2095, 2099, 2111, 2201, 2232, 2233, 
2234, 2236, 2237, 2238, 2282); sec. 274, Pub. L. 86-373, 73 Stat. 
688, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2021); sec. 201, as amended, 202, 206, 88 
Stat. 1242, as amended, 1244, 1246 (42 U.S.C. 5841, 5842, 5846); 
Pub. L. 95-601, sec. 10, 92 Stat. 2951 (42 U.S.C. 5851); sec. 102, 
Pub. L. 91-190, 83 Stat. 853 (42 U.S.C. 4332); Secs. 131, 132, 133, 
135, 137, 141, Pub. L. 97-425, 96 Stat. 2229, 2230, 2232, 2241, sec. 
148, Pub. L. 100-203, 101 Stat. 1330-235 (42 U.S.C. 10151, 10152, 
10153, 10155, 10157, 10161, 10168).
    Section 72.44(g) also issued under secs. 142(b) and 148(c), (d), 
Pub. L. 100-203, 101 Stat. 1330-232, 1330-236 (42 U.S.C. 10162(b), 
10168(c), (d)). Section 72.46 also issued under sec. 189, 68 Stat. 
955 (42 U.S.C. 2239); sec. 134, Pub. L. 97-425, 96 Stat. 2230 (42 
U.S.C. 10154). Section 72.96(d) also issued under sec. 145(g), Pub. 
L. 100-203, 101 Stat. 1330-235 (42 U.S.C. 10165(g); Subpart J also 
issued under secs. 2(2), 2(15), 2(19), 117(a), 141(h), Pub. L. 97-
425, 96 Stat. 2202, 2203, 2204, 2222, 2224 (42 U.S.C. 10101, 
10137(a), 10161(h)). Subparts K and L are also issued under sec. 
133, 98 Stat. 2230 (42 U.S.C. 10153) and sec. 218(a), 96 Stat. 2252 
(42 U.S.C. 10198).

    2. A new Sec. 72.75 under Subpart D--``Records, Reports, 
Inspections, and Enforcement''--is added to read as follows:


Sec. 72.75  Reporting requirements for specific events and conditions.

    (a) Emergency notifications--Each licensee shall notify the NRC 
Operations Center upon the declaration of an emergency as specified in 
the licensee's approved emergency plan addressed in Sec. 72.32 of this 
part. The licensee shall notify the NRC immediately after notification 
of the appropriate State or local agencies, but not later than one hour 
after the time the licensee declares an emergency.
    (b) Non-emergency notifications: Four-hour reports. Each licensee 
shall notify the NRC as soon as possible but not later than 4 hours 
after the discovery of any of the following events or conditions 
involving spent fuel or HLW:
    (1) An event that prevents immediate actions necessary to avoid 
exposures to radiation or radioactive materials that could exceed 
regulatory limits, or releases of radioactive materials that could 
exceed regulatory limits (e.g., events such as fires, explosions, and 
toxic gas releases).
    (2) A defect in any spent fuel storage structure, system, or 
component which is important to safety.
    (3) A significant reduction in the effectiveness of any spent fuel 
storage confinement system during use.
    (4) An action taken in an emergency that departs from a condition 
or a technical specification contained in a license or certificate of 
compliance issued under this part when the action is immediately needed 
to protect the public health and safety and no action consistent with 
license or certificate of compliance conditions or technical 
specifications that can provide adequate or equivalent protection is 
immediately apparent.
    (5) An event that requires unplanned medical treatment at an 
offsite medical facility of an individual with radioactive 
contamination on the individual's clothing or body which could cause 
further radioactive contamination.
    (6) An unplanned fire or explosion damaging any spent fuel or HLW, 
or any device, container, or equipment containing spent fuel or HLW 
when the damage affects the integrity of the material or its container.
    (c) Non-emergency notifications: Twenty-four hour reports. Each 
licensee shall notify the NRC within 24 hours after the discovery of 
any of the following events involving spent fuel or HLW:
    (1) Any unplanned contamination event that requires access to the 
contaminated area by workers or the public to be restricted for more 
than 24 hours by imposing additional radiological controls or by 
prohibiting entry into the area.
    (2) An event in which safety equipment is disabled or fails to 
function as designed when:
    (i) The equipment is required by regulation, license condition, or 
certificate of compliance to be available and operable to prevent 
releases that could exceed regulatory limits, to prevent exposures to 
radiation or radioactive materials that could exceed regulatory limits, 
or to mitigate the consequences of an accident; and
    (ii) No redundant equipment was available and operable to perform 
the required safety function.
    (d) Preparation and submission of reports. Reports made by 
licensees in response to the requirements of this section must be made 
as follows:
    (1) Licensees shall make reports required by paragraphs (a), (b), 
or (c) of this section by telephone to the NRC Operations Center.\1\ To 
the extent that the information is available at the time of 
notification, the information provided in these reports must include:
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    \1\The commercial telephone number for the NRC Operations Center 
is (301) 816-5100.
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    (i) The caller's name and call back telephone number;
    (ii) A description of the event, including date and time;
    (iii) The exact location of the event;
    (iv) The quantities, and chemical and physical forms of the spent 
fuel or HLW involved; and
    (v) Any personnel radiation exposure data.
    (2) Written report. Each licensee who makes an initial report 
required by paragraph (a) or (b) of this section shall submit a written 
followup report within 30 days of the initial report. Written reports 
prepared pursuant to other regulations may be submitted to fulfill this 
requirement if the reports contain all of the necessary information and 
the appropriate distribution is made. These written reports must be 
sent to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Document Control Desk, 
Washington, DC 20555, with a copy to the appropriate NRC Regional 
Office listed in Appendix D of 10 CFR Part 20. These reports must 
include the following:
    (i) A description of the event, including the probable cause and 
the manufacturer and model number (if applicable) of any equipment that 
failed or malfunctioned;
    (ii) The exact location of the event;
    (iii) The quantities, and chemical and physical forms of the spent 
fuel or HLW involved;
    (iv) Date and time of the event;
    (v) Corrective actions taken or planned and the results of any 
evaluations or assessments; and
    (vi) The extent of exposure of individuals to radiation or to 
radioactive materials without identification of individuals by name.
    3. Section 72.216 under Subpart K--``Reports''--is amended by 
adding new paragraph (c) to read as follows:


Sec. 72.216  Reports.

* * * * *
    (c) The general licensee shall make initial and written reports in 
accordance with Secs. 72.74 and 72.75, except for the events or 
conditions specified by Secs. 72.75(a)(2) and (3) for which the initial 
reports will be made under paragraph (a) of this section.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 30th day of November, 1994.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

James M. Taylor,
Executive Director for Operations.
[FR Doc. 94-30694 Filed 12-13-94; 8:45 am]
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