[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 151 (Friday, August 6, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42997-42998]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-20272]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Documents Containing Reporting or Recordkeeping Requirements: 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Review; Comment Request

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

ACTION: Notice of the OMB review of information collection and 
solicitation of public comment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The NRC has recently submitted to OMB for review the following 
proposal for the collection of information under the provisions of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35).
    1. Type of submission, new, revision, or extension: Revision.
    2. The title of the information collection: 10 CFR PART 70--
Domestic Licensing of Special Nuclear Material Revision, Proposed Rule.
    3. The form number if applicable: Not applicable.
    4. How often the collection is required:
    (a) Event reports: NRC collects and evaluates required reports on a 
continuing basis as events occur.
    (b) License applications: Certain existing licensees will make a 
one-time submittal of information in response to the revised rule. 
Applicants for new licenses may submit applications and licensees may 
submit amendments at any time. Generally, licensees submit applications 
for license renewals every 10 years.
    (c) ISA Summary: Under the revised rule, licensees will also submit 
information about changes that they make to update information 
submitted in conjunction with their license applications. Licensees 
will submit revised pages to the integrated safety analysis summary 
within 90 days of a change. For the safety system required by 10 CFR 
70.62 (i.e., process safety information, integrated safety analysis, 
and management measures), every 12 months they will submit a summary of 
all changes made without prior Commission review and approval.
    5. Who will be required or asked to report: Except for changes to 
Sec. 70.50 1, the proposed rule will apply to only certain 
licensees authorized to possess a critical mass of special nuclear 
material. The ones included are those that are or plan to be engaged in 
enriched uranium processing, fabrication of uranium fuel or fuel 
assemblies, uranium enrichment, enriched uranium hexafluoride 
conversion, plutonium processing, fabrication of mixed-oxide fuel or 
fuel assemblies, scrap recovery, decommissioning of facilities used for 
these activities, or any other activity that the Commission determines 
could significantly affect public health and safety. The licensees to 
which it applies at present operate the seven major fuel fabrication 
facilities. The rule does not apply to the U.S. Enrichment 
Corporation's (USEC) gaseous diffusion plants that are regulated under 
Part 76.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ The proposed change to reporting requirements in Sec. 70.50 
could impact slightly a wider variety of part 70 licensees.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    6. An estimate of the number of annual responses: 51.
    7. The estimated number of annual respondents: 7.
    8. An estimate of the total number of hours needed annually to 
complete the requirement or request: 8,844 hours per year.
    9. An indication of whether section 3507(d), Pub. L. 104-13 
applies: Applicable.
    10. Abstract: The NRC is proposing to amend its regulations 
governing the domestic licensing of special nuclear material (SNM) for 
licensees authorized to possess a critical mass of SNM, that are 
engaged in one of the following activities: Enriched uranium 
processing; fabrication of uranium fuel or fuel assemblies; uranium 
enrichment (other than USEC's gaseous diffusion plants); enriched 
uranium hexafluoride conversion; plutonium processing; fabrication of 
mixed-oxide fuel or fuel assemblies; scrap recovery of special nuclear 
material; or any other activity involving a critical mass of SNM that 
the Commission determines could significantly affect public health and 
safety or the environment. The proposed amendments would identify 
appropriate consequence criteria and the level of protection needed to 
prevent or mitigate accidents that exceed these criteria; require 
affected licensees to perform an integrated safety analysis (ISA) to 
identify potential accidents at the facility and the items relied on 
for safety necessary to prevent these potential accidents and/or 
mitigate their consequences; require the implementation of measures to 
ensure that the items relied on for safety are available and reliable 
to perform their function when needed; require the inclusion of the 
safety bases, including a summary of the ISA, with the license 
application; and allow for licensees to make certain changes to their 
safety program and facilities without prior NRC approval.
    Submit, by September 7, 1999, comments that address the following 
questions:
    1. Is the proposed collection of information necessary for the NRC 
to properly perform its functions? Does the information have practical 
utility?
    2. Is the burden estimate accurate?
    3. Is there a way to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected?
    4. How can the burden of the information collection be minimized, 
including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of 
information technology?
    A copy of the submittal may be viewed free of charge at the NRC 
Public Document Room, 2120 L Street, NW (lower level), Washington, DC. 
The proposed rule indicated in ``The title of the information 
collection'' will be or has been published in the Federal Register 
within several days of the publication date of this Federal Register 
Notice. Instructions for accessing the electronic OMB clearance package 
for the rulemaking have been appended to the electronic rulemaking. 
Members of

[[Page 42998]]

the public may access the electronic OMB clearance package by following 
the directions for electronic access provided above and in the preamble 
to the titled rulemaking.
    Comments and questions should be directed to the OMB reviewer by 
September 7, 1999: Erik Godwin, Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs (3150-0009), NEOB-10202, Office of Management and Budget, 
Washington DC 20503.
    Comments can also be submitted by telephone at (202) 395-3087.
    The NRC Clearance Officer is Brenda Jo. Shelton, 301-415-7233.

    Dated at Rockville, Md., this 21st day of July 1999.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Brenda Jo. Shelton,
NRC Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 99-20272 Filed 8-5-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P