[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 58 (Monday, March 26, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 16500]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-7354]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 72-11-50-312]


In the Matter of Sacramento Municipal Utility District Rancho 
Seco Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation; Exemption

I

    Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), the licensee, holds 
Materials License SNM-2510 for receipt and storage of spent fuel from 
the Rancho Seco Nuclear Generating Station at an Independent Spent Fuel 
Storage Installation (ISFSI) located on the Rancho Seco Nuclear 
Generating Station site. The facility is located in Sacramento County, 
California.

II

    Pursuant to 10 CFR 72.7, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) 
may grant exemptions from the requirements of the regulations in 10 CFR 
Part 72 as it determines are authorized by law, will not endanger life 
or property or the common defense and security, and are otherwise in 
the public interest.
    Section 72.72(d) of 10 CFR Part 72 requires each licensee to keep 
duplicate records of spent fuel and high-level radioactive waste in 
storage. The duplicate set of records must be kept at a separate 
location sufficiently remote from the original records that a single 
event would not destroy both sets of records. The applicant stated 
that, pursuant to 10 CFR 72.140(d), the Rancho Seco Quality Manual 
(RSQM) will be used to satisfy the Quality Assurance (QA) requirements 
for the ISFSI. The RSQM states that QA records are maintained 2 in 
accordance with commitments to ANSI/ASME, NQA-1-1983, Supplement 17S-1 
and ANSI N45.2.9-1974. ANSI/ASME, NQA-1-1983, Supplement 17S-1 and ANSI 
N45.2.9-1974 allow for the storage of QA records in a duplicate storage 
location sufficiently remote from the original records or in a single 
record storage facility subject to certain provisions designed to 
protect the records from fire and other adverse conditions. The 
applicant seeks to streamline and standardize recordkeeping procedures 
and processes for the Rancho Seco Nuclear Generating Station and ISFSI 
spent fuel records. The applicant states that requiring a separate 
method of record storage for ISFSI records diverts resources 
unnecessarily.
    ANSI/ASME, NQA-1-1983, Supplement 17S-1 and ANSI N45.2.9-1974 
provide requirements for the protection of nuclear power plant QA 
records against degradation. They specify design requirements for use 
in the construction of record storage facilities when use of a single 
storage facility is desired. They include specific requirements for 
protection against degradation mechanisms such as fire, humidity, and 
condensation. The requirements in ANSI/ASME NQA-1-1983, Supplement 17S-
1 and ANSI N45.2.9-1974 have been endorsed by the NRC in Regulatory 
Guide 1.88, ``Collection, Storage and Maintenance of Nuclear Power 
Plant Quality Assurance Records,'' as adequate for satisfying the 
recordkeeping requirements of 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B. ANSI/ASME, 
NQA-1-1983, Supplement 17S-1 and ANSI N45.2.9-1974 also satisfy the 
requirements of 10 CFR 72.72 by providing for adequate maintenance of 
records regarding the identity and history of the spent fuel in 
storage. Such records would be subject to and need to be protected from 
the same types of degradation mechanisms as nuclear power plant QA 
records.

III

    By letter dated December 13, 2000, SMUD requested an exemption from 
the requirement in 10 CFR 72.72(d) which states in part that ``Records 
of spent fuel and high-level radioactive waste in storage must be kept 
in duplicate. The duplicate set of records must be kept at a separate 
location sufficiently remote from the original records that a single 
event would not destroy both sets of records.'' The applicant proposes 
to maintain a single set of spent fuel records in storage at a record 
facility that satisfies the requirements set forth in ANSI/ASME, NQA-1-
1983, Supplement 17S-1 and ANSI N45.2.9-1974.

IV

    The staff considered the applicant's request and determined that 
granting the proposed exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR 
72.72(d) is authorized by law, will not endanger life or property or 
the common defense and security, and is otherwise in the public 
interest. The staff grants the exemption, subject to the following 
conditions:
    (1) SMUD may maintain records of spent fuel and high-level 
radioactive waste in storage either in duplicate as required by 10 CFR 
72.72(d), or alternatively, a single set of records may be maintained 
at a record storage facility that satisfies the standards set forth in 
ANSI/ASME, NQA-1-1983, Supplement 17S-1 and ANSI N45.2.9-1974.
    (2) All other requirements of 10 CFR 72.72(d) shall be met.
    The documents related to this proposed action are available for 
public inspection and for copying (for a fee) at the Commission's 
Public Document Room, One White Flint North Building, 11555 Rockville 
Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852, or from the publicly available records 
component of NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS). ADAMS is accessible from the NRC web site at http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/ADAMS/index.html (the Public Electronic Reading Room).
    Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.35, NRC has published its finding that 
granting this exemption will have no significant impact on the quality 
of the human environment in the Federal Register (66 FR 11610).
    This exemption is effective upon issuance.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 15th day of March 2001.

    For The Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
E. William Brach,
Director, Spent Fuel Project Office, Office of Nuclear Material Safety 
and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 01-7354 Filed 3-23-01; 8:45 am]
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