[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 178 (Thursday, September 15, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54587-54589]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-5023]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-213]


Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Company, Haddam Neck Plant; 
Partial Exemption from Requirements of 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix A, 
Criterion 1, 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix B, Criterion XVII, and 10 CFR 
50.59(d)(3)

1.0 Background

    Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Company (CY) is the licensee and 
holder of Facility Operating License No. DPR-61 for the Haddam Neck 
Plant (HNP), a permanently shutdown decommissioning nuclear plant. 
Although permanently shutdown, this facility is still subject to all 
rules, regulations, and orders of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission (NRC).
    On December 5, 1996, CY notified NRC that operations had 
permanently ceased and that all fuel had been permanently removed from 
the reactor. On July 7, 2000, CY submitted its License Termination Plan 
(LTP), which the NRC approved on November 25, 2002.
    CY began actively decommissioning HNP in April 1999, through a 
contract with Bechtel Power Corporation. In June 2003, CY began 
managing the decommissioning using staff augmentation and 
subcontractors for speciality work.
    The nuclear reactor and all associated systems and components 
necessary for the safe generation of power have been removed from the 
facility and disposed or sold off-site. Additionally, the structures 
necessary for safe power generation are either demolished or in an 
advanced state of demolition. There are no safety-related structures, 
systems and components (SSCs) remaining at the HNP. Transfer of the 
spent fuel (SF) and greater-than-Class C (GTCC) waste from the SF pool 
to the HNP Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) was 
completed on March 30, 2005, but the SF pool has not yet been drained, 
so it is not ready for demolition.
    On February 16, 2005, CY filed a request for NRC approval of an 
exemption from the recordkeeping requirements of 10 CFR Part 50 
Appendix A, Criterion 1, 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix B, Criterion XVII, and 
10 CFR 50.59(d)(3).

2.0 Request/Action

    Pursuant to the requirements of 10 CFR 50.12, CY requested the 
following exemption, to the extent necessary, from the record retention 
requirements of:
    (1) 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix A, Criterion 1, which requires certain 
records be retained ``throughout the life of the unit'';
    (2) 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix B, Section XVII, which requires certain 
records be retained consistent with applicable regulatory requirements 
for a duration established by the licensee; and
    (3) 10 CFR Part 50.59(d)(3), which requires certain records be 
maintained until ``termination of a license issued pursuant to'' Part 
50.
    CY proposes to eliminate these records when: (1) The nuclear power 
unit and associated support systems no longer exist for SSCs associated 
with safe power generation, or (2) spent nuclear fuel has been 
completely transferred from the spent fuel pool and the building is 
ready for demolition.
    CY is not requesting any exemption associated with record keeping 
requirements for storage of spent fuel at its ISFSI under 10 CFR Part 
50 or the general license requirements of 10 CFR Part 72.
    Most of these records are for SSCs that have been removed from HNP 
and disposed of offsite. Disposal of these records will not adversely 
impact the ability to meet other NRC regulatory requirements for the 
retention of records [e.g., 10 CFR 50.54(a), (p), (q), and (bb); 10 CFR 
50.59(d); 10 CFR 50.57(g)]. These regulatory requirements ensure that 
records from operation and decommissioning activities are maintained 
for safe decommissioning, spent nuclear fuel storage, completion and 
verification of final site survey, and license termination.

3.0 Discussion

    NRC licensees are required to maintain their records according to 
the NRC regulatory recordkeeping requirements. Pursuant to the 
requirements of 10 CFR 50.12, ``Specific Exemptions,'' CY filed a 
request for a partial exemption from the NRC recordkeeping requirements 
contained in 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix A, Criterion 1, 10 CFR Part 50 
Appendix B, Criterion XVII, and 10 CFR 50.59 (d)(3). The NRC 
recordkeeping requirements at issue in CY's request for exemption are 
as follows.
    10 CFR Part 50, Appendix A, ``General Design Criteria for Nuclear 
Power Plants,'' establishes the necessary design, fabrication, 
construction, testing, and performance requirements for structures, 
systems, and components important to safety. Specifically, CY requests 
an exemption from Criterion 1, ``Quality standards and records,'' which 
states in part:

    Appropriate records of the design, fabrication, erection, and 
testing of structures, systems, and components important to safety 
shall be maintained by or under the control of the nuclear power 
unit licensee throughout the life of the unit.

    10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B, ``Quality Assurance Criteria for 
Nuclear Power Plants and Fuel Reprocessing Plants,'' establishes 
quality assurance requirements for the design, construction, and 
operation of structures, systems, and components that prevent or 
mitigate the consequences of postulated accidents that could cause 
undue risk to the health and safety of the public. Specifically, CY 
requests an exemption from Criterion XVII, ``Quality Assurance 
Records'', which states:
    Sufficient records shall be maintained to furnish evidence of 
activities affecting quality. The records shall include at least the 
following: Operating logs and the results of reviews, inspections, 
tests, audits, monitoring of work performance, and materials 
analyses. The records shall also include closely-related data such 
as qualifications of personnel, procedures, and equipment. 
Inspection and test records shall, as a minimum, identify the 
inspector or data recorder, the type of observation, the results, 
the acceptability, and the action taken in connection with any 
deficiencies noted. Records shall be identifiable and retrievable. 
Consistent with applicable regulatory requirements, the applicant 
shall establish requirements concerning record retention, such as 
duration, location, and assigned responsibility.

    CY also requests an exemption from 10 CFR 50.59(d)(3), which 
states: ``The records of changes in the facility must be maintained 
until the termination of a license issued pursuant to this part or

[[Page 54588]]

the termination of a license issued pursuant to 10 CFR Part 54, 
whichever is later. Records of changes in procedures and records of 
tests and experiments must be maintained for a period of 5 years.''

Exemption Requirements

    In order to be granted an exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR 
Part 50, Appendix A, Criterion I, Appendix B, Criterion XVII, and 10 
CFR 50.59(d)(3), the licensee must meet the requirements of 10 CFR Part 
50.12(a)(1), and demonstrate that special circumstances, as defined in 
10 CFR 50.12(a)(2) exist. In its exemption request dated February 16, 
2005, CY provides the following justification for granting the 
exemption request and regulatory basis for meeting the requirements of 
10 CFR 50.12(a)(1), and that the special circumstances, as defined in 
10 CFR 50.12(a)(2), exist:
I. General Justification for Granting the Exemption Request
A. Nuclear Power Generation SSCs
    The HNP power generation unit no longer exists. Its systems and 
components have been removed to various offsite disposal facilities or 
reuse applications. The structures that have not yet been fully 
demolished have been remediated or partially demolished to the point of 
rendering them useless for any application. The general justification 
for disposition of records associated with these SSCs is that the SSCs 
no longer exist, they no longer serve, nor can they conceivably serve, 
any function regulated by the NRC.
    While the safe power generation SSCs no longer exist, the HNP site 
and the power generation ``footprint'' continue to be under NRC 
regulation due, primarily, to presence of residual radioactivity. The 
radiological controls (and other programmatic controls such as quality 
assurance) of the ``footprint'' and the implementation of cleanup 
criteria are fully covered through the current plant documents such as 
the updated Final Safety Analysis Report (UFSAR), which includes the 
HNP License Termination Plan and the Quality Assurance Program. These 
programmatic elements and their associated records are unaffected by 
the exemption request.
B. Spent Fuel and Associated SSCs
    With all spent fuel and GTCC transferred from the spent fuel pool 
(SFP) to the ISFSI on March 30, 2005, the SFP and its associated SSCs 
no longer have a safety function. All records necessary for spent fuel 
storage have been retained for the ISFSI. Similar to the power 
generation SSC records, once the SFP is drained and ready for 
demolition, there is no safety-significance or other regulatory value 
in retaining SFP SSC records. Also, similar to the power generation 
``footprint'', the SFP SSCs ``footprint'' is included under the 
radiological control provided by the UFSAR, Quality Assurance Program, 
and their programmatic elements.
    Finally, CY believes that when the NRC developed record retention 
requirements, there was little, if any discussion related to 
decommissioning facilities. In the case of ISFSI records, however, 
recent clarification was provided. Specifically, when updating 10 CFR 
72.48 requirements (72.48 is the dry fuel storage equivalent of 10 CFR 
50.59), the NRC clarified the retention period for records for changes 
in the facility or spent fuel storage cask design to be until ``* * *. 
Spent fuel is no longer stored in the facility'' (10 CFR 
72.48(d)(3)(I). This is analogous to what CY is requesting--retention 
of related records until fuel is no longer stored in the SFP and the 
SFP building is ready for demolition.
C. ISFSI SSCs and Spent Nuclear Fuel
    CY is not requesting any exemption associated with retention of 
these records.
II. Specific Justification for Exemptions and Special Circumstances
A. Specific Exemption Is Authorized by Law
    The CY exemption request to reduce record retention durations is 
authorized by law and within the Commission's authority. CY believes 
that the Commission would have made these clarifying changes to the 
regulations had there been sufficient industry experience in performing 
decommissioning and license termination at Part 50 facilities when the 
record retention rules were originally promulgated.
B. Specific Exemption Will Not Present an Undue Risk to the Public 
Health and Safety
    The public health and safety are not affected by the proposed 
exemption. Removal of the underlying SSCs associated with the records 
has been already determined by CY, in accordance with 10 CFR 50.59, to 
have no adverse public health and safety impact. Elimination of 
associated records for these SSCs will not impact health and safety.
C. Specific Exemption Consistent With the Common Defense and Security
    CY believes that the elimination of these records is administrative 
in nature and does not involve information or activities that could 
potentially impact the common defense and security of the United 
States.
D. Special Circumstances
    Further CY provides the following regulatory basis for meeting the 
requirements of:

10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(ii)

    ``Application of the regulation in the particular circumstances 
would not serve the underlying purpose of the rule * * *''
    The common and underlying purpose for the regulations cited above 
is to ensure that the current license and design basis of the facility 
is understood, documented, preserved and retrievable. The current 
license basis encompasses all those elements of SSCs functionally 
necessary to ensure, within the boundaries of nuclear regulation, safe 
operation of the facility. In order to ensure future safe operation, a 
license basis is maintained current by evaluating changes against up-
to-date information. The terms such as ``safety functions'', and ``safe 
operation'' is meaningless if a facility has been dismantled and 
disposed. In this case, retention of records associated with 
nonexistent SSCs serves no safety or regulatory purpose. Therefore, 
application of these record requirements in CY's circumstances does not 
serve the underlying purpose of the regulations.

10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(iii)

    ``Compliance would result in undue hardship or other costs that are 
significantly in excess of those contemplated when the regulation was 
adopted,* * *''
    The records retention itself is an expensive proposition. Retention 
of records alone is not sufficient. They must be legible, retrievable 
and stored in a safe condition. This expense was understood on the part 
of the Commission and the nuclear industry for the current license 
basis to ensure the continued safe operation of the facility. However, 
what was not well understood (when the regulation was adopted) was the 
effect of explicit record retention durations that survived the life of 
a facility and no longer served an underlying safety purpose. This is 
the current situation at the decommissioning facilities.
    CY's available record storage capacity continues to shrink as 
buildings are

[[Page 54589]]

remediated, surveyed and demolished. CY is less than one year from 
demolishing the administrative building where many of the records are 
stored and retained. Retaining records associated with non-existent 
SSCs and a non-existent nuclear power generator is a significant 
hardship today as records are shuffled between buildings and 
administrative support personnel are reduced. It will become more of a 
hardship and cost increase as they must make provisions for offsite 
storage well in advance of building demolition.

10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(vi)

    ``There is present any other material circumstances not considered 
when the regulation was adopted for which it would be in the public 
interest to grant an exemption.''
    First, the cost associated with maintaining records that no longer 
serve a safety purpose can be significant, particularly for a facility 
at an advanced stage in the decommissioning process. Decommissioning 
costs, including record maintenance, are paid by the ratepayers 
throughout the multi-state region that benefitted from the power 
produced by the HNP when it was operating. Since HNP is no longer 
generating electric power and is in decommissioning, the requested 
records exemption helps towards maintaining a cost-efficient 
decommissioning.
    Second, elimination of these records ensures their future 
unavailability to individuals and groups interested in adversely 
affecting commercial nuclear facilities.

4.0 Conclusion

    Based on its evaluation, the staff concludes the requirements for a 
specific exemption in 10 CFR 50.12 have been satisfied.
    The staff concludes that the requested exemption from the 
recordkeeping requirements of 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix A, Criterion 1, 
10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B Criterion XVII, and 10 CFR 50.59(d)(3), will 
not present an undue risk to the public health and safety. The 
destruction of the identified records will not impact remaining 
decommissioning activities; plant operations, configuration, and/or 
radiological effluents; operational and/or installed SSCs that are 
quality-related or important to safety; or nuclear security.
    Further, the staff concludes that the destruction of the identified 
records is administrative in nature and does not involve information or 
activities that could potentially impact the common defense and 
security of the United States.
    The staff agrees that an underlying purpose of the record keeping 
regulations in 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix A, Criterion 1, 10 CFR Part 50, 
Appendix B, Criterion XVII, and 10 CFR 50.59(d)(3) is to ensure that 
the NRC staff has access to information in order for the NRC to perform 
its regulatory functions including inspection and licensing. For 
example, in the event of any accident, incident, or condition that 
could impact public health and safety, the records would assist in the 
protection of public health and safety during recovery from the given 
accident, incident, or condition, and also could help prevent future 
events or conditions at the site adversely impacting public health and 
safety. Because the CY-HNP reactor primary systems, including the 
reactor vessel, steam generators, pressurizer, reactor coolant pumps 
and piping, and their associated support systems have been removed for 
offsite disposal or resale, there are no longer regulatory functions 
for NRC to perform associated with these systems or components. Thus, 
the records identified in the exemption would not provide the NRC with 
information for carrying out its regulatory function. To the extent 
that CY had sold components, the new user of the components may have 
need for the associated records, however, that is an issue for the new 
owner and not a regulatory issue under CY's license.
    Therefore, the Commission grants CY the requested exemption to the 
recordkeeping requirements of 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix A, Criterion 1, 
10 CFR 50 Appendix B, Criterion XVII, and 10 CFR 50.59(d)(3), as 
described in the February 16, 2005, letter. Specifically, pursuant to 
the requirements of 10 CFR 50.12, CY is exempted from the record 
retention requirements of 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix A, Criterion I, 10 
CFR Part 50 Appendix B, Criterion XVII, and 10 CFR 50.59(d)(3) for: (1) 
Records pertaining to structures, systems, and components, or 
activities associated with the nuclear power unit and associated 
support systems that no longer exist at the CY site; and (2) records 
pertaining to the spent fuel pool and associated support systems for 
the safe storage of fuel in the spent fuel pool after the spent nuclear 
fuel and GTCC has been completely transferred from the spent fuel pool 
and the spent fuel pool is ready for demolition. This exemption does 
not apply to any recordkeeping requirements for storage of spent fuel 
at the CY ISFSI under 10 CFR Part 50 or the general requirements of 10 
CFR Part 72. In addition, this exemption does not apply to any records 
reflecting spills, releases or other information relevant to remaining 
decommissioning requirements and activities at the CY site.
    Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.32, the Commission has determined that the 
granting of this exemption will not have a significant effect on the 
quality of the human environment as documented in Federal Register (70 
FR 53258, September 7, 2005).
    This exemption is effective upon issuance.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 9th day of September, 2005.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Claudia M. Craig,
Acting Deputy Director, Decommissioning Directorate, Division of Waste 
Management and Environmental Protection, Office of Nuclear Material 
Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. E5-5023 Filed 9-14-05; 8:45 am]
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