[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 54 (Tuesday, March 21, 2006)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 14120-14122]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-4083]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

10 CFR Part 72

RIN 3150-AH87


List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks: VSC-24 Revision 6

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing to amend 
its regulations revising the BNG Fuel Solutions Corporation VSC-24 cask 
system listing within the ``List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks'' 
to include Amendment No. 6 to the Certificate of Compliance. Amendment 
No. 6 would modify the present cask system design to revise the 
Technical Specification (TS) requirements related to periodic 
monitoring during storage operation. Specifically, the amendment would 
eliminate TS 1.3.4 that requires daily temperature measurement of the 
cask. The daily temperature measurement is not required because the 
daily visual inspection of the cask inlet and outlet vent screens, 
required by TS 1.3.1, provides the capability to determine when 
corrective action needs to be taken to maintain safe storage conditions 
under the requirements that govern general design criteria for spent 
fuel storage casks. This is because the visual inspection would 
determine if the cask inlets and outlets were blocked (the focus of the 
thermal analysis submitted by the CoC holder). The amendment would also 
revise TS 1.2.3 to correspond with TS 1.3.1 by revising the method of 
thermal performance evaluation to allow for daily temperature 
surveillance after the cask has reached thermal equilibrium. In 
addition, the amendment would update editorial changes associated with 
the company name change from BNFL Fuel Solutions Corporation to BNG 
Fuel Solutions Corporation.

DATES: Comments on the proposed rule must be received on or before 
April 20, 2006.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any one of the following methods. 
Please include the following number (RIN 3150-AH87) in the subject line 
of your comments. Comments on rulemakings submitted in writing or in 
electronic form will be made available for public inspection. Because 
your comment will not be edited to remove any identifying or contact 
information, the NRC cautions you against including personal 
information such as social

[[Page 14121]]

security numbers and birth dates in your submission.
    Mail comments to: Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001, ATTN: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff.
    E-mail comments to: [email protected]. If you do not receive a reply e-
mail confirming that we have received your comments, contact us 
directly at (301) 415-1966. You may also submit comments via the NRC's 
rulemaking Web site at http://ruleforum.llnl.gov. Address questions 
about our rulemaking Web site to Carol Gallagher (301) 415-5905; e-mail 
[email protected]. Comments can also be submitted via the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal http://www.regulations.gov.
    Hand deliver comments to: 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 
20852, between 7:30 am and 4:15 pm Federal workdays [telephone (301) 
415-1966].
    Fax comments to: Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission at 
(301) 415-1101.
    Publicly available documents related to this rulemaking may be 
viewed electronically on the public computers at the NRC's Public 
Document Room (PDR), O-1F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville 
Pike, Rockville, Maryland. Selected documents, including comments, can 
be viewed and downloaded electronically via the NRC rulemaking Web site 
at http://ruleforum.llnl.gov.
    Publicly available documents created or received at the NRC after 
November 1, 1999, are available electronically at the NRC's Electronic 
Reading Room at http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/ADAMS/index.html. From this 
site, the public can gain entry into the NRC's Agencywide Document 
Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and image 
files of NRC's public documents. If you do not have access to ADAMS or 
if there are problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, 
contact the NRC PDR Reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or 
by e-mail to [email protected]. An electronic copy of the proposed 
Certificate of Compliance (CoC), TS, and preliminary safety evaluation 
report (SER) can be found under ADAMS Accession Nos. ML053330269, 
ML053340113, and ML053330282, respectively.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jayne M. McCausland, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001, telephone (301) 415-6219, e-mail 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: For additional information see the direct 
final rule published in the final rules section of this Federal 
Register.

Procedural Background

    This rule is limited to the changes contained in Amendment No. 6 to 
CoC No. 1007 and does not include other aspects of the VSC-24 cask 
system design. The NRC is using the ``direct final rule procedure'' to 
issue this amendment because it represents a limited and routine change 
to an existing CoC that is expected to be noncontroversial. Adequate 
protection of public health and safety continues to be ensured. The 
direct final rule will become effective on June 5, 2006. However, if 
the NRC receives significant adverse comments by April 20, 2006, then 
the NRC will publish a document that withdraws the direct final rule 
and will subsequently address the comments received in a final rule. 
The NRC will not initiate a second comment period on this action.
    A significant adverse comment is a comment where the commenter 
explains why the rule would be inappropriate, including challenges to 
the rule's underlying premise or approach, or would be ineffective or 
unacceptable without a change. A comment is adverse and significant if:
    (1) The comment opposes the rule and provides a reason sufficient 
to require a substantive response in a notice-and-comment process. For 
example, in a substantive response:
    (a) The comment causes the NRC staff to reevaluate (or reconsider) 
its position or conduct additional analysis;
    (b) The comment raises an issue serious enough to warrant a 
substantive response to clarify or complete the record; or
    (c) The comment raises a relevant issue that was not previously 
addressed or considered by the NRC staff.
    (2) The comment proposes a change or an addition to the rule, and 
it is apparent that the rule would be ineffective or unacceptable 
without incorporation of the change or addition.
    (3) The comment causes the NRC staff to make a change (other than 
editorial) to the CoC or TS.

List of Subjects in 10 CFR Part 72

    Administrative practice and procedure, Criminal penalties, Manpower 
training programs, Nuclear materials, Occupational safety and health, 
Penalties, Radiation protection, Reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements, Security measures, Spent fuel, Whistleblowing.

    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; and 5 U.S.C. 553; the NRC is proposing to 
adopt the following amendments to 10 CFR part 72.

PART 72--LICENSING REQUIREMENTS FOR THE INDEPENDENT STORAGE OF 
SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL, HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE, AND REACTOR-
RELATED GREATER THAN CLASS C 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 as amended by Pub. L. 102-
486, sec. 7902, 106 Stat. 3123 (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); sec. 1704, 112 Stat. 2750 (44 U.S.C. 
3504 note); sec. 651(e), Pub. L. 109-58, 119 Stat. 806-10 (42 U.S.C. 
2014, 2021, 2021b, 2111).
    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. In Sec.  72.214, Certificate of Compliance 1007 is revised to 
read as follows:


Sec.  72.214  List of approved spent fuel storage casks.

* * * * *
Certificate Number: 1007.
Initial Certificate Effective Date: May 7, 1993.
Amendment Number 1 Effective Date: May 30, 2000.
Amendment Number 2 Effective Date: September 5, 2000.
Amendment Number 3 Effective Date: May 21, 2001.
Amendment Number 4 Effective Date: February 3, 2003.
Amendment Number 5 Effective Date: September 13, 2005.

[[Page 14122]]

Amendment Number 6 Effective Date: June 5, 2006.
SAR Submitted by: BNG Fuel Solutions Corporation.
SAR Title: Final Safety Analysis Report for the Ventilated Storage Cask 
System.
Docket Number: 72-1007.
Certificate Expiration Date: May 7, 2013.
Model Number: VSC-24.
* * * * *

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 3rd day of March, 2005.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Luis A. Reyes,
Executive Director for Operations.
 [FR Doc. E6-4083 Filed 3-20-06; 8:45 am]
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