[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 249 (Thursday, December 28, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78234-78235]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-22248]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION


Consolidated Decommissioning Guidance; Notice of Availability

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is announcing the 
availability of two volumes of NUREG-1757, ``Consolidated 
Decommissioning Guidance.'' The first volume is ``Consolidated 
Decommissioning Guidance: Decommissioning Process for Materials 
Licensees'' (NUREG-1757, Vol. 1, Rev. 2), which provides guidance for 
planning and implementing the termination of materials licenses. The 
second volume, ``Consolidated Decommissioning Guidance: 
Characterization, Survey, and Determination of Radiological Criteria'' 
(NUREG-1757, Vol. 2, Rev. 1), provides guidance for compliance with the 
radiological criteria for termination of licenses. The guidance is 
intended for use by NRC staff and licensees. It is also available to 
Agreement States and the public.

ADDRESSES: NUREG-1757 is available for inspection and copying for a fee 
at the Commission's Public Document Room, NRC's Headquarters Building, 
11555 Rockville Pike (First Floor), Rockville, Maryland. The Public 
Document Room is open from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except on Federal holidays. NUREG-1757 is also available 
electronically on the NRC Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1757/, and from the ADAMS Electronic 
Reading Room on the NRC Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Duane W. Schmidt, Mail Stop T-7E18, 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. 
Telephone: (301) 415-6919; e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In September 2003, NRC staff consolidated 
and updated the policies and guidance of its decommissioning program in 
a three-volume NUREG series, NUREG-1757, ``Consolidated Decommissioning 
Guidance.'' This NUREG series provides guidance on: planning and 
implementing license termination under NRC's License Termination Rule 
(LTR), in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 10, Part 20, Subpart 
E; complying with the radiological criteria of the LTR for license 
termination; and complying with the requirements for financial 
assurance and recordkeeping for decommissioning and timeliness in 
decommissioning of materials facilities. The staff periodically updates 
NUREG-1757, so that it reflects current NRC decommissioning policy.
    In September 2005, the staff issued, for public comment, Draft 
Supplement 1 to NUREG-1757, which contained proposed updates to the 
three volumes of NUREG-1757 (70 FR 56940; September 29, 2005). Draft 
Supplement 1 included new and revised decommissioning guidance that 
addresses some issues with implementation of the LTR. These issues 
include restricted use and institutional controls, onsite disposal of 
radioactive materials, selection and justification of exposure 
scenarios based on reasonably foreseeable future land use, intentional 
mixing of contaminated soil, and removal of material after license 
termination. The staff also developed new and revised guidance on other 
issues, including engineered barriers.
    The staff received stakeholder comments on Draft Supplement 1 and 
prepared responses to these comments. The stakeholder comments and the 
NRC staff responses are located on NRC's decommissioning Web site, at 
http://

[[Page 78235]]

www.nrc.gov/what-we-do/regulatory/decommissioning/reg-guides-comm.html. 
Supplement 1 has not been finalized as a separate document; instead, 
updated sections from Supplement 1 have been placed into the 
appropriate locations in revisions of Volumes 1 and 2 of NUREG-1757.
    Volume 1 of NUREG-1757, entitled ``Consolidated Decommissioning 
Guidance: Decommissioning Process for Materials Licensees,'' takes a 
risk-informed, performance-based approach to the information needed and 
the process to be followed to support an application for license 
termination for a materials licensee. Volume 1 is intended to be 
applicable only to the decommissioning of materials facilities licensed 
under 10 CFR Parts 30, 40, 70, and 72 and to the ancillary surface 
facilities that support radioactive waste disposal activities licensed 
under 10 CFR Parts 60, 61, and 63. However, parts of Volume 1 are 
applicable to reactor licensees, as described in the Foreword to the 
volume.
    Volume 2 of the NUREG series, entitled, ``Consolidated 
Decommissioning Guidance: Characterization, Survey, and Determination 
of Radiological Criteria,'' provides technical guidance on compliance 
with the radiological criteria for license termination of the LTR. 
Volume 2 is applicable to all licensees subject to the LTR.
    The staff plans to revise Volume 3 of this NUREG series at a later 
date, and that revision will incorporate the Supplement 1 guidance that 
is related to Volume 3.
    NUREG-1757 is intended for use by NRC staff and licensees. It is 
also available to Agreement States and the public. This NUREG is not a 
substitute for NRC regulations, and compliance with it is not required. 
The NUREG describes approaches that are acceptable to NRC staff. 
However, methods and solutions different than those in this NUREG will 
be acceptable, if they provide a basis for concluding that the 
decommissioning actions are in compliance with NRC regulations.

Congressional Review Act (CRA)

    In accordance with the Congressional Review Act (CRA) of 1996, the 
NRC has determined that this action is not a major rule and has 
verified this determination with the Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs of the Office of Management and Budget.

    Dated at Rockville, MD, this 19th day of December, 2006.
    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Keith I. McConnell,
Deputy Director, Decommissioning & Uranium Recovery Licensing 
Directorate, Division of Waste Management and Environmental Protection, 
Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management 
Programs.
 [FR Doc. E6-22248 Filed 12-27-06; 8:45 am]
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