[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 45 (Friday, March 7, 2014)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 13002-13003]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-05017]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
10 CFR Part 72
[NRC-2013-0051]
Shielding and Radiation Protection Review Effort and Licensing
Conditions for Dry Storage Applications
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Draft interim staff guidance; withdrawal.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is announcing the
withdrawal of draft Spent Fuel Storage and Transportation Interim Staff
Guidance No. 26A (SFST-ISG-26A), Revision 0, ``Shielding and Radiation
Protection Review Effort and Licensing Parameters for 10 CFR Part 72
Applications.''
DATES: The withdrawal is effective as of March 7, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2013-0051 when contacting the
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You
may access publicly-available information related to this document
using any of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2013-0051. Address
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-287-
3422; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact
the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of
this document.
NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the
ADAMS Public Documents collection at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select ``ADAMS Public Documents'' and
then select ``Begin Web-based ADAMS Search.'' For problems with ADAMS,
please contact the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at
1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by email to [email protected].
Draft SFST-ISG-26A, Revision 0 is available electronically under ADAMS
Accession No. ML13010A570.
NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public
documents at the NRC's PDR, Room O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Michel Call, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-287-9183; email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Draft SFST-ISG-26A proposed guidance for the NRC staff to use when
reviewing the shielding and radiation protection portions of
applications for certificates of compliance (CoC), specific licenses,
and amendments
[[Page 13003]]
submitted in accordance with part 72 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (10 CFR), ``Licensing Requirements for the Independent
Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel, High-Level Radioactive Waste, and
Reactor-Related Greater Than Class C Waste,'' (10 CFR part 72) Subpart
L, ``Approval of Spent Fuel Storage Casks,'' and Subpart B, ``License
Application, Form, and Contents.'' Draft SFST-ISG-26A proposed to
revise the shielding and radiation protection review procedures
contained in NUREG-1536, Revision 1, ``Standard Review Plan for Spent
Fuel Dry Storage Systems at a General License Facility,'' and NUREG-
1567, ``Standard Review Plan for Spent Fuel Dry Storage Facilities.''
The staff began writing draft SFST-ISG-26A as a response to an
event involving the use of a high dose-rate transfer cask. Its first
intent was to provide reviewers guidance on how to review these
systems. The scope had been expanded to also provide NRC reviewers with
guidance on performing graded reviews based on system dose rates which
modify the review ``priority'' as defined in NUREG-1536. The staff
developed this part of the ISG in response to industry comments
regarding the amount of details the staff reviewed in response to a 10
CFR part 72 license, certificate or amendment application.
The staff published a notice of opportunity for public comment on
draft SFST-ISG-26A in the Federal Register on March 29, 2013 (78
FR19148). The staff received two comments, with each commenter raising
a significant number of substantive issues which has caused the staff
to reconsider the need for and the clarity of the guidance.
II. Discussion
The staff considered the comments and has decided to defer pursuing
action on the draft ISG. Thus, draft SFST-ISG-26A is being withdrawn.
From the comments received, the staff concluded that the guidance as
written is not clear and would require substantial revision to be well
understood as well as meet the needs of the staff. Although the staff
still finds that guidance regarding the issues addressed in draft SFST-
ISG-26A would be useful, especially in relation to high dose-rate
transfer casks, there are recent developments that also touch on some
of these issues that the staff finds are appropriate to pursue in lieu
of the ISG. This includes the staff's consideration of a petition to
make changes to 10 CFR Part 72 (PRM-72-7) and the staff's consideration
of an update to NUREG-1745, ``Standard Format and Content for Technical
Specifications for 10 CFR part 72 Cask Certificates of Compliance.''
The staff finds withdrawing the draft ISG is appropriate
considering the initiating event that caused the staff to write draft
SFST-ISG-26A has thus far been an isolated event from several years
ago, and the staff has not seen any applications for the use of high
dose-rate transfer casks since then. However, the staff will continue
to monitor for events or actions (particularly those involving transfer
casks) that may indicate there is a need for the ISG prior to
completion of, or in addition to, the other efforts.
With regard to the review procedure priority levels, the staff
currently finds that the generic priority levels in NUREG-1536
sufficiently meet the staff's commitment of ensuring the appropriate
level of effort for these reviews. However, the staff will also monitor
the use of these procedures to determine any further need for
enhancement.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 24th day of February 2014.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Mark D. Lombard,
Director, Division of Spent Fuel Storage and Transportation, Office of
Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2014-05017 Filed 3-6-14; 8:45 am]
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