[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 69 (Wednesday, April 12, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17650-17651]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-07384]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

National Nuclear Security Administration


Agency Information Collection Extension

AGENCY: National Nuclear Security Administration, U.S. Department of 
Energy.

ACTION: Submission for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) review; 
comment request.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) has submitted an information 
collection request to the OMB for an extension under the provisions of 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The information collection request 
seeks a three-year extension of The American Assured Fuel Supply 
Program, OMB Control Number 1910-5173. The proposed collection will 
help determine if applicants have provided sufficient information for 
the Office of Nonproliferation and Arms Control to evaluate requests of 
applicants for use of the American Assured Fuel Supply.

DATES: Comments regarding this collection must be received on or before 
May 12, 2017. If you anticipate that you will be submitting comments, 
but find it difficult to do so within the period of time allowed by 
this notice, please advise the OMB Desk Officer of your intention to 
make a submission as soon as possible. The Desk Officer may be 
telephoned at 202-395-4718.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to the DOE Desk Officer, 
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and 
Budget, New Executive Office Building, Room 10102, 735 17th Street NW., 
Washington, DC 20503 and to Richard Goorevich, Senior Policy Advisor, 
Office of Nonproliferation and Arms Control, National Nuclear Security 
Administration, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave. SW., 
Washington, DC 20585, or by fax at 202-586-1348 or by email at 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Goorevich, Senior Policy 
Advisor, Office of Nonproliferation and Arms Control, National Nuclear 
Security Administration, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence 
Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20585, or by fax at 202-586-1348 or by email 
at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This information collection request 
contains: (1) OMB No. 1910-5173; (2) Information Collection Request 
Title: The American Assured Supply Program; (3) Type of Request: 
Renewal; (4) Purpose: DOE created the American Assured Fuel Supply 
(AFS), a reserve of low enriched uranium (LEU) to serve as backup fuel 
supply for foreign recipients to be supplied through U.S. persons or 
for domestic recipients, in the event of fuel supply disruption. DOE is 
committed to making the AFS available to eligible recipients in the 
case of supply disruptions in the nuclear fuel market. This effort 
supports the United States Government's nuclear nonproliferation 
objectives by supporting civilian nuclear energy development while 
minimizing proliferation risks. DOE published a Notice of Availability 
for AFS on August 18, 2011, and published an application on December 2, 
2013, in the Federal Register to standardize the information that must 
be provided in a request to access the material in the AFS

[[Page 17651]]

as set forth in the Notice of Availability. 76 FR 51357, 51358. This 
application form is necessary in order for DOE to identify if 
applicants meet basic requirements for use of the AFS and implement 
this important nonproliferation initiative; (5) Annual Estimated Number 
of Respondents: 10; (6) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: 10; 
(7) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: 8; (8) Annual Estimated 
Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $1,800.
    Statutory Authority: The Secretary of Energy is authorized pursuant 
to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (Pub. L. 83-703), and the 
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978 (NNPA) (Pub. L. 95-242) to 
encourage the widespread use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes, 
and to cooperate with other nations by distributing nuclear material 
where appropriate safeguards measures are in place to ensure the 
material is properly controlled and used for peaceful purposes. In 
2005, DOE set aside a portion of its LEU inventory to be used to 
support the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) International 
Nuclear Fuel Bank (INFB) initiative, which is envisioned as an LEU 
reserve that will be administered by the IAEA and that will serve as a 
back-up for global supply disruptions. Congress later appropriated 
$49,540,000 in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (Pub. L. 110-
161) to fund a portion of the INFB. Congress, in the Explanatory 
Statement accompanying the House Appropriations Committee Print (which 
in the Act was given the same effect as a joint explanatory statement), 
noted that the INFB freed up DOE's LEU set-aside, and recommended DOE 
also ``allow U.S. interests to purchase uranium fuel from the Reliable 
Fuel Supply [now the AFS] in the event of supply disruption.'' (H. 
Approp. Cmte. Print at 592.)
    The sale of LEU from the AFS will be conducted consistent with 
applicable law, the policies and guidance in the ``Secretary of 
Energy's 2008 Policy Statement of Management of the Department of 
Energy's Excess Uranium Inventory'' (March 11, 2008), and the DOE 
Excess Uranium Inventory Management Plan.

    Issued in Washington, DC on March 31, 2017.
David Huizenga,
Acting Deputy Administrator, Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation, National 
Nuclear Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2017-07384 Filed 4-11-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-P