[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 143 (Thursday, July 27, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34940-34941]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-15846]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Energy Information Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Information Collection 
Extension

AGENCY: Energy Information Administration (EIA), Department of Energy 
(DOE).

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: EIA, pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, intends 
to extend (with changes) for three years with the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB), Form GC-859 Nuclear Fuel Data Survey, OMB Control 
Number 1901-0287. Form GC-859 Nuclear Fuel Data Survey collects data on 
spent nuclear fuel from all utilities that operate commercial nuclear 
reactors and from all others that possess irradiated fuel from 
commercial nuclear reactors. Comments are invited on: Whether the 
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the 
information shall have practical utility; the accuracy of the agency's 
estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, 
including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; ways to 
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected; and ways to minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on respondents, including through the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

DATES: Comments regarding this proposed information collection must be 
received on or before September 25, 2017. If you anticipate difficulty 
in submitting comments within that period, contact the person listed in 
ADDRESSES as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent to Marta Gospodarczyk, Office 
of Electricity, Coal, Nuclear, and Renewables Analysis, EI-34, 
Forrestal Building, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave. 
SW., Washington, DC 20585, or by email at [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should 
be directed to Marta Gospodarczyk at the contact information given 
above. Form GC-859 is available on the internet at https://www.eia.gov/survey/#gc-859.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This information collection request 
contains:
    (1) OMB No.: 1901-0287.
    (2) Information Collection Request Title: Nuclear Fuel Data Survey.
    (3) Type of Request: Renewal.
    (4) Purpose: The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10101 
et seq.) required that the DOE enter into Standard Contracts with all 
generators or owners of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive 
waste of domestic origin. Form GC-859 (formerly Form RW-859) originated 
from an appendix to this Standard Contract.
    Form GC-859 Nuclear Fuel Data Survey collects information on 
nuclear fuel use and spent fuel discharges from all utilities that 
operate commercial nuclear reactors and from all others that possess 
irradiated fuel from commercial nuclear reactors. The data collection 
provides stakeholders with detailed information concerning the spent 
nuclear fuel generated by the respondents (commercial utility 
generators of spent nuclear fuel and other owners of spent nuclear fuel 
within the U.S.).
    Data collected from the survey are utilized by personnel from DOE 
Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), DOE Office of Environmental Management 
(EM), and the national laboratories to meet their research objectives 
of developing a range of options and supporting analyses that 
facilitate informed choices about how best to manage spent nuclear fuel 
(SNF).

(4a) Proposed Changes to Information Collection

     Collection of fuel manufacturer and lattice size used in 
Section C.1.1 of the 2013 GC-859 will be replaced by fuel assembly type 
codes in Section C.1.3. Fuel assembly type codes were last collected in 
the 2003 RW-859. Selection boxes were added to this section to reduce 
reporting burden. Respondents may mark the fuel assembly type code 
based on the reactor design, previously used fuel types, range of 
assembly identification numbers, and initial cycle in core. 
Identification of fuel assembly type provides significantly more 
information to analyze the spent fuel.
     Cumulative cycle burnup for each assembly is added to 
Section C.1.2 of the survey. Respondents may voluntarily report this 
data. Assembly

[[Page 34941]]

burnup data by cycle is used to calculate discharged fuel 
characteristics and obtain fundamental parameters needed for spent fuel 
safety analyses.
     Section C.1.4 is added to the survey to collect data on 
all discharged fuel that is shipped or transferred to other storage 
sites (since January 1, 2003). This information was last collected in 
the 2003 using Form RW-859 and allows the tracking of all spent nuclear 
fuel discharged by commercial reactors, regardless of current ownership 
or transit status.
     Section C.2 `Projected Assembly Discharges' is deleted 
since this data is no longer needed for analysis.
     Section C.3.3.1 requests information for consolidated, 
reconstituted, reconstructed fuel assemblies. A drop-down menu was 
created with these three choices of fuel assemblies.
     A note is added in Section D.3.2 `Multi-Assembly 
Canisters/Casks Inventory' to capture deviations from standard 
operating procedures related to drying, backfilling, leak testing, or 
pad transfer processes.
     Dry cask loading pattern maps with orientation details are 
added to Section D.3.3 of the survey. For each canister/cask model, 
respondents provide or reference a loading map that clearly indicates 
identifiers for basket cell locations relative to fixed drain and vent 
port locations. For systems stored horizontally, the map indicates 
which direction is up when placed in a horizontal storage module. The 
dry cask loading pattern data facilitates detailed as-loaded analyses 
and enables the quantification of realistic safety margins and 
conditions.
     Section E.2 `Non-fuel Components Integral to an Assembly' 
is deleted and the data on non-fuel components integral to an assembly 
should be reported in Section C.1.1.
     Schedule G is deleted. This schedule was used to collect 
comments. It is easier for respondents to provide comments when 
completing a schedule so the new form will collect comments after each 
section.
     A copy of Standard Contract (10 CFR 961.11) Appendix E 
General Specifications is added to the survey for the convenience of 
the respondents.
     The following terms have either been added or updated to 
match the definition prescribed by the Standard Contract; Canister, DOE 
Facility, Failed Fuel, Multi-Assembly Canister/Cask, Non-fuel Component 
Identifier, Non-standard Fuel and Reconstructed Assembly.
     DOE proposes to use Form GC-859 to collect information 
once every three years. Reporting once every three years reduces 
respondent burden by permitting all new data for the multiyear period 
to be reported in one report.
    (5) Annual Estimated Number of Respondents: 125 respondents with 
one response each.
    (6) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: The annual number 
of total responses is 42.
    (7) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: 3,746.7 hours.
    (8) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: 
Additional costs to respondents are not anticipated beyond costs 
associated with response burden hours. The information is maintained in 
the normal course of business. The cost of the burden hours is 
estimated to be $275,980 (3,746.7 burden hours times $73.66 per hour). 
EIA estimates that there are no additional costs to respondents 
associated with the survey other than the costs associated with the 
burden hours.

    Statutory Authority:  Section 13(b) of the Federal Energy 
Administration Act of 1974, Pub. L. 93-275, codified as 15 U.S.C. 
772(b) and the DOE Organization Act of 1977, Pub. L. 95-91, codified 
at 42 U.S.C. 7101 et seq. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 
codified at 42 U.S.C. 10222 et seq.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on July 3, 2017.
Nanda Srinivasan,
Director, Office of Survey Development and Statistical Integration, 
Energy Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 2017-15846 Filed 7-26-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6450-01-P