[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 33 (Tuesday, February 19, 2019)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 4684-4685]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-02593]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

10 CFR Part 72

[NRC-2018-0221]
RIN 3150-AK18


List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks: Holtec International 
HI-STORM 100 Multipurpose Canister Cask System, Certificate of 
Compliance No. 1014, Amendment Nos. 11 and 12

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Direct final rule; confirmation of effective date.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is confirming the 
effective date of February 25, 2019, for the direct final rule that was 
published in the Federal Register on December 12, 2018. This direct 
final rule amended the NRC's spent fuel storage regulations by revising 
the Holtec International HI-STORM 100 Multipurpose Canister Cask System 
(HI-STORM 100 System) listing within the ``List of approved spent fuel 
storage casks'' to include Amendment Nos. 11 and 12 to Certificate of 
Compliance No. 1014. Amendment Nos. 11 and 12 revise multiple items in 
the technical specifications for multi-purpose canister models listed 
under Certificate of Compliance No. 1014; most of these revisions 
involve changes to the authorized contents. In addition, Amendment No. 
11 makes several other editorial changes.

DATES: The effective date of February 25, 2019, for the direct final 
rule published December 12, 2018 (83 FR 63794), is confirmed.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2018-0221 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information for this action. You may 
obtain publicly-available information related to this action by any of 
the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking website: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2018-0221. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3463; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact 
the individuals 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 ``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]. The proposed amendments to the 
certificate, the proposed changes to the technical specifications, and 
the preliminary safety evaluation reports are available in ADAMS for 
Amendment No. 11 under Accession No. ML18141A560 and Amendment No. 12 
under Accession No. ML18087A055. The final amendments to the 
certificate, final changes to the technical specifications, and final 
safety evaluation reports can also be viewed in ADAMS under Accession 
No. ML18355A369.
     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: Yen-Ju Chen, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards; telephone: 301-415-1018; email: [email protected] or Vanessa Cox, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and 
Safeguards; telephone: 301-415-8342; email: [email protected]. Both 
are staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 12, 2018 (83 FR 63794), the NRC 
published a direct final rule amending its regulations in part 72 of 
title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) to the HI-STORM 
100 System listing within the ``List of approved spent fuel storage 
casks'' to include Amendment Nos. 11 and 12 to Certificate of 
Compliance No. 1014. Amendment Nos. 11 and 12 revise multiple items in 
the technical specifications for multi-purpose canister models listed 
under Certificate of Compliance No. 1014; most of these revisions 
involve changes to the authorized contents. In addition, Amendment No. 
11 makes several other editorial changes.
    In the direct final rule, the NRC stated that if no significant 
adverse comments were received, the direct final rule would become 
effective on February 25, 2019. As described more fully in the direct 
final rule, 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.
    The NRC received two comments and has determined that they are not 
significant adverse comments. One comment questioned the short-term 
economic gains. As this rulemaking only addressed changes to the 
technical specifications for dry shielded canisters used to store 
nuclear waste on-site, the NRC determined this comment to be out of 
scope of this direct final rule. The second comment concerned specific 
casks used at a reactor site, a direct final rule for another storage 
cask, and another cask that is the subject of an NRC enforcement 
action. These issues are also outside the scope of this direct final 
rule.
    The second commenter also stated that the environmental assessment 
for this direct final rule did not consider the effects of certain 
natural phenomena. Pursuant to 10 CFR part 72, the NRC requires that an 
applicant for a spent fuel storage system provide the design bases, 
design criteria, and the margins of safety for the system in its safety 
analysis. The design bases, design criteria, and safety margins include 
consideration of applicable natural phenomena. In its review, the NRC 
determined that the cask system is designed to mitigate the effects of 
design basis accidents, including human-induced and the most severe 
natural phenomena. Specifically, in considering design requirements for 
each accident condition, the NRC evaluates whether the design would 
prevent loss of confinement, shielding, and criticality control in the 
event of an accident. The NRC identified a broad range of natural

[[Page 4685]]

hazards and accidents that were considered in the environmental 
assessment for this direct final rule. Further, the safety evaluation 
report for the Holtec International HI-STORM 100 Cask System (ADAMS 
Accession No. ML003711865; May 4, 2000) identified all accident-level 
events and conditions, which are Design Events III and IV as defined in 
American National Standard Institute/American Nuclear Society 57.9-
1984. These include natural phenomena and human-induced low-probability 
events such as those listed in Comment 2. The NRC determined in the May 
4, 2000, safety evaluation report that all potential safety 
consequences were considered.
    This direct final rule makes changes to the technical 
specifications of Certificate of Compliance No. 1014 for the HI-STORM 
100 Cask System. However, this direct final rule makes limited and 
routine changes; it does not involve significant changes to the design 
or the fabrication of the cask system. The second comment does not 
raise specific safety concerns regarding the changes made in this 
direct final rule. The second comment did not propose a specific change 
or an addition that could be incorporated into this direct final rule 
and did not raise a relevant issue not previously addressed by the NRC. 
Accordingly, the second comment does not meet the criteria of a 
significant adverse comment. Because no significant adverse comments 
were received, this direct final rule will become effective as 
scheduled.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 12th day of February 2019.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Cindy K. Bladey,
Chief, Regulatory Analysis and Rulemaking Support Branch, Division of 
Rulemaking, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2019-02593 Filed 2-15-19; 8:45 am]
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