[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 239 (Thursday, December 12, 2019)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 67827-67828]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-26691]



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 Rules and Regulations
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  Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 239 / Thursday, December 12, 2019 / 
Rules and Regulations  

[[Page 67827]]



NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

10 CFR Part 72

[NRC-2019-0160]
RIN 3150-AK36


List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks: Holtec International 
HI-STORM 100 Multipurpose Canister Cask System, Certificate of 
Compliance No. 1014, Amendment No. 14

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 December 17, 2019, for the direct final rule that was 
published in the Federal Register on October 3, 2019. This direct final 
rule amended the NRC's spent fuel storage regulations by revising the 
Holtec International HI-STORM 100 Multipurpose Canister Cask System 
listing within the ``List of approved spent fuel storage casks'' to 
include Amendment No. 14 to Certificate of Compliance No. 1014. 
Amendment No. 14 revised the technical specifications to add new heat 
loading patterns, reduce the minimum cooling time, allow use of a 
damaged fuel isolator for storing damaged fuel, and modify the 
description of vents in the overpack. Amendment No. 14 also made other 
administrative changes to the technical specifications.

DATES: The effective date of December 17, 2019, for the direct final 
rule published on October 3, 2019 (84 FR 52747), is confirmed.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2019-0160 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 https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2019-0160. 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 https://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 amendment to the 
certificate, the proposed changes to the technical specifications, and 
the preliminary safety evaluation report are available in ADAMS under 
Accession No. ML19120A076. The final amendment to the certificate, the 
final changes to the technical specifications, and the final safety 
evaluation report also can be viewed in ADAMS under Accession No. 
ML19295C567.
     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 Torre Taylor, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and 
Safeguards; telephone: 301-415-7900; email: [email protected]. Both 
are staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 3, 2019 (84 FR 52747), the NRC 
published a direct final rule amending its regulations in part 72 of 
title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) by revising the 
``List of approved spent fuel storage casks'' to include Amendment No. 
14 to Certificate of Compliance No. 1014 for the Holtec International 
HI-STORM 100 Multipurpose Canister Cask System (HI-STORM 100 Cask 
System). Amendment No. 14 revised the technical specifications to add 
new heat loading patterns, reduce the minimum cooling time, allow use 
of a damaged fuel isolator for storing damaged fuel, and modify the 
description of vents in the overpack. Amendment No. 14 also made other 
administrative changes to the technical specifications.
    In the direct final rule, the NRC stated that if no significant 
adverse comments were received, the direct final rule would become 
effective on December 17, 2019. The NRC received one comment (ADAMS 
Accession No. ML19309E185). The commenter asked whether the NRC 
independently verified that the amended certificate will continue to 
protect public health, safety, and the environment and whether the HI-
STORM 100 Cask System, as approved on May 1, 2000, continues to meet 
all requirements in 10 CFR 72.214 as outlined in Certificate of 
Compliance No. 1014. The NRC evaluated the comment against the criteria 
for withdrawing the direct final rule as described in the proposed rule 
(84 FR 52815; October 3, 2019) and determined it was not significant 
and adverse. Specifically, the commenter did not provide new 
information that would cause the NRC to reevaluate its position in the 
preliminary safety evaluation report (ADAMS Accession No. ML19120A064). 
The commenter did not provide information that would cause the NRC to 
conduct additional analyses nor did the commenter raise a serious issue 
that warrants an NRC response to complete the record. The commenter 
also did not raise any issues that have not been previously addressed. 
In addition, the commenter did not propose a change, without which the 
rule would be ineffective or unacceptable.
    The NRC's safety evaluation report provides the NRC's review and 
assessment of Holtec's proposed changes and the independent 
calculations that the NRC performed to verify Holtec's analyses. The 
final safety analysis report provided by Holtec, and reviewed by the 
NRC, evaluates generic site characteristics. Any general licensee 
proposing to use Amendment No. 14 to the HI-STORM 100 Cask System will 
have to ensure, as required by 10 CFR 72.212(b)(6), that its site 
characteristics are enveloped by the cask design bases evaluated for 
Amendment No. 14. The NRC confirmed that Holtec's evaluation

[[Page 67828]]

of Amendment No. 14 shows that the use of the damaged fuel isolators 
and new heat loads will not impair the ability of the storage cask to 
maintain confinement and subcriticality. Additionally, the off-site 
dose rates will meet the dose requirements in 10 CFR 72.236(d).
    As discussed in the environmental assessment for the direct final 
rule, Amendment No. 14 does not reflect a significant change in design 
or fabrication of the cask; therefore, any resulting occupational 
exposure or offsite dose rates would remain well within the 10 CFR part 
20 annual limits for public and occupational radiological doses. 
Additionally, Amendment No. 14 will not result in any radiological or 
non-radiological environmental impacts that significantly differ from 
the environmental impacts evaluated in the environmental assessment 
supporting the final rule, ``Storage of Spent Fuel in NRC-Approved 
Storage Casks at Power Reactor Sites'' (55 FR 29181; July 18, 1990). 
There will be no significant change in the types of, or significant 
revisions in the amounts of, any effluent released; no significant 
increase in the individual or cumulative radiation exposures; and no 
significant increase in the potential for, or consequences of, 
radiological accidents. Therefore, this direct final rule will become 
effective as scheduled.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 6th day of December 2019.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Pamela J. Shepherd-Vladimir,
Acting Chief, Regulatory Analysis and Rulemaking Support Branch, 
Division of Rulemaking, Environmental and Financial Support, Office of 
Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2019-26691 Filed 12-11-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7590-01-P