[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 147 (Thursday, July 30, 2020)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 45809]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-16298]


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 Proposed Rules
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
 the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
 notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
 the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
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  Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 147 / Thursday, July 30, 2020 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 45809]]



NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

10 CFR Chapter I

[NRC-2020-0065]


Transfer of Very Low-Level Waste To Exempt Persons for Disposal

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Proposed interpretive rule; reopening of comment period.

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SUMMARY: On March 6, 2020, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) 
solicited comments on a proposed interpretation of its low-level 
radioactive waste disposal regulations that would permit licensees to 
dispose of waste by transfer to persons who hold specific exemptions 
for the purpose of disposal. The public comment period was originally 
scheduled to close on April 20, 2020. On April 9, 2020, the public 
comment period was extended to July 20, 2020. In recognition of the 
continuing impacts of the current COVID-19 public health emergency 
(PHE) across the nation, the NRC has decided to reopen the public 
comment period to allow more time for members of the public to develop 
and submit their comments.

DATES: The due date of comments requested in the document published on 
March 6, 2020 (85 FR 13076), which was extended on April 9, 2020 (85 FR 
19907), has been reopened. Comments should be filed no later than 
October 21, 2020. Comments received after this date will be considered 
if it is practical to do so, but the Commission is able to ensure 
consideration only for comments received before this date. Staff will 
continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic to determine if an additional 
extension may be warranted.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2020-0065. Address 
questions about NRC docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Jennifer Borges; 
telephone: 301-287-9127; email: [email protected]. For technical 
questions, contact the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT section of this document.
     Mail comments to: Office of Administration, Mail Stop: 
TWFN-7-A60M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001, ATTN: Program Management, Announcements and Editing Staff.
     Email comments to: [email protected].
    For additional direction on obtaining information and submitting 
comments, see ``Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments'' in the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marlayna Doell, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-3178; email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments

A. Obtaining Information

    Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2020-0065 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-2020-0065.
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-available documents online in the 
ADAMS Public Document 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 reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by 
email to [email protected].

B. Submitting Comments

    Please include Docket ID NRC-2020-0065 in your comment submission.
    The NRC cautions you not to include identifying or contact 
information that you do not want to be publicly disclosed in your 
comment submission. The NRC will post all comment submissions at 
https://www.regulations.gov, as well as enter the comment submissions 
into ADAMS. The NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to 
remove identifying or contact information.
    If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons 
for submission to the NRC, then you should inform those persons not to 
include identifying or contact information that they do not want to be 
publicly disclosed in their comment submission. Your request should 
state that the NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to 
remove such information before making the comment submissions available 
to the public or entering the comment into ADAMS.

II. Discussion

    On March 6, 2020, the NRC solicited comments on a proposed 
interpretation of its low-level radioactive waste disposal regulations 
that would permit licensees to dispose of waste by transfer to persons 
who hold specific exemptions for the purpose of disposal. The NRC will 
consider approval of requests for specific exemptions for the purpose 
of disposal if they are for the disposal of very low-level radioactive 
waste (VLLW) by land burial in facilities that have been reviewed and 
approved for the purpose of disposal of VLLW (i.e., Resource 
Conservation and Recovery Act sites). Therefore, the NRC's intent is 
that this interpretive rule will allow licensees to transfer VLLW to 
exempt persons for the purpose of disposal by land burial. The public 
comment period was originally scheduled to close on April 20, 2020, and 
was previously extended to July 20, 2020. In recognition of the impacts 
of the current COVID-19 PHE across the nation, the NRC has decided to 
reopen the public comment period until October 21, 2020, to allow more 
time for members of the public to develop and submit their comments.

    Dated: July 23, 2020.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Patricia K. Holahan,
Director, Division of Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery, and Waste 
Programs, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2020-16298 Filed 7-28-20; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P