[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 35 (Wednesday, February 24, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11337-11339]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-03743]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos. 50-483, 50-331, 50-321, 50-366, 50-341, 50-528, 50-529, 
and 50-530; NRC-2020-0110]


Issuance of Multiple Exemptions in Response to COVID-19 Public 
Health Emergency

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Exemptions; issuance.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued five 
exemptions in response to requests from five licensees. The exemptions 
afford these licensees temporary relief from certain requirements under 
NRC regulations. The exemptions are in response to the licensees' 
requests for relief due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) 
public health emergency (PHE). The NRC is issuing a single notice to 
announce the issuance of the exemptions.

DATES: During the period from January 5, 2021, to January 14, 2021, the 
NRC granted five exemptions in response to requests submitted by five 
licensees from December 18, 2020, to January 6, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2020-0110 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may obtain publicly available information related to this document 
using any of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2020-0110. Address 
questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Stacy Schumann; 
telephone: 301-415-0624; email: [email protected]. For technical 
questions, contact the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT section of this document.
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly

[[Page 11338]]

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].
     Attention: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies 
of public documents, is currently closed. You may submit your request 
to the PDR via email at [email protected] or call 1-800-397-4209 or 
301-415-4737, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (EST), Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays.
    For the convenience of the reader, instructions about obtaining 
materials referenced in this document are provided in the 
``Availability of Documents'' section.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Danna, Office of Nuclear Reactor 
Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-
0001; telephone: 301-415-7422, email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Introduction

    During the period from January 5, 2021, to January 14, 2021, the 
NRC granted five exemptions in response to requests submitted by five 
licensees from December 18, 2020, to January 6, 2021. These exemptions 
temporarily allow the licensees to deviate from certain requirements 
(as cited below) of various parts of chapter I of title 10 of the Code 
of Federal Regulations (10 CFR).
    The exemptions from certain requirements of 10 CFR part 26, 
``Fitness for Duty Programs,'' for Union Electric Company (for Callaway 
Plant, Unit No. 1); for DTE Electric Company (for Fermi-2); and for 
Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc. (for Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear 
Plant, Unit Nos. 1 and 2) afford these licensees temporary relief from 
the work-hour control requirements of 10 CFR 26.205(d)(1) through 
(d)(7). The exemptions from 10 CFR 26.205(d)(1) through (d)(7) will 
help to ensure that the control of work hours and management of worker 
fatigue does not unduly limit licensee flexibility in using personnel 
resources to most effectively manage the impacts of the COVID-19 PHE on 
maintaining the safe operation of these facilities. Specifically, these 
licensees have stated that their staffing levels are affected or are 
expected to be affected by the COVID-19 PHE, and they can no longer 
meet or likely will not meet the work-hour control requirements of 10 
CFR 26.205(d)(1) through (d)(7). These licensees have committed to 
site-specific COVID-19 PHE fatigue-management controls for personnel 
specified in 10 CFR 26.4(a).
    The exemptions from certain requirements of 10 CFR part 73, 
appendix B, ``General Criteria for Security Personnel,'' section VI, 
``Nuclear Power Reactor Training and Qualification Plan for Personnel 
Performing Security Program Duties,'' for NextEra Energy Duane Arnold, 
LLC (for Duane Arnold Energy Center) and for Arizona Public Service 
Company (for Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 3) 
will help to ensure that these regulatory requirements do not unduly 
limit licensee flexibility in using personnel resources to most 
effectively manage the impacts of the COVID-19 PHE on maintaining the 
safe and secure operation of these facilities and the implementation of 
the licensees' NRC-approved security plans, protective strategy, and 
implementing procedures. These licensees have committed to certain 
security measures to ensure response readiness and for their security 
personnel to maintain performance capability.
    The NRC is providing compiled tables of exemptions using a single 
Federal Register notice for COVID-19 related exemptions instead of 
issuing individual Federal Register notices for each exemption. The 
compiled tables in this notice provide transparency regarding the 
number and type of exemptions the NRC has issued. Additionally, the NRC 
publishes tables of approved regulatory actions related to the COVID-19 
PHE on its public website at https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/covid-19/reactors/licensing-actions.html.

II. Availability of Documents

    The tables in this notice provide the facility name, docket number, 
document description, and ADAMS accession number for each exemption 
issued. Additional details on each exemption issued, including the 
exemption request submitted by the respective licensee and the NRC's 
decision, are provided in each exemption approval listed in the tables 
in this notice. For additional directions on accessing information in 
ADAMS, see the ADDRESSES section of this document.

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            Document description                 ADAMS accession No.
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                       Callaway Plant, Unit No. 1
                            Docket No. 50-483
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Callaway Plant, Unit No. 1--Additional       ML20366A062.
 Request for Exemption from Specific
 Requirements of 10 CFR part 26, ``Fitness
 for Duty Programs,'' dated December 31,
 2020.
Callaway Plant, Unit No. 1--Response to      ML21007A374.
 Request for Additional Information
 Pertaining to Additional Request for
 Exemption from Specific Requirements of 10
 CFR part 26, ``Fitness for Duty
 Programs,'' dated January 7, 2021.
Callaway Plant, Unit No. 1--Exemption from   ML21012A009.
 Select Requirements of 10 CFR part 26
 (EPID L-2020-LLE-0242 [COVID-19]), dated
 January 14, 2021.
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                       Duane Arnold Energy Center
                            Docket No. 50-331
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Duane Arnold Energy Center--Request for a    ML20364A039.
 One-Time Exemption from 10 CFR part 73,
 appendix B, section VI, subsection
 C.3.(I)(1) Regarding Annual Force-on-Force
 (FOF) Exercises due to COVID-19 Pandemic,
 dated December 29, 2020.
Duane Arnold Energy Center--Exemption from   ML21004A215.
 Annual Force-on-Force Exercise
 Requirements of 10 CFR part 73, appendix
 B, ``General Criteria for Security
 Personnel,'' subsection VI.C.3(I)(1) (EPID
 L-2020-LLE-0241 [COVID-19]), dated January
 13, 2021.
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[[Page 11339]]

 
             Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant, Unit Nos. 1 and 2
                      Docket Nos. 50-321 and 50-366
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Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant, Unit Nos. 1    ML21006A227.
 and 2--COVID-19 Related Request for
 Exemption from 10 CFR part 26 Work Hours
 Requirements, dated January 6, 2021.
Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant, Unit Nos. 1    ML21005A305.
 and 2--Exemption from Select Requirements
 of 10 CFR part 26 (EPID L-2020-LLE-000
 [COVID-19]), dated January 11, 2021.
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                                 Fermi-2
                            Docket No. 50-341
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Fermi-2--Work Hour Limits Exemption Request  ML21004A195.
 due to COVID-19--Supplement, dated January
 4, 2021.
Fermi-2--Exemption from Select Requirements  ML21005A421.
 of 10 CFR part 26 (EPID L-2021-LLE-0002
 [COVID[dash]19]), dated January 13, 2021.
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        Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, Units 1, 2, and 3
                 Docket Nos. 50-528, 50-529, and 50-530
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Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station        ML20353A391.
 (PVNGS) Units 1, 2, and 3 and Independent
 Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI)
 Request for a Temporary Exemption from 10
 CFR part 73, appendix B, section VI,
 subsection A.7 and subsection C.3(I)(1),
 dated December 18, 2020.
Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station,       ML20355A000.
 Units 1, 2, and 3--Exemption from Annual
 Force-on-Force Exercise Requirement of 10
 CFR part 73, appendix B, ``General
 Criteria for Security Personnel,''
 subsection A.7 (EPID L-2020-LLE-0237
 [COVID[dash]19]), dated January 5, 2021.
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    Dated: February 18, 2021.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
James G. Danna,
Chief, Plant Licensing Branch I, Division of Operating Reactor 
Licensing, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2021-03743 Filed 2-23-21; 8:45 am]
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