[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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