[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 65 (Tuesday, April 5, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19715-19721]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-06049]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2022-0066]


Applications and Amendments to Facility Operating Licenses and 
Combined Licenses Involving Proposed No Significant Hazards 
Considerations and Containing Sensitive Unclassified Non-Safeguards 
Information and Order Imposing Procedures for Access to Sensitive 
Unclassified Non-Safeguards Information

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: License amendment request; notice of opportunity to comment, 
request a hearing, and petition for leave to intervene; order imposing 
procedures.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) received and is 
considering approval of three amendment requests. The amendment 
requests are for LaSalle County Station, Units 1 and 2; Quad Cities 
Nuclear

[[Page 19716]]

Power Station, Units 1 and 2; and Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, 
Units 1 and 2. For each amendment request, the NRC proposes to 
determine that they involve no significant hazards consideration 
(NSHC). Because each amendment request contains sensitive unclassified 
non-safeguards information (SUNSI), an order imposes procedures to 
obtain access to SUNSI for contention preparation by persons who file a 
hearing request or petition for leave to intervene.

DATES: Comments must be filed by May 5, 2022. A request for a hearing 
or petition for leave to intervene must be filed by June 6, 2022. Any 
potential party as defined in section 2.4 of title 10 of the Code of 
Federal Regulations (10 CFR) who believes access to SUNSI is necessary 
to respond to this notice must request document access by April 15, 
2022.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods; 
however, the NRC encourages electronic comment submission through the 
Federal rulemaking website:
     Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2022-0066. 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.
     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.
    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: Karen Zeleznock, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 
20555-0001, telephone: 301-415-1118, email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments

A. Obtaining Information

    Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2022-0066, facility name, unit 
number(s), docket number(s), application date, and subject 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-2022-0066.
     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 ADAMS accession number for each 
document referenced (if it is available in ADAMS) is provided the first 
time that it is mentioned in this document.
     NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public 
documents, by appointment, at the NRC's PDR, Room P1 B35, One White 
Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. To make 
an appointment to visit the PDR, please send an email to 
[email protected] or call 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, between 
8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET), Monday through Friday, 
except Federal holidays.

B. Submitting Comments

    The NRC encourages electronic comment submission through the 
Federal rulemaking website (https://www.regulations.gov). Please 
include Docket ID NRC-2022-0066, facility name, unit number(s), docket 
number(s), application date, and subject, 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. Background

    Pursuant to Section 189a.(2) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as 
amended (the Act), the NRC is publishing this notice. The Act requires 
the Commission to publish notice of any amendments issued, or proposed 
to be issued, and grants the Commission the authority to issue and make 
immediately effective any amendment to an operating license or combined 
license, as applicable, upon a determination by the Commission that 
such amendment involves NSHC, notwithstanding the pendency before the 
Commission of a request for a hearing from any person.
    This notice includes notices of amendments containing SUNSI.

III. Notice of Consideration of Issuance of Amendments to Facility 
Operating Licenses and Combined Licenses, Proposed No Significant 
Hazards Consideration Determination, and Opportunity for a Hearing

    The Commission has made a proposed determination that the following 
amendment requests involve NSHC. Under the Commission's regulations in 
10 CFR 50.92, this means that operation of the facility in accordance 
with the proposed amendment would not (1) involve a significant 
increase in the probability or consequences of an accident previously 
evaluated, or (2) create the possibility of a new or different kind of 
accident from any accident previously evaluated, or (3) involve a 
significant reduction in a margin of safety. The basis for this 
proposed determination for each amendment request is shown below.
    The Commission is seeking public comments on this proposed 
determination. Any comments received within 30 days after the date of 
publication of this notice will be considered in making any final 
determination.
    Normally, the Commission will not issue the amendment until the 
expiration of 60 days after the date of publication of this notice. The 
Commission may issue the license amendment before expiration of the 60-
day period provided that its final determination is that the amendment 
involves no significant hazards consideration. In addition, the 
Commission may issue the amendment prior to the expiration of the 30-
day comment period if circumstances change during the 30-day comment 
period such that failure to act in a timely way would result, for 
example, in derating or shutdown of the facility. If the Commission 
takes action prior to

[[Page 19717]]

the expiration of either the comment period or the notice period, it 
will publish a notice of issuance in the Federal Register. If the 
Commission makes a final no significant hazards consideration 
determination, any hearing will take place after issuance. The 
Commission expects that the need to take this action will occur very 
infrequently.

A. Opportunity To Request a Hearing and Petition for Leave To Intervene

    Within 60 days after the date of publication of this notice, any 
persons (petitioner) whose interest may be affected by any of these 
actions may file a request for a hearing and petition for leave to 
intervene (petition) with respect to that action. Petitions shall be 
filed in accordance with the Commission's ``Agency Rules of Practice 
and Procedure'' in 10 CFR part 2. Interested persons should consult a 
current copy of 10 CFR 2.309. The NRC's regulations are accessible 
electronically from the NRC Library on the NRC's website at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/. If a petition is filed, 
the Commission or a presiding officer will rule on the petition and, if 
appropriate, a notice of a hearing will be issued.
    As required by 10 CFR 2.309(d) the petition should specifically 
explain the reasons why intervention should be permitted with 
particular reference to the following general requirements for 
standing: (1) The name, address, and telephone number of the 
petitioner; (2) the nature of the petitioner's right to be made a party 
to the proceeding; (3) the nature and extent of the petitioner's 
property, financial, or other interest in the proceeding; and (4) the 
possible effect of any decision or order which may be entered in the 
proceeding on the petitioner's interest.
    In accordance with 10 CFR 2.309(f), the petition must also set 
forth the specific contentions that the petitioner seeks to have 
litigated in the proceeding. Each contention must consist of a specific 
statement of the issue of law or fact to be raised or controverted. In 
addition, the petitioner must provide a brief explanation of the bases 
for the contention and a concise statement of the alleged facts or 
expert opinion that support the contention and on which the petitioner 
intends to rely in proving the contention at the hearing. The 
petitioner must also provide references to the specific sources and 
documents on which the petitioner intends to rely to support its 
position on the issue. The petition must include sufficient information 
to show that a genuine dispute exists with the applicant or licensee on 
a material issue of law or fact. Contentions must be limited to matters 
within the scope of the proceeding. The contention must be one that, if 
proven, would entitle the petitioner to relief. A petitioner who fails 
to satisfy the requirements at 10 CFR 2.309(f) with respect to at least 
one contention will not be permitted to participate as a party.
    Those permitted to intervene become parties to the proceeding, 
subject to any limitations in the order granting leave to intervene. 
Parties have the opportunity to participate fully in the conduct of the 
hearing with respect to resolution of that party's admitted 
contentions, including the opportunity to present evidence, consistent 
with the NRC's regulations, policies, and procedures.
    Petitions must be filed no later than 60 days from the date of 
publication of this notice. Petitions and motions for leave to file new 
or amended contentions that are filed after the deadline will not be 
entertained absent a determination by the presiding officer that the 
filing demonstrates good cause by satisfying the three factors in 10 
CFR 2.309(c)(1)(i) through (iii). The petition must be filed in 
accordance with the filing instructions in the ``Electronic Submissions 
(E-Filing)'' section of this document.
    If a hearing is requested, and the Commission has not made a final 
determination on the issue of NSHC, the Commission will make a final 
determination on the issue of NSHC. The final determination will serve 
to establish when the hearing is held. If the final determination is 
that the amendment request involves NSHC, the Commission may issue the 
amendment and make it immediately effective, notwithstanding the 
request for a hearing. Any hearing would take place after issuance of 
the amendment. If the final determination is that the amendment request 
involves a significant hazards consideration, then any hearing held 
would take place before the issuance of the amendment unless the 
Commission finds an imminent danger to the health or safety of the 
public, in which case it will issue an appropriate order or rule under 
10 CFR part 2.
    A State, local governmental body, Federally recognized Indian 
Tribe, or agency thereof, may submit a petition to the Commission to 
participate as a party under 10 CFR 2.309(h)(1). The petition should 
state the nature and extent of the petitioner's interest in the 
proceeding. The petition should be submitted to the Commission no later 
than 60 days from the date of publication of this notice. The petition 
must be filed in accordance with the filing instructions in the 
``Electronic Submissions (E-Filing)'' section of this document, and 
should meet the requirements for petitions set forth in this section, 
except that under 10 CFR 2.309(h)(2) a State, local governmental body, 
or Federally recognized Indian Tribe, or agency thereof does not need 
to address the standing requirements in 10 CFR 2.309(d) if the facility 
is located within its boundaries. Alternatively, a State, local 
governmental body, Federally recognized Indian Tribe, or agency thereof 
may participate as a non-party under 10 CFR 2.315(c).
    If a petition is submitted, any person who is not a party to the 
proceeding and is not affiliated with or represented by a party may, at 
the discretion of the presiding officer, be permitted to make a limited 
appearance pursuant to the provisions of 10 CFR 2.315(a). A person 
making a limited appearance may make an oral or written statement of 
his or her position on the issues but may not otherwise participate in 
the proceeding. A limited appearance may be made at any session of the 
hearing or at any prehearing conference, subject to the limits and 
conditions as may be imposed by the presiding officer. Details 
regarding the opportunity to make a limited appearance will be provided 
by the presiding officer if such sessions are scheduled.

B. Electronic Submissions (E-Filing)

    All documents filed in NRC adjudicatory proceedings including 
documents filed by an interested State, local governmental body, 
Federally recognized Indian Tribe, or designated agency thereof that 
requests to participate under 10 CFR 2.315(c), must be filed in 
accordance with 10 CFR 2.302. The E-Filing process requires 
participants to submit and serve all adjudicatory documents over the 
internet, or in some cases, to mail copies on electronic storage media, 
unless an exemption permitting an alternative filing method, as 
discussed below, is granted. Detailed guidance on electronic 
submissions is located in the Guidance for Electronic Submissions to 
the NRC (ADAMS Accession No. ML13031A056) and on the NRC website at 
https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html.
    To comply with the procedural requirements of E-Filing, at least 10 
days prior to the filing deadline, the participant should contact the 
Office of the Secretary by email at [email protected], or by 
telephone at 301-415-1677, to (1) request a digital identification (ID) 
certificate, which allows the participant (or its counsel or 
representative) to

[[Page 19718]]

digitally sign submissions and access the E-Filing system for any 
proceeding in which it is participating; and (2) advise the Secretary 
that the participant will be submitting a petition or other 
adjudicatory document (even in instances in which the participant, or 
its counsel or representative, already holds an NRC-issued digital ID 
certificate). Based upon this information, the Secretary will establish 
an electronic docket for the proceeding if the Secretary has not 
already established an electronic docket.
    Information about applying for a digital ID certificate is 
available on the NRC's public website at https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals/getting-started.html. After a digital ID certificate is 
obtained and a docket created, the participant must submit adjudicatory 
documents in Portable Document Format. Guidance on submissions is 
available on the NRC's public website at https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/electronic-sub-ref-mat.html. A filing is considered complete at the 
time the document is submitted through the NRC's E-Filing system. To be 
timely, an electronic filing must be submitted to the E-Filing system 
no later than 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the due date. Upon receipt of a 
transmission, the E-Filing system timestamps the document and sends the 
submitter an email confirming receipt of the document. The E-Filing 
system also distributes an email that provides access to the document 
to the NRC's Office of the General Counsel and any others who have 
advised the Office of the Secretary that they wish to participate in 
the proceeding, so that the filer need not serve the document on those 
participants separately. Therefore, applicants and other participants 
(or their counsel or representative) must apply for and receive a 
digital ID certificate before adjudicatory documents are filed to 
obtain access to the documents via the E-Filing system.
    A person filing electronically using the NRC's adjudicatory E-
Filing system may seek assistance by contacting the NRC's Electronic 
Filing Help Desk through the ``Contact Us'' link located on the NRC's 
public website at https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html, by 
email to [email protected], or by a toll-free call at 1-866-672-
7640. The NRC Electronic Filing Help Desk is available between 9 a.m. 
and 6 p.m., (ET), Monday through Friday, excluding government holidays.
    Participants who believe that they have good cause for not 
submitting documents electronically must file an exemption request, in 
accordance with 10 CFR 2.302(g), with their initial paper filing 
stating why there is good cause for not filing electronically and 
requesting authorization to continue to submit documents in paper 
format. Such filings must be submitted in accordance with 10 CFR 
2.302(b)-(d). Participants filing adjudicatory documents in this manner 
are responsible for serving their documents on all other participants. 
Participants granted an exemption under 10 CFR 2.302(g)(2) must still 
meet the electronic formatting requirement in 10 CFR 2.302(g)(1), 
unless the participant also seeks and is granted an exemption from 10 
CFR 2.302(g)(1).
    Documents submitted in adjudicatory proceedings will appear in the 
NRC's electronic hearing docket, which is publicly available at https://adams.nrc.gov/ehd, unless excluded pursuant to an order of the 
presiding officer. If you do not have an NRC-issued digital ID 
certificate as described above, click ``cancel'' when the link requests 
certificates and you will be automatically directed to the NRC's 
electronic hearing dockets where you will be able to access any 
publicly available documents in a particular hearing docket. 
Participants are requested not to include personal privacy information 
such as social security numbers, home addresses, or personal phone 
numbers in their filings unless an NRC regulation or other law requires 
submission of such information. With respect to copyrighted works, 
except for limited excerpts that serve the purpose of the adjudicatory 
filings and would constitute a Fair Use application, participants 
should not include copyrighted materials in their submission.
    The following table provides the plant name, docket number, date of 
application, ADAMS accession number, and location in the application of 
the licensees' proposed NSHC determinations. For further details with 
respect to these license amendment applications, see the applications 
for amendment, which are available for public inspection in ADAMS. For 
additional direction on accessing information related to this document, 
see the ``Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments'' section of 
this document.

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  Constellation Energy Generation, LLC; LaSalle County Station, Units 1
                        and 2; LaSalle County, IL
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Docket No(s).................  50-373, 50-374.
Application Date.............  June 30, 2021, as supplemented by letter
                                dated November 4, 2021.
ADAMS Accession Nos..........  ML21265A538, ML21265A537, ML21265A536,
                                ML21265A558; ML21312A457.
Location in Application of     Attachment 1 Pages 12 through 15.
 NSHC.
Brief Description of           The proposed amendment would change
 Amendment(s).                  LaSalle County Station Technical
                                Specifications 4.3.1, ``Criticality,''
                                and 5.6.5, ``Core Operating Limits
                                Report (COLR).'' Specifically, the
                                licensee is utilizing a new criticality
                                safety analysis (CSA) methodology for
                                performing the criticality safety
                                evaluation for legacy fuel types in
                                addition to the GNF3 reload fuel in the
                                spent fuel pool. The licensee is also
                                proposing a change to the new fuel vault
                                (NFV) CSA to utilize the GESTAR II
                                methodology for validating the NFV
                                criticality safety for GNF3 fuel in the
                                General Electric designed NFV racks.
Proposed Determination.......  NSHC.
Name of Attorney for           Tamra Domeyer Associate General Counsel
 Licensee, Mailing Address.     Constellation Energy Generation, LLC
                                4300 Winfield Road, Warrenville, IL
                                60565.
NRC Project Manager,           Bhalchandra Vaidya, 301-415-3308.
 Telephone Number.
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Constellation Energy Generation, LLC; Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station,
                  Units 1 and 2; Rock Island County, IL
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Docket No(s).................  50-254, 50-265.
Application Date.............  October 25, 2021.
ADAMS Accession No...........  ML21298A168.
Location in Application of     Attachment 1, pages 8-11.
 NSHC.

[[Page 19719]]

 
Brief Description of           The proposed amendment would change the
 Amendment(s).                  criticality safety analysis (CSA)
                                methodology for performing the
                                criticality safety evaluation for legacy
                                fuel types in addition to the GNF3
                                reload fuel in the spent fuel pool at
                                Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station, Units
                                1 and 2. The proposed change includes
                                revising the Technical Specifications
                                4.3.1, ``Criticality.'' Additionally,
                                the licensee also proposes to change the
                                new fuel vault (NFV) CSA to utilize
                                GESTAR II methodology for validating the
                                criticality safety for GNF3 fuel in the
                                General Electric designed NFV racks.
Proposed Determination.......  NSHC.
Name of Attorney for           Tamra Domeyer, Associate General Counsel,
 Licensee, Mailing Address.     Constellation Energy Generation, LLC,
                                4300 Winfield Road, Warrenville, IL
                                60555.
NRC Project Manager,           Booma Venkataraman, 301-415-2934.
 Telephone Number.
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   Susquehanna Nuclear, LLC and Allegheny Electric Cooperative, Inc.;
  Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1 and 2; Luzerne County, PA
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Docket No(s).................  50-387, 50-388.
Application Date.............  January 5, 2022.
ADAMS Accession No...........  ML22005A183.
Location in Application of     Attachment 1, page 3-5.
 NSHC.
Brief Description of           The proposed amendment would adopt
 Amendment(s).                  Technical Specification Task Force
                                Traveler TSTF-564, ``Safety Limit MCPR
                                [Minimum Critical Power Ratio],''
                                Revision 2, which would revise the
                                Technical Specification safety limit on
                                MCPR to reduce the need for cycle-
                                specific changes to the value while
                                still meeting the regulatory requirement
                                for a safety limit.
Proposed Determination.......  NSHC.
Name of Attorney for           Damon D. Obie, Esq, 835 Hamilton St.,
 Licensee, Mailing Address.     Suite 150, Allentown, PA 18101.
NRC Project Manager,           Audrey Klett, 301-415-0489.
 Telephone Number.
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Order Imposing Procedures for Access to Sensitive Unclassified Non-
Safeguards Information for Contention Preparation

Constellation Energy Generation, LLC; LaSalle County Station, Units 1 
and 2; LaSalle County, IL

Constellation Energy Generation, LLC; Quad Cities Nuclear Power 
Station, Units 1 and 2; Rock Island County, IL

Susquehanna Nuclear, LLC and Allegheny Electric Cooperative, Inc.; 
Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1 and 2; Luzerne County, PA

    A. This Order contains instructions regarding how potential parties 
to this proceeding may request access to documents containing Sensitive 
Unclassified Non-Safeguards Information (SUNSI).
    B. Within 10 days after publication of this notice of hearing and 
opportunity to petition for leave to intervene, any potential party who 
believes access to SUNSI is necessary to respond to this notice may 
request access to SUNSI. A ``potential party'' is any person who 
intends to participate as a party by demonstrating standing and filing 
an admissible contention under 10 CFR 2.309. Requests for access to 
SUNSI submitted later than 10 days after publication of this notice 
will not be considered absent a showing of good cause for the late 
filing, addressing why the request could not have been filed earlier.
    C. The requestor shall submit a letter requesting permission to 
access SUNSI to the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention: Rulemakings and 
Adjudications Staff, and provide a copy to the Deputy General Counsel 
for Licensing, Hearings, and Enforcement, Office of the General 
Counsel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. 
The expedited delivery or courier mail address for both offices is: 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, 
Maryland 20852. The email address for the Office of the Secretary and 
the Office of the General Counsel are [email protected] and 
[email protected], respectively.\1\ The request must 
include the following information:
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    \1\ While a request for hearing or petition to intervene in this 
proceeding must comply with the filing requirements of the NRC's 
``E-Filing Rule,'' the initial request to access SUNSI under these 
procedures should be submitted as described in this paragraph.
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    (1) A description of the licensing action with a citation to this 
Federal Register notice;
    (2) The name and address of the potential party and a description 
of the potential party's particularized interest that could be harmed 
by the action identified in C.(1); and
    (3) The identity of the individual or entity requesting access to 
SUNSI and the requestor's basis for the need for the information in 
order to meaningfully participate in this adjudicatory proceeding. In 
particular, the request must explain why publicly available versions of 
the information requested would not be sufficient to provide the basis 
and specificity for a proffered contention.
    D. Based on an evaluation of the information submitted under 
paragraph C.(3) the NRC staff will determine within 10 days of receipt 
of the request whether:
    (1) There is a reasonable basis to believe the petitioner is likely 
to establish standing to participate in this NRC proceeding; and
    (2) The requestor has established a legitimate need for access to 
SUNSI.
    E. If the NRC staff determines that the requestor satisfies both 
D.(1) and D.(2), the NRC staff will notify the requestor in writing 
that access to SUNSI has been granted. The written notification will 
contain instructions on how the requestor may obtain copies of the 
requested documents, and any other conditions that may apply to access 
to those documents. These conditions may include, but are not limited 
to, the signing of a Non-Disclosure Agreement or Affidavit, or 
Protective Order \2\ setting forth terms and conditions to prevent the 
unauthorized or inadvertent disclosure of SUNSI by each individual who 
will be granted access to SUNSI.
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    \2\ Any motion for Protective Order or draft Non-Disclosure 
Affidavit or Agreement for SUNSI must be filed with the presiding 
officer or the Chief Administrative Judge if the presiding officer 
has not yet been designated, within 30 days of the deadline for the 
receipt of the written access request.
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    F. Filing of Contentions. Any contentions in these proceedings that 
are based upon the information received as a result of the request made 
for SUNSI must be filed by the requestor no later than 25 days after 
receipt of (or access to) that information. However, if more than 25 
days remain between the petitioner's receipt of (or access to) the

[[Page 19720]]

information and the deadline for filing all other contentions (as 
established in the notice of hearing or opportunity for hearing), the 
petitioner may file its SUNSI contentions by that later deadline.
    G. Review of Denials of Access.
    (1) If the request for access to SUNSI is denied by the NRC staff 
after a determination on standing and requisite need, the NRC staff 
shall immediately notify the requestor in writing, briefly stating the 
reason or reasons for the denial.
    (2) The requestor may challenge the NRC staff's adverse 
determination by filing a challenge within 5 days of receipt of that 
determination with: (a) The presiding officer designated in this 
proceeding; (b) if no presiding officer has been appointed, the Chief 
Administrative Judge, or if he or she is unavailable, another 
administrative judge, or an Administrative Law Judge with jurisdiction 
pursuant to 10 CFR 2.318(a); if another officer has been designated to 
rule on information access issues, with that officer.
    (3) Further appeals of decisions under this paragraph must be made 
pursuant to 10 CFR 2.311.
    H. Review of Grants of Access. A party other than the requestor may 
challenge an NRC staff determination granting access to SUNSI whose 
release would harm that party's interest independent of the proceeding. 
Such a challenge must be filed within 5 days of the notification by the 
NRC staff of its grant of access and must be filed with: (a) The 
presiding officer designated in this proceeding; (b) if no presiding 
officer has been appointed, the Chief Administrative Judge, or if he or 
she is unavailable, another administrative judge, or an Administrative 
Law Judge with jurisdiction pursuant to 10 CFR 2.318(a); if another 
officer has been designated to rule on information access issues, with 
that officer.
    If challenges to the NRC staff determinations are filed, these 
procedures give way to the normal process for litigating disputes 
concerning access to information. The availability of interlocutory 
review by the Commission of orders ruling on such NRC staff 
determinations (whether granting or denying access) is governed by 10 
CFR 2.311.\3\
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    \3\ Requestors should note that the filing requirements of the 
NRC's E-Filing Rule (72 FR 49139; August 28, 2007, as amended at 77 
FR 46562; August 3, 2012) apply to appeals of NRC staff 
determinations (because they must be served on a presiding officer 
or the Commission, as applicable), but not to the initial SUNSI 
request submitted to the NRC staff under these procedures.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    I. The Commission expects that the NRC staff and presiding officers 
(and any other reviewing officers) will consider and resolve requests 
for access to SUNSI, and motions for protective orders, in a timely 
fashion in order to minimize any unnecessary delays in identifying 
those petitioners who have standing and who have propounded contentions 
meeting the specificity and basis requirements in 10 CFR part 2. The 
attachment to this Order summarizes the general target schedule for 
processing and resolving requests under these procedures.
    It is so ordered.

    Dated: March 17, 2022.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Annette L. Vietti-Cook,
Secretary of the Commission.

Attachment 1--General Target Schedule for Processing and Resolving 
Requests for Access to Sensitive Unclassified Non-Safeguards 
Information in This Proceeding

------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Day                            Event/activity
------------------------------------------------------------------------
0.............................  Publication of Federal Register notice
                                 of hearing and opportunity to petition
                                 for leave to intervene, including order
                                 with instructions for access requests.
10............................  Deadline for submitting requests for
                                 access to Sensitive Unclassified Non-
                                 Safeguards Information (SUNSI) with
                                 information: Supporting the standing of
                                 a potential party identified by name
                                 and address; describing the need for
                                 the information in order for the
                                 potential party to participate
                                 meaningfully in an adjudicatory
                                 proceeding.
60............................  Deadline for submitting petition for
                                 intervention containing: (i)
                                 Demonstration of standing; and (ii) all
                                 contentions whose formulation does not
                                 require access to SUNSI (+25 Answers to
                                 petition for intervention; +7
                                 petitioner/requestor reply).
20............................  U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
                                 staff informs the requestor of the
                                 staff's determination whether the
                                 request for access provides a
                                 reasonable basis to believe standing
                                 can be established and shows need for
                                 SUNSI. (NRC staff also informs any
                                 party to the proceeding whose interest
                                 independent of the proceeding would be
                                 harmed by the release of the
                                 information.) If NRC staff makes the
                                 finding of need for SUNSI and
                                 likelihood of standing, NRC staff
                                 begins document processing (preparation
                                 of redactions or review of redacted
                                 documents).
25............................  If NRC staff finds no ``need'' or no
                                 likelihood of standing, the deadline
                                 for petitioner/requestor to file a
                                 motion seeking a ruling to reverse the
                                 NRC staff's denial of access; NRC staff
                                 files copy of access determination with
                                 the presiding officer (or Chief
                                 Administrative Judge or other
                                 designated officer, as appropriate). If
                                 NRC staff finds ``need'' for SUNSI, the
                                 deadline for any party to the
                                 proceeding whose interest independent
                                 of the proceeding would be harmed by
                                 the release of the information to file
                                 a motion seeking a ruling to reverse
                                 the NRC staff's grant of access.
30............................  Deadline for NRC staff reply to motions
                                 to reverse NRC staff determination(s).
40............................  (Receipt +30) If NRC staff finds
                                 standing and need for SUNSI, deadline
                                 for NRC staff to complete information
                                 processing and file motion for
                                 Protective Order and draft Non-
                                 Disclosure Affidavit. Deadline for
                                 applicant/licensee to file Non-
                                 Disclosure Agreement for SUNSI.
A.............................  If access granted: Issuance of presiding
                                 officer or other designated officer
                                 decision on motion for protective order
                                 for access to sensitive information
                                 (including schedule for providing
                                 access and submission of contentions)
                                 or decision reversing a final adverse
                                 determination by the NRC staff.
A + 3.........................  Deadline for filing executed Non-
                                 Disclosure Affidavits. Access provided
                                 to SUNSI consistent with decision
                                 issuing the protective order.
A + 28........................  Deadline for submission of contentions
                                 whose development depends upon access
                                 to SUNSI. However, if more than 25 days
                                 remain between the petitioner's receipt
                                 of (or access to) the information and
                                 the deadline for filing all other
                                 contentions (as established in the
                                 notice of opportunity to request a
                                 hearing and petition for leave to
                                 intervene), the petitioner may file its
                                 SUNSI contentions by that later
                                 deadline.
A + 53........................  (Contention receipt +25) Answers to
                                 contentions whose development depends
                                 upon access to SUNSI.
A + 60........................  (Answer receipt +7) Petitioner/
                                 Intervenor reply to answers.
>A + 60.......................  Decision on contention admission.
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[[Page 19721]]

[FR Doc. 2022-06049 Filed 4-4-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P