[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 62 (Wednesday, April 2, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14485-14489]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-05139]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[NRC-2025-0010]
State of Connecticut: NRC Staff Assessment of a Proposed
Agreement Between the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the State of
Connecticut
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Proposed state agreement; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: As required by section 274e. of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954,
as amended (AEA), the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or
Commission) is publishing the proposed Agreement for public comment
(Appendix A). The NRC is also publishing the summary of a draft
assessment by the NRC staff of the State of Connecticut's regulatory
program. Comments are requested on the proposed Agreement and its
effect on public health and safety. Comments are also requested on the
draft staff assessment, the adequacy of the State of Connecticut's
program, and the adequacy of the staffing of the State's program, as
discussed in this document.
DATES: Submit comments by April 18, 2025. 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 on or before
this date.
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-2025-0010. Address
questions about Docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Bridget Curran;
telephone: 301-415-1003; email: [email protected]. For technical
questions, contact the individuals 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: Duncan White, Office of Nuclear
Material Safety and Safeguards; telephone: 301-415-2598; email:
[email protected] or Huda Akhavannik, Office of Nuclear Material
Safety and Safeguards; telephone: 301-415-5253; email:
[email protected]. Both are staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments
A. Obtaining Information
Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2025-0010 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-2025-0010.
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, at 301-415-4737,
or by email to [email protected]. For the convenience of the reader,
instructions about obtaining materials referenced in this document are
provided in the ``Availability of Documents'' section.
NRC's PDR: The PDR, where you may examine and order copies
of publicly available documents, is open by appointment. 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
a.m. and 4 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-2025-0010 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.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: By letter dated October 31, 2024,
Governor Ned Lamont of the State of Connecticut requested that the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or Commission) enter into an
Agreement with the State of Connecticut as authorized by Section 274b.
of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (AEA). Under the proposed
Agreement, the Commission would discontinue, and the State of
Connecticut would assume, regulatory authority over certain types of
byproduct materials as defined in the AEA, source material, and special
nuclear material in quantities not sufficient to form a critical mass.
II. Additional Information on Agreements Entered Under Section 274 of
the AEA
Under the proposed Agreement, the NRC would discontinue its
authority over 104 licenses and would transfer its regulatory authority
over those licenses to the State of Connecticut. The NRC periodically
reviews the performance of the Agreement States to assure compliance
with the provisions of Section 274.
Section 274e. of the AEA requires that the terms of the proposed
Agreement be published in the Federal Register for public comment once
each week for
[[Page 14486]]
four consecutive weeks. This is the third document published in
fulfillment of that requirement.
III. Proposed Agreement With the State of Connecticut
Background
(a) Section 274b. of the AEA provides the mechanism for a State to
assume regulatory authority from the NRC over certain radioactive
materials and activities that involve use of these materials. The
radioactive materials, sometimes referred to as ``Agreement
materials,'' are byproduct materials as defined in Sections 11e.(1),
11e.(2), 11e.(3), and 11e.(4) of the AEA; source material as defined in
Section 11z. of the AEA; and special nuclear material as defined in
Section 11aa. of the AEA, restricted to quantities not sufficient to
form a critical mass.
The radioactive materials and activities (which together are
usually referred to as the ``categories of materials'') that the State
of Connecticut requests authority over are:
1. The possession and use of byproduct material as defined in
Section 11e.(1) of the Act;
2. The possession and use of byproduct material as defined in
Section 11e.(3) of the Act;
3. The possession and use of byproduct material as defined in
Section 11e.(4) of the Act;
4. The possession and use of source material; and
5. The possession and use of special nuclear material, in
quantities not sufficient to form a critical mass.
(b) The proposed Agreement contains articles that:
(i) Specify the materials and activities over which authority is
transferred;
(ii) Specify the materials and activities over which the Commission
will retain regulatory authority;
(iii) Continue the authority of the Commission to safeguard special
nuclear material, protect restricted data, and protect common defense
and security;
(iv) Commit the State of Connecticut and the NRC to exchange
information as necessary to maintain coordinated and compatible
programs;
(v) Provide for the reciprocal recognition of licenses;
(vi) Provide for the suspension or termination of the Agreement;
and
(vii) Specify the effective date of the proposed Agreement.
The Commission reserves the option to modify the terms of the
proposed Agreement in response to comments, to correct errors, and to
make editorial changes. The final text of the proposed Agreement, with
the effective date, will be published after the Agreement is approved
by the Commission and signed by the NRC Chairman and the Governor of
Connecticut.
(c) The regulatory program is authorized by law under the
Connecticut General Statutes (Conn. Gen. Stat.) Title 22a, Chapter
446a, Section 22a-152 (Sec. 22a-152), which provides the Governor with
the authority to enter into an Agreement with the Commission. The State
of Connecticut law contains provisions for the orderly transfer of
regulatory authority over affected licenses from the NRC to the State.
In a letter dated October 31, 2024, Governor Lamont certified that the
State of Connecticut has a program for the control of radiation hazards
that is adequate to protect public health and safety within the State
of Connecticut for the materials and activities specified in the
proposed Agreement, and that the State desires to assume regulatory
responsibility for these materials and activities. After the effective
date of the Agreement, licenses issued by the NRC would continue in
effect as State of Connecticut licenses until the licenses expire or
are replaced by State-issued licenses.
(d) The draft staff assessment finds that the Connecticut
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's Radioactive
Materials Program is adequate to protect public health and safety and
is compatible with the NRC's regulatory program for the regulation of
Agreement materials.
Summary of the Draft NRC Staff Assessment of the State of Connecticut's
Program for the Regulation of Agreement Materials
The NRC staff has examined the State of Connecticut's request for
an Agreement with respect to the ability of the State's radiation
control program to regulate Agreement materials. The examination was
based on the Commission's Policy Statement, ``Criteria for Guidance of
States and NRC in Discontinuance of NRC Regulatory Authority and
Assumption Thereof by States Through Agreement,'' (46 FR 7540, January
23, 1981, as amended by Policy Statements published at 46 FR 36969,
July 16, 1981, and at 48 FR 33376, July 21, 1983) (Policy Statement),
and the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Procedure SA-
700, ``Processing an Agreement.'' The Policy Statement has 28 criteria
that serve as the basis for the NRC staff's assessment of the State of
Connecticut's request for an Agreement. The following section will
reference the appropriate criteria numbers from the Policy Statement
that apply to each section.
(a) Organization and Personnel. The NRC staff reviewed these areas
under Criteria 1, 2, 20, and 24 in the draft staff assessment. The
State of Connecticut's proposed Agreement materials program for the
regulation of radioactive materials is called the ``Radioactive
Materials Program,'' and will be located within the Radiation Division
in the Bureau of Air Management of the Connecticut Department of Energy
and Environmental Protection.
The educational requirements for the Radioactive Materials Program
staff are specified in the State of Connecticut's personnel position
descriptions and meet the NRC criteria with respect to formal education
or combined education and experience requirements. All current staff
members meet the requirements of a bachelor's degree in the physical,
life science or engineering; or an equivalent combination of education
and experience has been substituted for the degree. All have training
and work experience in radiation protection. Supervisory level staff
each have at least 30 years of working experience in radiation
protection.
The State of Connecticut performed an analysis of the expected
workload under the proposed Agreement. Based on the NRC staff review of
the State of Connecticut's analysis, the State has an adequate number
of staff to regulate radioactive materials under the terms of the
proposed Agreement. The State of Connecticut will employ the equivalent
of four full-time equivalent professional and technical staff to
support the Radioactive Materials Program.
The State of Connecticut has indicated that the Radioactive
Materials Program has an adequate number of trained and qualified staff
in place. The State of Connecticut has developed qualification
procedures for license reviewers and inspectors that are similar to the
NRC's procedures. The Radioactive Materials Program staff has
accompanied the NRC staff on inspections of NRC licensees in
Connecticut and participated in licensing training at NRC's Region I
with Division of Radiological Safety and Security staff. The
Radioactive Materials Program staff is also actively supplementing its
experience through meetings, discussions, and facility visits with the
NRC licensees in the State of Connecticut and through self-study, in-
house training, and formal training.
Overall, the NRC staff concluded that the Radioactive Materials
Program staff identified by the State of Connecticut to
[[Page 14487]]
participate in the Agreement materials program has sufficient knowledge
and experience in radiation protection, the use of radioactive
materials, the standards for the evaluation of applications for
licensing, and the techniques of inspecting licensed users of Agreement
materials.
(b) Legislation and Regulations. The NRC staff reviewed these areas
under Criteria 1-15, 17, 19, and 21-28 in the draft staff assessment.
Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. Sec. 22a-152 and 22a-153(a) provide the
authority to enter into the Agreement and establish the Connecticut
Department of Energy and Environmental Protection as the lead agency
for the State's Radioactive Materials Program. The Department has the
requisite authority to promulgate regulations under the Conn. Gen.
Stat. Sec. 22a-153(c) for protection against radiation Conn. Gen.
Stat. Sec. Sec. 22a-154, 22a-155, 22a-6(a)(3), and 22a-6(a)(5) provide
the Radioactive Materials Program the authority to issue licenses and
orders; conduct inspections; and enforce compliance with regulations,
license conditions, and orders. Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 22a-6(a)(5)
requires licensees to provide access to inspectors.
The NRC staff verified that the State of Connecticut adopted by
reference the relevant NRC regulations in parts 19, 20, 30, 31, 32, 33,
34, 35, 36, 37, 39, 40, 61, 70, 71, and 150 of title 10 of the Code of
Federal Regulations (10 CFR) into the Regulations of Connecticut State
Agencies, Use and Control of Radioactive Materials; Civil Penalties,
Sections 22a-153-1 to 22a-153-150. Therefore, the State of Connecticut
adopted an adequate and compatible set of radiation protection
regulations that apply to byproduct materials, source material, and
special nuclear material in quantities not sufficient to form a
critical mass. The NRC staff also verified that the State of
Connecticut will not attempt to enforce regulatory matters reserved to
the Commission.
(c) Storage and Disposal. The NRC staff reviewed these areas under
Criteria 8, 9a, and 11 in the draft staff assessment. The State of
Connecticut has adopted NRC compatible requirements for the handling
and storage of radioactive material, including regulations equivalent
to the applicable standards contained in 10 CFR part 20, which address
the general requirements for waste disposal, and 10 CFR part 61, which
addresses waste classification and form. These regulations are
applicable to all licensees covered under this proposed Agreement.
(d) Transportation of Radioactive Material. The NRC staff reviewed
this area under Criteria 10 in the draft staff assessment. The State of
Connecticut has adopted compatible regulations to the NRC regulations
in 10 CFR part 71. Part 71 contains the requirements licensees must
follow when preparing packages containing radioactive material for
transport. Part 71 also contains requirements related to the licensing
of packaging for use in transporting radioactive materials.
(e) Recordkeeping and Incident Reporting. The NRC staff reviewed
this area under Criteria 1 and 11 in the draft staff assessment. The
State of Connecticut has adopted compatible regulations to the sections
of the NRC regulations that specify requirements for licensees to keep
records and to report incidents or accidents involving the State's
regulated Agreement materials specified in the proposed Agreement.
(f) Evaluation of License Applications. The NRC staff reviewed this
area under Criteria 1, 7, 8, 9a, 13, 14, 15, 20, 23, and 25 in the
draft staff assessment. The State of Connecticut has adopted compatible
regulations to the NRC regulations that specify the requirements to
obtain a license to possess or use radioactive materials. The State of
Connecticut has also developed licensing procedures and adopted NRC
licensing guides for specific uses of radioactive material for use by
the program staff when evaluating license applications.
(g) Inspections and Enforcement. The NRC staff reviewed these areas
under Criteria 1, 16, 18, 19, and 23 in the draft staff assessment. The
State of Connecticut has adopted a schedule providing for the
inspection of licensees as frequently as, or more frequently than, the
inspection schedule used by the NRC. The State of Connecticut's
Radioactive Materials Program has adopted procedures for the conduct of
inspections, reporting of inspection findings, and reporting inspection
results to the licensees. Additionally, the State of Connecticut has
also adopted procedures for the enforcement of regulatory requirements.
(h) Regulatory Administration. The NRC staff reviewed this area
under Criterion 23 in the draft staff assessment. The State of
Connecticut is bound by requirements specified in its state law for
rulemaking, issuing licenses, and taking enforcement actions. The State
of Connecticut has also adopted administrative procedures to assure
fair and impartial treatment of license applicants. The State of
Connecticut law prescribes standards of ethical conduct for State
employees.
(i) Cooperation with Other Agencies. The NRC staff reviewed this
area under Criteria 25, 26, and 27 in the draft staff assessment. The
State of Connecticut law provides for the recognition of existing NRC
and Agreement State licenses and the State has a process in place for
the transition of active NRC licenses. Upon the effective date of the
Agreement, all active NRC radioactive materials licenses that are for
materials covered by the proposed Agreement and were issued to
facilities in the State of Connecticut will be recognized as
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection licenses.
The State of Connecticut also provides for ``timely renewal.'' This
provision affords the continuance of licenses for which an application
for renewal has been filed more than 30 days prior to the date of
expiration of the license. NRC licenses transferred while in timely
renewal are done in a manner to minimize the effects of the transition
on the licensee. The NRC and the State of Connecticut will collaborate
to ensure a seamless and successful transition of NRC licenses under
timely renewal.
The State of Connecticut regulations, in the Regulations of
Connecticut State Agencies, Use and Control of Radioactive Materials;
Civil Penalties, Sections 22a-153-1 to 22a-153-150, provide exemptions
from the State's requirements for the NRC and the U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE) contractors or subcontractors. The proposed Agreement
commits the State of Connecticut to use its best efforts to cooperate
with the NRC and the other Agreement States in the formulation of
standards and regulatory programs for the protection against hazards of
radiation, and to assure that the State's program will continue to be
compatible with the Commission's program for the regulation of
Agreement materials. The proposed Agreement specifies the desirability
of reciprocal recognition of licenses and commits the Commission and
the State of Connecticut to use their best efforts to accord such
reciprocity. Consistent with NRC requirements, the State of Connecticut
would be able to recognize the licenses of other jurisdictions by
general license, as appropriate.
Staff Conclusion
Section 274d. of the AEA provides that the Commission shall enter
into an Agreement under Section 274b. with any State if:
(a) The Governor of that State certifies that the State has a
program for the control of radiation hazards adequate to protect the
public health and safety with
[[Page 14488]]
respect to the Agreement materials within the State, and that the State
desires to assume regulatory responsibility for the Agreement
materials; and
(b) The Commission finds that the State program is in accordance
with the requirements of Subsection 274o, and in all other respects
compatible with the Commission's program for regulation of such
materials, and that the State program is adequate to protect the public
health and safety with respect to the materials covered by the proposed
Agreement.
The NRC staff has reviewed the proposed Agreement, the
certification of Connecticut Governor Lamont, and the supporting
information provided by the Radioactive Materials Program of the
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Based
upon this review, the NRC staff concludes that the State of Connecticut
Radioactive Materials Program satisfies the Section 274d criteria as
well as the criteria in the Commission's Policy Statement ``Criteria
for Guidance of States and NRC in Discontinuance of NRC Regulatory
Authority and Assumption Thereof by States Through Agreement.'' The NRC
staff also concludes that the proposed State of Connecticut program to
regulate Agreement materials, as comprised of statutes, regulations,
procedures, and staffing, is compatible with the Commission's program
and is adequate to protect the public health and safety with respect to
the materials covered by the proposed Agreement. Therefore, the
proposed Agreement meets the requirements of Section 274 of the AEA.
IV. Availability of Documents
The documents identified in the following table are available to
interested persons through one or more of the following methods, as
indicated.
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Document description ADAMS accession No.
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Letter from Governor Ned Lamont, Connecticut, to Chair ML24306A079.
Hanson requesting agreement be established between the NRC
and State of Connecticut, dated October 31, 2024.
Draft Staff Assessment of the Proposed Connecticut Program. ML25070A186.
Final Connecticut Application Section 4.1 Legal Elements... ML24311A018 (Package).
Final Connecticut Application Section 4.2 Regulatory ML24311A026 (Package).
Requirements.
Final Connecticut Application Section 4.3 Licensing Program ML24311A029 (Package).
Elements.
Final Connecticut Application Section 4.4 Inspection ML24311A030 (Package).
Program Elements.
Final Connecticut Application Section 4.5 Enforcement ML24311A044 (Package).
Program Elements.
Final Connecticut Application Section 4.6 Technical ML24319A210 (Package).
Staffing and Training Program Elements.
Final Connecticut Application Section 4.7 Event and ML24319A211 (Package).
Allegation Response Program Elements.
Connecticut Application Request for Additional Information. ML24347A038 (Package).
State Agreement (SA) 700 Processing an Agreement final, ML22138A414.
dated June 15, 2022.
SA-700 Handbook for Processing an Agreement Procedure ML22140A396.
final, dated June 17, 2022.
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Dated: March 21, 2025.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Tamara Bloomer,
Acting Director, Division of Materials Safety, Security, State, and
Tribal Programs, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
Appendix A
An Agreement Between the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission
and the State of Connecticut for the Discontinuance of Certain
Commission Regulatory Authority and Responsibility Within the State
Pursuant to Section 274 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as Amended
Whereas, The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(hereinafter referred to as ``the Commission'') is authorized under
Section 274 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, 42 U.S.C.
2011 et seq. (hereinafter referred to as ``the Act''), to enter into
an agreement with the Governor of the State of Connecticut
(hereinafter referred to as ``the State'') providing for
discontinuance of the regulatory authority of the Commission within
the State under Chapters 6, 7, and 8, and Section 161 of the Act
with respect to byproduct materials as defined in Sections 11e.(1),
(3), and (4) of the Act, source materials, and special nuclear
materials in quantities not sufficient to form a critical mass; and,
Whereas, The Governor of the State of Connecticut is authorized
under Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 22a-152 to enter into this Agreement
with the Commission; and,
Whereas, The Governor of the State of Connecticut certified on
October 31, 2024, that the State has a program for the control of
radiation hazards adequate to protect the public health and safety
with respect to the materials within the State covered by this
Agreement, and that the State desires to assume regulatory
responsibility for such materials; and,
Whereas, The Commission found on [date] that the program of the
State of Connecticut for the regulation of the materials covered by
this Agreement is compatible with the Commission's program for the
regulation of such materials and is adequate to protect the public
health and safety; and,
Whereas, The State of Connecticut and the Commission recognize
the desirability and importance of cooperation between the
Commission and the State in the formulation of standards for
protection against hazards of radiation and in assuring that State
and Commission programs for protection against hazards of radiation
will be coordinated and compatible; and,
Whereas, The Commission and the State of Connecticut recognize
the desirability of the reciprocal recognition of licenses, and of
the granting of limited exemptions from licensing of those materials
subject to this Agreement; and,
Whereas, This Agreement is entered into pursuant to the
provisions of the Act;
Now, therefore, it is hereby agreed between the Commission and
the Governor of Connecticut acting on behalf of the State as
follows:
Article I
Subject to the exceptions provided in Articles II, IV, and V,
the Commission shall discontinue, as of the effective date of this
Agreement, the regulatory authority of the Commission in the State
under Chapters 6, 7 and 8, and Section 161 of the Act with respect
to the following materials:
A. Byproduct material as defined in Section 11e.(1) of the Act;
B. Byproduct material as defined in Section 11e.(3) of the Act;
C. Byproduct materials as defined in Section 11e.(4) of the Act;
D. Source materials; and
E. Special nuclear materials, in quantities not sufficient to
form a critical mass.
Article II
This Agreement does not provide for the discontinuance of any
authority, and the Commission shall retain authority and
responsibility, with respect to:
A. The regulation of the construction, operation, and
decommissioning of any production or utilization facility or any
uranium enrichment facility;
B. The regulation of byproduct material as defined in Section
11e.(2) of the Act;
C. The regulation of the export from or import into the United
States of byproduct, source, or special nuclear material, or of any
production or utilization facility;
D. The regulation of the disposal into the ocean or sea of
byproduct, source, or special nuclear material waste as defined in
regulations or orders of the Commission;
E. The regulation of the disposal of such other byproduct,
source, or special nuclear material as the Commission determines by
regulation or order should, because of the hazards or potential
hazards thereof, not be
[[Page 14489]]
so disposed without a license from the Commission;
F. The evaluation of radiation safety information on sealed
sources or devices containing byproduct, source, or special nuclear
material and the registration of the sealed sources or devices for
distribution, as provided for in regulations or orders of the
Commission;
G. The regulation of activities not exempt from Commission
regulation as stated in 10 CFR part 150; and
H. The regulation of the land disposal of byproduct, source, or
special nuclear material received from other persons;
Article III
With the exception of those activities identified in Article II,
paragraphs A., C. through E. and G., this Agreement may be amended,
upon application by the State and approval by the Commission to
include the additional areas specified in Article II, paragraphs B.,
F., and H., whereby the State may then exert regulatory authority
and responsibility with respect to those activities.
Article IV
Notwithstanding this Agreement, the Commission may from time to
time by rule, regulation, or order, require that the manufacturer,
processor, or producer of any equipment, device, commodity, or other
product containing source, byproduct, or special nuclear material
shall not transfer possession or control of such product except
pursuant to a license or an exemption for licensing issued by the
Commission.
Article V
This Agreement shall not affect the authority of the Commission
under Subsection 161b. or 161i. of the Act to issue rules,
regulations, or orders to promote the common defense and security,
to protect restricted data, or to guard against the loss or
diversion of special nuclear material.
Article VI
The Commission will cooperate with the State and other Agreement
States in the formulation of standards and regulatory programs of
the State and the Commission for (a) protection against hazards of
radiation; and (b) to assure that Commission and State programs for
protection against the hazards of radiation are coordinated and
compatible. The State agrees to cooperate with the Commission and
other Agreement States in the formulation of standards and
regulatory programs of the State and the Commission for: (a)
protection against the hazards of radiation; and (b) to assure that
the State's program will continue to be compatible with the program
of the Commission for the regulation of materials covered by this
Agreement.
The State and the Commission agree to keep each other informed
of proposed changes in their respective rules and regulations, and
to provide each other the opportunity for early and substantive
contribution to the proposed changes.
The State and the Commission agree to keep each other informed
of events, accidents, and licensee performance that may have generic
implication or otherwise be of regulatory interest.
Article VII
The Commission and the State agree that it is desirable to
provide reciprocal recognition of licenses for the materials listed
in Article I licensed by the other party or by any other Agreement
State.
Accordingly, the Commission and the State agree to develop
appropriate rules, regulations, and procedures by which reciprocity
will be accorded.
Article VIII
The Commission, upon its own initiative after reasonable notice
and opportunity for hearing to the State, or upon request of the
Governor of Connecticut, may terminate or suspend all or part of
this Agreement and reassert the licensing and regulatory authority
vested in it under the Act, if the Commission finds that (1) such
termination or suspension is required to protect the public health
and safety, or (2) the State has not complied with one or more of
the requirements of Section 274 of the Act. Pursuant to Section
274j. of the Act, the Commission may, after notifying the Governor,
temporarily suspend all or part of this Agreement without notice or
hearing if, in the judgment of the Commission, an emergency
situation exists with respect to any material covered by this
Agreement creating danger which requires immediate action to protect
the health or safety of persons either within or outside of the
State and the State has failed to take steps necessary to contain or
eliminate the cause or danger within a reasonable time after the
situation arose. The Commission shall periodically review actions
taken by the State under this Agreement to ensure compliance with
Section 274 of the Act which requires a State program to be adequate
to protect the public health and safety with respect to the
materials covered by this Agreement and to be compatible with the
Commission's program.
Article IX
This Agreement shall become effective on September 30, 2025, and
shall remain in effect unless and until such time as it is
terminated pursuant to Article VIII.
Executed at Hartford, Connecticut this [date] day of [month],
2025.
For the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
David A. Wright,
Chairman for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
For the State of Connecticut.
Edward Miner Lamont, Jr. (aka Ned Lamont),
Governor of the State of Connecticut.
[FR Doc. 2025-05139 Filed 4-1-25; 8:45 am]
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