NRC PROPOSES TO AMEND LICENSING, INSPECTION AND ANNUAL FEES RULE 

 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is proposing to amend its regulations for the 

licensing, inspection and annual fees it charges applicants and licensees for fiscal year (FY) 

2009. 

 

 The agency is required by Congress to recover for the U.S. Treasury most of its annual 

appropriated budget through two types of fees. One is for specific NRC services, such as 

licensing and inspection activities, that apply to a specific license; the other is an annual fee paid 

that recovers generic regulatory expenses and other costs not recovered through fees for specific 

services. These fees are contained in NRC regulations 10 CFR Part 170 (fees for license-specific 

services) and 10 CFR Part 171 (annual fees). These fees are paid to the U.S. Treasury and go into 

the general fund. 

 

 By law, the NRC must recover, through fees to applicants and licensees, 90 percent of its 

budget authority for FY 2009 (Oct. 1, 2008 - Sept. 30, 2009), less the amounts appropriated from 

the Nuclear Waste Fund for high-level radioactive waste activities and from general funds for 

waste-incidental-to-reprocessing and generic homeland security activities. The total amount of 

fees to be recovered by Sept. 30 is approximately $870.6 million, about $91.5 million more than 

in FY 2008. The increase in FY2009 fees is due primarily to an increase in reactor license 

renewals and new uranium enrichment and recovery licensing activities. 

 Approximately one third of the fees will be billed for specific services (Part 170) and the 

remaining two thirds will be billed to annual fees (Part 171). The hourly rate for Part 170 

activities will increase about 8 percent from $238 to $257 per hour. Although proposed annual 

fees increase for most licensees, NRC will be reducing the fee for small entities. 

 The NRC is continuing its efforts to keep its fees as low as possible by ensuring its 

programs are conducted efficiently and effectively and requesting from Congress only the 

resources necessary to perform its mission of protecting people and the environment. 

 

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 

Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 

E-mail: opa@nrc.gov 

Site: http://www.nrc.gov

No. 09-040 March 2, 2009
The proposed FY 2009 annual fees are categorized by types of licensees/applicants and 

include the following: 

Class/Category FY 2009 Annual Fee

Operating Power Reactors (including Spent Fuel Storage/ 

 Reactor Decommissioning annual fee) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $4,735,000 

Spent Fuel Storage/Reactor Decommissioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $127,000 

Test and Research Reactors (Non-power Reactors) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $124,500 

High-Enriched Uranium Fuel Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $4,721,000 

Low-Enriched Uranium Fuel Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,659,000 

UF6 Conversion Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $975,000 

Conventional Mills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $32,000 

 

Typical Materials Users:

Radiographers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $23,100 

Well Loggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $9,900 

Gauge Users (Category 3P) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3,800 

Broad Scope Medical (Category 7B) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $36,800 

 

 NRC estimates that the FY2009 annual fees will be paid by 104 nuclear power plant 

licensees, 4 non-power reactors, 19 spent fuel storage/reactor-in-decommissioning facilities, 11 

fuel cycle facilities, 7 uranium recovery facilities and approximately 3,800 material licensees. 

 The FY 2009 proposed fee rule, published today in the Federal Register, includes fees 

based upon the bill reported by House Appropriations Committee (H.R. 7324). Written 

comments on the proposed fee changes should be submitted within 30 days. They should be 

addressed to the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-

0001, ATTN: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff. Comments may also be submitted by e-mail 

to rulemaking.comments@nrc.gov, faxed to (301) 415-1101, or submitted online via the 

Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.Regulations.gov under Docket ID NRC2008-0620. 

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