EDO Principal Correspondence Control

FROM: DUE: / EDO CONTROL: G20110514

DOC DT: 06/28/11

FINAL REPLY:

Kathryn J. Jackson

Westinghouse

TO:

Chairman Jaczko

FOR SIGNATURE OF : ** GRN ** CRC NO: 11-0391

DESC: ROUTING:

Development of Licensing Basis for Recycling

Facilities (EDATS: SECY-2011-0415)

DATE: 07/19/11

Borchardt

Weber

Virgilio

Ash

Mamish

OGC/GC

Johnson, NRO

Leeds, NRR

Carpenter, FSME

Burns, OGC

Frazier, OEDO

ASSIGNED TO:

NMSS

CONTACT:

Haney

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS OR REMARKS:

For Appropriate Action. If a response is

determined, please reference appropriate tasking

numbers on concurrence page and provide copy to

OEDO and SECY.

'bs&+ S(q V7e, &ý I b S " seýY-6 1
EDATS Number: SECY-2011-0415 Source: SECY

GeneralInfomaio

Assigned To: NMSS

Other Assignees:

Subject: Development of Licensing Basis for Recycling Facilities

Description:

OEDO Due Date: NONE

SECY Due Date: NONE

CC Routing: NRO; NRR; FSME; OGC

ADAMS Accession Numbers - Incoming: NONE Response/Package: NONE

Cross Reference Number: G20110514, LTR- 11-0391 Staff Initiated: NO

Related Task: Recurring Item: NO

File Routing: EDATS Agency Lesson Learned: NO

OEDO Monthly Report Item: NO

I Pocs Inomtn I

Action Type: Appropriate Action Priority: Medium

Sensitivity: None

Signature Level: No Signature Required Urgency: NO

Approval Level: No Approval Required

OEDO Concurrence: NO

OCM Concurrence: NO

OCA Concurrence: NO

Special Instructions: For Appropriate Action. If a response is determined, please reference appropriate tasking numbers

on concurrence page and provide copy to OEDO and SECY.

Doumn SI Inor atio

Originator Name: Kathryn J. Jackson

Originating Organization: Westinghouse

Addressee: Chairman Jaczko

Incoming Task Received: Letter

Date of Incoming: 6/28/2011

Document Received by SECY Date: 7/18/2011

Date Response Requested by Originator: NONE

Page 1 of I
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY

CORRESPONDENCE CONTROL TICKET

Date Printed: Jul 05, 2011 17:10

PAPER NUMBER:

ACTION OFFICE:

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LETTER DATE:

ACKNOWLEDGED

SPECIAL HANDLING:

LTR-1 1-0391

EDO

LOGGING DATE: 07/05/2011

kathryn Jackson

WEC

Gregory Jaczko

Westinghouse offers support to the Comm's work to develop a comprehensive, publicly

acceptable licensing basis for recycling facilities

Appropriate

RF

06/28/2011

No

NOTES:

FILE LOCATION: ADAMS

DATE DUE: DATE SIGNED:

V EDO -- G20110514
Westinghouse KahrWestinghouse Electric Company

Sr. Vice President& 1000 Westinghouse Drive, Suite 102

Chief Technology Officer Cranberry Township, PA 16066

Research & Technology U.S.A.

June 28, 2011

The Honorable Gregory Jaczko

Chairman

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Washington, DC 20555-0001

Chairman Jaczko:

Westinghouse Electric Company, as the world's largest manufacturer of nuclear fuel, has a demonstrated

commitment to the health and welfare of the general public, the workers in the nuclear industry, and the

environment while still providing cost effective services to the nuclear industry. Our long history in the

nuclear industry has taught us that the industry can thrive when the rules of the game are well defined and

arrived at with due deliberation, and application of science and consultation with industry is conducted in

a transparent, public manner. As a previous contractor at DOE sites such as West Valley, Hanford, and

Savannah River, the Westinghouse organization understands what it takes to successfully design and

operate highly radioactive facilities and manage complex projects such as those required for recycling

used nuclear fuel in a publicly acceptable and economic manner.

While used fuel recycling is not yet economically attractive as compared to direct disposal of used fuel,

this may not always be the case. The future is likely to see increases in uranium costs and a desire on the

part of the public to reduce the long term toxicity footprint of used fuel. To achieve this will require the

recycling of used nuclear fuel. While the need for recycling is still in the distant future, action now by the

Commission will help guide the research and development for interim and future recycling options. Since

research in this area is both time consuming and very expensive, it will be invaluable to investigators to

understand early, the regulatory constraints that any future recycling plant will have to meet. This

regulatory knowledge will help direct the research and development work, prevent unnecessary

government spending on decades old non-optimized, non-economic recycling technologies as a near term

solution and allow industry to accurately evaluate the business and economic aspects of recycling to

arrive at comprehensive fuel cycle options that embody recycling as just one element of an

environmentally sustainable, economically feasible, and publicly acceptable solution to managing the

nation's used fuel inventory.

Since the economic need for recycling is not likely to be in the near future and long term interim dry

storage can safely accommodate the current and newly generated used nuclear fuel for the foreseeable

future, the Commission has the time needed and the ability to deliberatively develop revised rules for

recycling that meet the needs of the public, government and industry in an optimum manner.

Westinghouse is eager to support the Commission's work to develop a comprehensive, publicly

acceptable licensing basis for recycling facilities such as the one step licensing approach similar to that

developed for commercial power reactors and Westinghouse will be happy to provide assistance to the

NRC in this endeavor at any time.

Sincerely,
I

cc:

George Apostolakis

William R. Borchardt

Michael R. Johnson

Eric J. Leeds

William D. Magwood IV

William C. Ostendorff

Brian W. Sheron

Kristine L. Svinicki