42320 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 162 / Tuesday, August 21, 2018 / Notices 

B. Submitting Comments 

Please include Docket ID NRC–2018– 

0159 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 http://

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. Discussion 

On August 1, 2018, the NRC solicited 

comments on its draft ISG on DFPs for 

materials licensees. The purpose of this 

ISG is to provide NRC staff and industry 

with guidance based on developments 

and lessons learned regarding financial 

assurance since the last update to 

NUREG–1757, Volume 3. The ISG 

covers decommissioning cost estimates 

describing current facility conditions, 

evaluating events since the last DFP 

approval, and updates for certain 

financial instruments. The public 

comment period was originally 

scheduled to close on September 17, 

2018. The NRC has decided to extend 

the public comment period on this 

document until October 5, 2018, to 

allow more time for industry and 

members of the public to submit their 

comments. 

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 14th day 

of August 2018. 

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

Andrea L. Kock, 

Deputy Director, Division of 

Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery and 

Waste Programs, Office of Nuclear Material 

Safety and Safeguards. 

[FR Doc. 2018–17983 Filed 8–20–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P 

NUCLEAR REGULATORY 

COMMISSION 

[Docket Nos. 50–271 and 72–59; NRC–2018– 

0179] 

Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.; 

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power 

Station 

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission. 

ACTION: Exemption; issuance. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission (NRC) has issued an 

exemption in response to a May 24, 

2018, request from Entergy Nuclear 

Operations, Inc., for an exemption of up 

to 3 months from certain security 

training schedule requirements for the 

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station. 

DATES: The exemption was issued on 

July 31, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID 

NRC–2018–0179 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 

http://www.regulations.gov and search 

for Docket ID NRC–2018–0179. Address 

questions about NRC dockets to Jennifer 

Borges; telephone: 301–287–9127; 

email: Jennifer.Borges@nrc.gov. For 

technical questions, contact the 

individual listed in the FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT section of this 

• NRC’s Agencywide Documents 

Access and Management System 

(ADAMS): You may obtain publiclyavailable documents online in the 

ADAMS Public Documents collection at 

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/ 

adams.html. To begin the search, select 

‘‘ADAMS Public Documents’’ and then 

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 pdr.resource@nrc.gov. 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 at 

the NRC’s PDR, Room O1–F21, One 

White Flint North, 11555 Rockville 

Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jack 

D. Parrott, Office of Nuclear Material 

Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear 

Regulatory Commission, Washington, 

DC 20555–0001; telephone: 301–415– 

6634, email: Jack.Parrott@nrc.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The text of 

the exemption is attached. 

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 16th day 

of August 2018. 

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

Bruce A. Watson, 

Chief, Reactor Decommissioning Branch, 

Division of Decommissioning, Uranium 

Recovery and Waste Programs, Office of 

Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards. 

Attachment—Exemption 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 

NUCLEAR REGULATORY 

COMMISSION ENTERGY NUCLEAR 

OPERATIONS, INC.; VERMONT 

YANKEE NUCLEAR POWER STATION 

DOCKET NOS. 50–271 AND 72–59 

EXEMPTION 

1.0 BACKGROUND 

Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. 

(ENO or the licensee) is the holder of 

Facility Operating License No. DPR–28 

for the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power 

Station (VY) in Windham County, 

Vermont. The license provides, among 

other things, that the facility is subject 

to all rules, regulations, and orders of 

the Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

(NRC or the Commission) now or 

hereafter in effect. The facility now 

consists of a permanently shut down 

and decommissioning boiling water 

reactor and associated Independent 

Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI). 

The licensee is in the process of 

transferring the remaining spent fuel 

from the spent fuel pool into dry storage 

canisters that are then placed in 

concrete overpacks and stored on the 

ISFSI pad. Concurrently, the licensee 

received, by letter dated July 25, 2018 

(Agencywide Documents Access and 

Management System (ADAMS) 

Accession No. ML18165A423), NRC 

approval of a license amendment for 

implementation of a revised Physical 

Security Plan (PSP) to meet the security 

requirements of an ISFSI-only 

configuration for spent fuel storage at 

the site. The effective date of the ISFSIonly PSP approval is the date on which 

the licensee notifies the NRC in writing 

that all of the spent nuclear fuel 

assemblies have been transferred out of 

the spent fuel pool and have been 

placed in dry storage within the ISFSI. 

Implementation of the ISFSI-only PSP 

shall be within 90 days of the effective 

date of the approval of the amendment. 

2.0 REQUEST/ACTION 

By letter dated May 24, 2018, and 

pursuant to 10 CFR 73.5, ‘‘Specific 

Exemptions,’’ ENO requested an 

exemption from certain schedule 


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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 162 / Tuesday, August 21, 2018 / Notices 42321 

requirements of 10 CFR part 73, 

Appendix B, Section VI.A.7, which 

covers training and qualification plans 

for personnel performing security 

program duties at nuclear power 

reactors (ADAMS Accession No. 

ML18150A337). Attachment 2 to the 

request letter contains security-related 

information and, accordingly, is not 

available to the public. 

10 CFR part 73, Appendix B, Section 

VI.A.7, states— 

Annual requirements must be scheduled 

at a nominal twelve (12) month 

periodicity. Annual requirements may 

be completed up to three (3) months 

before or three (3) months after the 

scheduled date. However, the next 

annual training must be scheduled 

twelve (12) months from the previously 

scheduled date rather than the date the 

training was actually completed. 

The scheduled dates for the 

completion of specified 2018 annual 

training for certain weapons training 

and security exercises at VY were May 

9, 2018, and June 6, 2018. Consequently, 

the deadlines for completing these 

activities (taking into account the 3- 

month allowance provided in 10 CFR 

part 73, Appendix B, Section VI.A.7) are 

August 7, 2018, and September 4, 2018. 

This exemption was requested to 

allow the completion date for specified 

annual training for certain weapons 

training and security exercises to be no 

later than November 7, 2018, which 

would be a 3-month extension from the 

current due date based on the regulation 

referenced above. The express purpose 

of the request is to move the completion 

due date for the specified annual 

training past the expected 

implementation date of the NRCapproved revision of the current PSP to 

an ISFSI-only PSP. Implementation of 

the ISFSI-only PSP will be performed 

after the remaining spent fuel is loaded 

and placed on the ISFSI pad. Because 

specific security annual training is not 

required for sites with an ISFSI-only 

configuration for spent nuclear fuel, this 

exemption would allow the licensee to 

delay completion of the training until 

such time as it is no longer required. 

The required implementation date for 

the ISFSI-only PSP is within 90 days 

from the date that the licensee notifies 

the NRC in writing that all spent nuclear 

fuel assemblies have been transferred 

out of the spent fuel pool and have been 

placed in dry storage within the ISFSI. 

The expected completion date for the 

transfer to dry fuel storage is August 

2018. As described in spent fuel cask 

registration letters dated May 31, 2018 

(ADAMS Accession No. ML18156A132) 

and June 12, 2018 (ADAMS Accession 

No. ML18172A127), the licensee has 

loaded four MPC–68M multi-purpose 

canisters between May 5, 2018, and June 

5, 2018, and those canisters in turn have 

been loaded into HI–STORM 100S 

Version B overpacks and placed on the 

ISFSI pad. Therefore, the current 

loading campaign is capable of loading 

and placing on the ISFSI pad 

approximately one canister per week. 

As of June 12, 2018, there were 9 

canisters left to be loaded and placed on 

the ISFSI pad. Therefore, the 

completion of loading spent fuel into 

canisters and placing them on the ISFSI 

pad is considered achievable by the end 

of August 2018. With this exemption, 

the licensee will not be in violation of 

the training schedule requirements of 10 

CFR part 73, Appendix B, Section 

VI.A.7, provided that, prior to 

November 7, 2018, the licensee either 

implements the ISFSI-only PSP, or 

completes the noted specific security 

training. 

3.0 DISCUSSION OF EXEMPTION 

FROM 10 CFR PART 73, APPENDIX B, 

SECTION VI.A.7 TRAINING SCHEDULE 

REQUIREMENTS 

The NRC approval of this exemption 

would allow an extension until 

November 7, 2018, for certain annual 

training required by 10 CFR part 73, 

Appendix B, Section VI.A.7 (i.e., 

weapons training and security exercises 

that are specifically referenced in 

Attachment 2 to the licensee’s 

exemption request (security-related 

information)). Pursuant to 10 CFR 73.5, 

the Commission may, upon application 

by any interested person or upon its 

own initiative, grant exemptions from 

the requirements of 10 CFR part 73 

when the exemptions are authorized by 

law, and will not endanger life or 

property or the common defense and 

security, and are otherwise in the public 

interest. 

Authorized by Law 

As explained in this SER, the 

proposed exemption will not endanger 

life or property, nor the common 

defense and security, and is otherwise 

in the public interest. Issuance of this 

exemption is consistent with the Atomic 

Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and 

not otherwise inconsistent with the 

NRC’s regulations or other applicable 

laws. Therefore, issuance of the 

exemption is authorized by law. 

Will Not Endanger Life or Property or 

the Common Defense and Security 

Granting of the proposed exemption 

will allow the completion dates of the 

specified annual training and 

qualification activities to be extended 

beyond the scheduled completion dates 

specified in 10 CFR part 73, Appendix 

B Section VI.A.7. The exemption does 

not affect the requirements for other 

periodic, specifically quarterly and 

trimester, security training activities 

that will continue and will provide 

training opportunities which ensure the 

proficiency of the training staff during 

the limited time affected by the 

schedule change. The proposed 

exemption would not significantly 

reduce the measures currently in place 

to protect against radiological sabotage, 

theft or diversion, or significantly 

reduce the overall effectiveness of the 

PSP, Training and Qualification Plan, or 

Safeguards Contingency Plan. Therefore, 

granting the exemption will not 

endanger life or property or the common 

defense and security. 

Is Otherwise in the Public Interest 

Completing the annual training by the 

dates required by 10 CFR part 73, 

Appendix B, Section VI.A.7 would 

divert site personnel from the role of 

providing support and oversight of the 

ongoing dry fuel storage loading 

campaign with little benefit considering 

the short amount of time that the 

remaining spent fuel would be in the 

spent fuel pool after the current due 

date for the training. Allowing the 

ongoing cask loading campaign to 

continue without interruptions imposed 

by the annual training would support 

safety and efficiency for those activities 

and more expeditious completion of the 

transfer of irradiated fuel out of the 

spent fuel pool. Granting an exemption 

from the annual training would also 

avoid diverting site resources from 

providing support for ongoing efforts to 

complete construction, testing, training, 

and implementation of the features 

associated with the ISFSI-only PSP. 

The proposed exemption would allow 

annual training to be rescheduled 

beyond the current schedule date for 

completing the transfer of irradiated fuel 

from the spent fuel pool to dry storage. 

The exemption would not reduce 

overall protection of the facility and 

stored irradiated fuel, but would 

maintain the current level of safety and 

security, and would avoid diverting site 

personnel attention from completing the 

transfer of spent fuel to dry storage. 

Therefore, the proposed exemption is in 

the public interest. 

4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL 

CONSIDERATIONS 

Under 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25), granting 

of an exemption from the requirements 

of any regulation of Chapter I falls 

within a categorical exclusion to the 

environmental review requirements of 


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42322 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 162 / Tuesday, August 21, 2018 / Notices 

Part 51, provided that (i) there is no 

significant hazards consideration; (ii) 

there is no significant change in the 

types or significant increase in the 

amounts of any effluents that may be 

released offsite; (iii) there is no 

significant increase in individual or 

cumulative public or occupational 

radiation exposure; (iv) there is no 

significant construction impact; (v) 

there is no significant increase in the 

potential for or consequences from 

radiological accidents; and (vi) the 

requirements from which an exemption 

is sought are among those identified in 

10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(vi). 

The Director, Division of 

Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery, 

and Waste Programs, has determined 

that approval of the exemption request 

involves no significant hazards 

consideration because allowing the 

licensee to have an exemption of up to 

3 months from certain schedule 

requirements of 10 CFR part 73, 

Appendix B, ‘‘General Criteria for 

Security Personnel,’’ for VY does 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 exemption from 

certain schedule requirements of 10 CFR 

part 73, Appendix B, Section VI.A.7 is 

unrelated to any operational restriction. 

Accordingly, there is no significant 

change in the types or significant 

increase in the amounts of any effluents 

that may be released offsite; and no 

significant increase in individual or 

cumulative public or occupational 

radiation exposure. The exempted 

regulation is not associated with 

construction, so there is no significant 

construction impact. The exempted 

regulation does not concern the source 

term (i.e., potential amount of radiation 

in an accident), nor mitigation. Thus, 

there is no significant increase in the 

potential for or consequences from 

radiological accidents. The 

requirements from which the exemption 

is sought fall within categories 

identified in 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25)(vi), 

specifically scheduling requirements, as 

well as education, weapons training, 

training exercises, qualification, 

requalification or other employment 

suitability requirements. 

Therefore, pursuant to 10 CFR 

51.22(b) and 51.22(c)(25), no 

environmental impact statement or 

environmental assessment need be 

prepared in connection with the 

approval of this exemption request. 

5.0 CONCLUSION FOR 10 CFR PART 

73, APPENDIX B, SECTION VI.A.7 

SCHEDULE EXEMPTION REQUEST 

The NRC staff has reviewed the 

licensee’s submittals and concludes that 

the licensee has justified its request for 

an extension of certain 10 CFR part 73, 

Appendix B, Section VI.A.7 security 

training schedules to November 7, 2018. 

Accordingly, the NRC has determined 

that pursuant to 10 CFR 73.5, ‘‘Specific 

exemptions,’’ an exemption from certain 

10 CFR part 73, Appendix B, Section 

VI.A.7 security training schedule 

requirements is authorized by law and 

will not endanger life or property or the 

common defense and security, and is 

otherwise in the public interest. The 

NRC hereby grants the requested 

exemption. 

The NRC staff has determined that 

efficiencies will be gained if the NRCapproved ISFSI-only PSP is 

implemented within 90 days of the 

completion of removal of spent fuel 

from the VY spent fuel pool. The NRC 

has concluded that approving the 

licensee’s exemption request is in the 

best interest of protecting the public 

health and safety through the 

efficiencies gained by not having to 

perform the currently scheduled annual 

security training shortly before the 

removal of spent fuel from the spent 

fuel pool and placement in the ISFSI, 

which would make the scheduled 

training moot. 

This exemption expires on November 

7, 2018. By that time, the licensee is 

required to have implemented its ISFSIonly PSP, or be in full compliance with 

the security training schedule 

requirements of 10 CFR part 73, 

Appendix B, Section VI.A.7. 

Pursuant to 10 CFR 51.22(c)(25), NRC 

has determined that granting of an 

exemption from the requirements of 10 

CFR part 73, Appendix B, Section 

VI.A.7 falls within a categorical 

exclusion to the environmental review 

requirements of Part 51. 

This exemption is effective upon 

issuance. 

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 31st day 

of July 2018. 

For The Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

Andrea Kock, 

Acting Director, Division of 

Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery and 

Waste Programs, Office of Nuclear Material 

Safety and Safeguards. 

[FR Doc. 2018–17988 Filed 8–20–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P 

OFFICE OF PERSONNEL 

MANAGEMENT 

Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory 

Committee; Open Committee Meetings 

AGENCY: Office of Personnel 

Management. 

ACTION: Notice of Federal Prevailing 

Rate Advisory Committee Meeting Dates 

in 2018. 

According to the provisions of section 

10 of the Federal Advisory Committee 

Act (Pub. L. 92–463), notice is hereby 

given that meetings of the Federal 

Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee 

will be held on— 

Thursday, September 20, 2018 

Thursday, October 18, 2018 

Thursday, November 15, 2018 

Thursday, December 20, 2018 

The meetings will start at 10 a.m. and 

will be held in Room 5A06A, Office of 

Personnel Management Building, 1900 E 

Street, NW, Washington, DC. 

The Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory 

Committee is composed of a Chair, five 

representatives from labor unions 

holding exclusive bargaining rights for 

Federal prevailing rate employees, and 

five representatives from Federal 

agencies. Entitlement to membership on 

the Committee is provided for in 5 

U.S.C. 5347. 

The Committee’s primary 

responsibility is to review the Prevailing 

Rate System and other matters pertinent 

to establishing prevailing rates under 

subchapter IV, chapter 53, 5 U.S.C., as 

amended, and from time to time advise 

the Office of Personnel Management. 

These scheduled meetings are open to 

the public with both labor and 

management representatives attending. 

During the meetings either the labor 

members or the management members 

may caucus separately to devise strategy 

and formulate positions. Premature 

disclosure of the matters discussed in 

these caucuses would unacceptably 

impair the ability of the Committee to 

reach a consensus on the matters being 

considered and would disrupt 

substantially the disposition of its 

business. Therefore, these caucuses will 

be closed to the public because of a 

determination made by the Director of 

the Office of Personnel Management 

under the provisions of section 10(d) of 

the Federal Advisory Committee Act 

(Pub. L. 92–463) and 5 U.S.C. 

552b(c)(9)(B). These caucuses may, 

depending on the issues involved, 

constitute a substantial portion of a 

meeting. 

Annually, the Chair compiles a report 

of pay issues discussed and concluded 

recommendations. These reports are 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES