[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 88 (Monday, May 8, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22573-22574]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-11266]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Forms RW-859, ``Nuclear Fuel Data,'' and RW-859S, ``Nuclear Fuel 
Data Supplement''

AGENCY: Energy Information Administration, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of proposed revision to the Form RW-859, ``Nuclear Fuel 
Data,'' and solicitation of comments on proposed new supplemental 
schedule, RW-859S, ``Nuclear Fuel Data Supplement.''

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SUMMARY: The Energy Information Administration (EIA), as part of its 
continuing effort to reduce paperwork and response burden as required 
by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, is providing the general public 
and other Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed 
revisions to the Form RW-859, ``Nuclear Fuel Data,'' and implementation 
of a new, five-year supplemental schedule, RW-859S, ``Nuclear Fuel Data 
Supplement.'' By doing so, the EIA seeks to ensure that requested data 
is provided in the desired format, reporting burden is minimized, 
reporting forms are clearly understood, and the impact of collection 
requirements on respondents is properly assessed.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted by no later than June 7, 
1995. If you anticipate that you will be submitting comments, but find 
it difficult to do so within the period of time allowed by this notice, 
you should advise the contact listed below of your intention to do so 
as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Ms. Kathy Gibbard, Program Manager, Forms 
RW-859 and RW-859S, U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information 
Administration (EI-531), 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington DC 
20585, (202)254-5559.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the forms and instructions should be directed to Ms. Gibbard 
at the address listed above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background
II. Current Actions
III. Request for Comments

I. Background

    The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 as amended (NWPA), 42 U.S.C. 
10101 et seq., requires that the Secretary develop and implement 
programs to dispose of spent nuclear fuel. The Office of Civilian 
Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) uses the information from Form RW-
859 to understand and explore the specific requirements of developing 
and conducting programs to effectuate the purposes of the NWPA.
    The EIA administers the Form RW-859, ``Nuclear Fuel Data'', which 
is used to collect data from owners of commercial nuclear power plants 
and owners and caretakers of spent nuclear fuel. The Federal Energy 
Administration Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 761 et seq.) authorizes the EIA 
to collect data. The current Form RW-859 collects data on 
[[Page 22574]] every fuel assembly discharged from domestic commercial 
nuclear reactors, spent fuel projected to be discharged, and spent fuel 
storage pool inventories and capacities. The form has been approved 
through December 31, 1997. Major revisions to Form RW-859 necessitate 
that the proposed form and new supplemental schedule be approved by the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

II. Current Actions

    This notice is to solicit comments on proposed revisions to Form 
RW-859 and corresponding instructions. The extension request to OMB 
will be through December 31, 1998. The DOE is proposing to reduce the 
content of the Form RW-859 survey to only collect data elements that 
require annual update. Data that are not subject to annual revision 
will be collected every five years on a new Form RW-859S supplementary 
survey form. A summary of the proposed changes follows.
    The following items will no longer be collected on the survey:
    <bullet> Capacity data other than licensed capacity and current 
usable capacity
    <bullet> Temporarily discharged fuel (all discharged fuel will now 
be designated as permanently discharged) and changes in assembly status
    <bullet> Cross-reference assembly identifiers including American 
National Standard Institute (ANSI) identifier and fuel fabricator 
assembly identifiers
    <bullet> Data on reconstituted fuel.
    The following items will no longer be collected annually on the 
Form RW-859 survey, but will be collected once every five years on the 
Form RW-859S survey supplement:
    <bullet> Dates not subject to annual revision (license renewal, 
reactor retirement, etc.)
    <bullet> Cask-handling data
    <bullet> Specific data on canisters and their contents
    <bullet> Nonfuel components data.
    The following items have been added to the annual Form RW-859 
survey:
    <bullet> Questions on quality assurance procedures and traceability
    <bullet> Assembly-specific information on initial uranium content, 
initial enrichment, and burnup
    <bullet> Current cycle start date.
    The following will now be collected on the five-year Form RW-859S 
supplement:
    <bullet> Reactor information including type, nuclear steam system 
supplier, design type, operational status, location, and rating
    <bullet> Pool site configuration
    <bullet> Crane data including capacity, limiting factors, 
dimensions, and clearance
    <bullet> Site specific access and configuration data for the 
receiving/upending area, cask handling area, pool cask loading area, 
and set-down platform area
    <bullet> Transportation data including information on on-site 
roads, rail, and barge
    <bullet> Historical assembly-specific data not previously reported.

III. Request for Comments

    Prospective respondents and other interested parties should comment 
on the proposed revisions to the form and instructions and proposed 
supplement. The following general guidelines are provided to assist in 
the preparation of responses.

As a Potential Respondent

    A. Are the instructions and definitions clear and sufficient? If 
not, which instructions require clarification?
    B. Can the data be submitted using the definitions included in the 
instructions?
    C. Can data be submitted within the response time specified in the 
instructions?
    D. Public reporting burden for the annual Form RW-859 data 
collection is estimated to average 40 hours per response. Public 
reporting burden for the five year Form RW-859S supplement is estimated 
to be 100 hours for the initial data collection and 20 hours for 
subsequent data collections. How much time, including time for 
reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and 
maintaining the data needed, and reviewing the collection of 
information do you estimate it will require you to complete and submit 
the required forms?
    E. What is the estimated cost of completing these forms, including 
the direct and indirect costs associated with the data collection? 
Direct costs should include all costs, such as administrative cost, 
directly attributable to providing this information.
    F. How can the forms be improved?
    G. Do you know of any other Federal, State, or local agency that 
collects similar data? If you do, specify this agency, the data 
element(s), and the means of collection.

As a Potential User

    A. Can you use data at the level of detail indicated on the forms?
    B. For what purpose would you use the data? Be specific.
    C. How could the forms be improved to better meet your specific 
need?
    D. Are there alternate sources of data and do you use them? What 
are their strengths and/or weaknesses?
    EIA is also interested in receiving comments from persons regarding 
their views on the need for the information contained in the Form RW-
859, ``Nuclear Fuel Data,'' and the Form RW-859S, ``Nuclear Fuel Data 
Supplement.''
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the requests for OMB approval of the forms; they 
also will become a matter of public record.

    Statutory Authority: Sections 5(a), 5(b), 13(b), and 52 of 
Public Law 93-275, Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974, 15 
U.S.C. 764(a), 764(b), 772(b) and 790a.

    Issued in Washington, DC May 1, 1995.
Douglas R. Hale,
Acting Director, Office of Statistical Standards, Energy Information 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 95-11266 Filed 5-5-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P