[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 2 (Tuesday, January 4, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 394-396]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-23]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 50-312]


Sacramento Municipal Utility District; Rancho Seco Nuclear 
Generating Station; Partial Exemption from Requirements of 10 CFR 
50.719(c); 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix A; 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B

1.0 Background

    Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) is the licensee and 
holder of Facility Operating License No. DPR-54 for the Rancho Seco 
Nuclear Generating Station (Rancho Seco), a permanently shutdown 
decommissioning nuclear plant. Although permanently shutdown, this 
facility is still subject to all rules, regulations, and orders of the 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
    The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) shut down Rancho 
Seco Nuclear Generating Station permanently on June 7, 1989, after 
approximately 15 years of operation. On August 29, 1989, SMUD formally 
informed the NRC that the plant was shut down permanently. On May 20, 
1991, SMUD submitted the Rancho Seco decommissioning plan and on March 
20, 1995, the NRC issued an Order approving the decommissioning plan 
and authorizing the decommissioning of Rancho Seco.
    SMUD began actively decommissioning Rancho Seco in February 1997, 
and completed the transfer of all of the spent nuclear fuel to the 10 
CFR Part 72 licensed Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation 
(ISFSI) on August 21, 2002. Accordingly, the only quality-related 
structures, systems, or components (SSCs) at the Rancho Seco 10 CFR 
Part 50 licensed site are the radioactive sources used to calibrate the 
instrumentation used to measure radioactivity in gaseous and liquid 
effluents.
    Plant dismantlement is substantially (approximately 80%) complete 
and most of the SSCs that were safety-related or important-to-safety 
have been removed from the plant and shipped for disposal. The 
pressurizer was shipped to Envirocare for disposal in April 2004, 
removal of the steam generators is in progress with both steam 
generators scheduled to be shipped to Envirocare by spring 2005 (one by 
the end of 2004 and the second in spring 2005), and activities in 
preparation for the reactor vessel internals segmentation are underway 
and mobilization of the segmentation contractor is scheduled to begin 
in early 2005.
    On September 2, 2004, SMUD filed a request for NRC approval of a 
partial exemption from the recordkeeping requirements of 10 CFR 
50.71(c); 10 CFR 50, Appendix A; and 10 CFR 50, Appendix B.

2.0 Request/Action

    Pursuant to the requirements of 10 CFR 50.71(d)(2) and 10 CFR 
50.12, SMUD requested partial exemption to the recordkeeping 
requirements of 10 CFR 50.71(c); 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix A; CFR Part 
50, Appendix B. This exemption request was characterized as ``partial'' 
because the exemption would apply only to the disposal of hardcopies of 
records, prior to termination of the Rancho Seco license, that: (1) Are 
associated with the operation, design, fabrication, erection, and 
testing of structures, systems, and components (SSCs) that are no 
longer quality-related or important to safety or have been removed from 
the plant for disposal; and (2) require storage in their original hard 
copy format due to practical and feasibility limitations associated 
with transferring them to microfilm or microfiche.
    Most of these records are for SSCs that have been removed from 
Rancho Seco and disposed of off-site. Disposal of these records will 
not adversely impact the ability to meet other NRC regulatory 
requirements for the retention of records [e.g., 10 CFR 50.54(a), (p), 
(q), and (bb); 10 CFR 50.59(d); 10 CFR 50.75(g); etc.]. These 
regulatory requirements ensure that records from operation and 
decommissioning activities are maintained for safe decommissioning, 
spent nuclear fuel storage, completion and verification of final site 
survey, and license termination.

3.0 Discussion

    NRC licensees are required to maintain their records according to 
the NRC regulatory recordkeeping requirements. Pursuant to the 
requirements of 10 CFR 50.12, ``Specific Exemptions,'' and 10 CFR 
50.71(d)(2), SMUD filed a request for a partial exemption from the NRC 
regulatory recordkeeping requirements contained in 10 CFR 50.71(c), 10 
CFR 50, Appendix A, and 10 CFR 50, Appendix B. The NRC recordkeeping 
requirements at issue in SMUD's request for exemption are as follows.

    10 CFR 50.71, ``Maintenance of records, making of reports,'' 
subpart (c) states: Records that are required by the regulations in 
this part, by license condition, or by technical specifications, 
must be retained for the period specified by the appropriate 
regulation, license condition, or technical specification. If a 
retention period is not otherwise specified, these records must be 
retained until the Commission terminates the facility license.

    10 CFR 50, Appendix A, ``General Design Criteria for Nuclear Power 
Plants,'' establishes the necessary design, fabrication, construction, 
testing, and performance requirements for structures, systems, and 
components important to safety; that is, structures, systems, and 
components that provide reasonable assurance that the facility can be 
operated without undue risk to the health and safety of the public. 
Specifically, SMUD requests an exemption from Criterion 1, `` Quality 
standards and records,'' which states in part:

    Appropriate records of the design, fabrication, erection, and 
testing of structures, systems, and components important to safety 
shall be maintained by or under the control of the nuclear power 
unit licensee throughout the life of the unit.''

    10 CFR 50, Appendix B, ``Quality Assurance Criteria for Nuclear 
Power Plants and Fuel Reprocessing Plants,'' establishes quality 
assurance requirements for the design, construction, and operation of 
structures, systems, and components that prevent or mitigate the 
consequences of postulated accidents that could cause undue risk to the 
health and safety of the public. Specifically, SMUD requests an 
exemption from Criterion XVII, ``Quality Assurance Records,'' which 
states:

    Sufficient records shall be maintained to furnish evidence of 
activities affecting quality. The records shall include at least the 
following: Operating logs and the results of reviews, inspections, 
tests, audits, monitoring of work performance, and materials 
analyses. The records shall also include closely-related data such 
as qualifications of personnel, procedures, and equipment. 
Inspection and test records shall, as a minimum, identify the 
inspector or data recorder, the type of observation, the results, 
the acceptability, and the action taken in connection with any 
deficiencies noted. Records shall be identifiable and retrievable.

[[Page 395]]

Consistent with applicable regulatory requirements, the applicant 
shall establish requirements concerning record retention, such as 
duration, location, and assigned responsibility.

Exemption Requirements

    As stated in 10 CFR 50.12, ``[t]he Commission may, upon application 
by any interested person or upon its own initiative, grant exemptions 
from the requirements of the regulations of this part.'' In order to 
permit specific exemptions from the requirements of this part the 
criteria of 10 CFR 50.12(a)(1) and the requirements of 10 CFR 
50.12(a)(2) must be met.
    10 CFR 50(a)(1) requires three criteria to be met before an 
exemption can be granted: first, the exemptions must be authorized by 
law; second, the exemption must not present an undue risk to the public 
health and safety; and third, it must be consistent with the common 
defense and security. In addition, for the Commission to consider 
granting an exemption from the requirements of Part 50, special 
circumstances as required by 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2) must be present. The 
special circumstance at issue in the present request for exemption is 
50.12(a)(2)(ii) which states, ``[a]pplication of the regulation in the 
particular circumstances would not serve the underlying purpose of the 
rule or is not necessary to achieve the underlying purpose of the 
rule.'' The application of the three criteria in 50.12(a)(1) and the 
requirement of special circumstances in 50.12(a)(2) are addressed 
below.

Specific Exemption Is Authorized by Law

    The partial exemption from the recordkeeping requirements of 10 CFR 
50.71(c); 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix A; and 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B, 
as requested for the hard copy records described above is authorized by 
law. Specifically, 10 CFR 50.71(d)(2) allows for the granting of 
specific exemptions to the record retention requirements specified in 
the regulations.
    NRC regulation 10 CFR 50.71(d)(2) states, in part:

the retention period specified in the regulations in this part for 
such records shall apply unless the Commission, pursuant to Sec.  
50.12 of this part, has granted a specific exemption from the record 
retention requirements specified in the regulations in this part.

    Based on 10 CFR 50.71(d)(2), since the specific exemption 
requirements of 10 CFR 50.12 are satisfied as described below, the 
exemption from the recordkeeping requirements of 10 CFR 50.71(c); 10 
CFR Part 50, Appendix A; and 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B is authorized 
by law.

Specific Exemption Will Not Present an Undue Risk to the Public Health 
and Safety

    With all of the spent nuclear fuel transferred to the Rancho Seco 
ISFSI, there is insufficient radioactive material remaining on the 
Rancho Seco 10 CFR Part 50 licensed site to pose any significant 
potential risk to the public health and safety under any credible event 
scenario. This provides additional assurance that the partial exemption 
for the specified hard copy records will not present any reasonable 
possibility of undue risk to the public health and safety.
    In two letters dated February 5, 2002, the NRC granted Amendment 
Nos. 129 and 130 to the Rancho Seco Operating License (Possession 
Only). These amendments deleted definitions, LCOs, surveillance 
requirements, and administrative requirements from the 10 CFR Part 50 
Technical Specifications on the basis that all of the spent nuclear 
fuel was transferred to the Rancho Seco ISFSI. In a letter dated 
October 10, 2002, the NRC issued an exemption from 10 CFR Part 50 
security requirements and Amendment No. 131 to the Rancho Seco 
Operating License to reflect this security exemption. Hence, the NRC 
has already concurred with the conclusion that granting regulatory 
exemptions will have no reasonable possibility of presenting any undue 
risk to the public health and safety.
    The partial exemption from the recordkeeping requirements of 10 CFR 
50.71(c); 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix A; and 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B, 
for the hard copy records described above is administrative in nature 
and will have no impact on any remaining decommissioning activities or 
on radiological effluents. The exemption will merely advance the 
schedule for destruction of the specified hard copy records. 
Considering the content of these records, the elimination of these 
records on an advanced timetable will have no reasonable possibility of 
presenting any undue risk to the public health and safety.

Specific Exemption Consistent With the Common Defense and Security

    The partial exemption from the recordkeeping requirements of 10 CFR 
50.71(c); 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix A; and 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B, 
for the types of hard copy records described above is consistent with 
the common defense and security as defined in the Atomic Energy Act (42 
U.S.C. 2014, Definitions) and in 10 CFR 50.2 ``Definitions.'' The 
partial exemption requested does not impact remaining decommissioning 
activities and does not involve information or activities that could 
potentially impact the common defense and security of the United 
States.
    Rather, the exemption requested is administrative in nature and 
would merely advance the current schedule for destruction of the 
specified hard copy records. Considering the content of these records, 
the elimination of these records on an advanced timetable has no 
reasonable possibility of having any impact on national defense or 
security. Therefore, the partial exemption from the recordkeeping 
requirements of 10 CFR 50.71(c); 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix A; and 10 CFR 
Part 50, Appendix B, for the types of hard copy records described above 
is consistent with the common defense and security.

Special Circumstances

    The current status of Rancho Seco facility, 80% dismantled and all 
irradiated fuel transferred to the ISFSI, constitutes special 
circumstances which will allow the NRC to consider granting the partial 
exemption requested. Consistent with 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(ii), applying 
the recordkeeping requirements of 10 CFR 50.71(c), 10 CFR Part 50, 
Appendix A, and 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B to the continued storage of 
the hard copy records described previously is not necessary to achieve 
the underlying purpose of the rules.
    The underlying purpose of the subject recordkeeping regulations is 
to ensure that the NRC staff has access to information that, in the 
event of an accident, incident, or condition that could impact public 
health and safety, would assist in the recovery from such an event and 
could also help prevent future events or conditions that could 
adversely impact public health and safety. Additionally, the NRC staff 
would access the records as part of the normal inspection process 
related to the subject SSCs.
    Given the current status of Rancho Seco decommissioning, the 
records that would be subject to early destruction would not provide 
the NRC with information that would be pertinent or useful. The types 
of records that would fall under the exemption would include hard copy 
radiographs, vendor equipment technical manuals, and recorder charts 
associated with operating nuclear power plant SSCs that had been 
classified as important to safety during power operations, but that are 
no longer classified as important to safety, are no longer operational, 
or have

[[Page 396]]

removed from the Rancho Seco site for disposal.
    With the majority of the primary and secondary systems removed for 
disposal, the Rancho Seco site no longer houses ``a nuclear power 
reactor and associated equipment necessary for electric power 
generation.'' Thus, with respect to the underlying intent of the 
recordkeeping rules cited above, Rancho Seco is not able to generate 
electricity and is no longer a nuclear power unit as defined in 10 CFR 
Part 50, Appendix A.
    In addition, with all the spent nuclear fuel having been 
transferred to the ISFSI, there is not sufficient radioactive material 
inventory remaining on the 10 CFR Part 50 licensed site to pose any 
significant potential risk to the public health and safety. Thus, there 
are no longer any ``structures, systems, and components required to 
provide reasonable assurance the facility can be operated without undue 
risk to the health and safety of the public.'' This provides additional 
assurance that, with respect to the underlying intent of the 
recordkeeping rules, Rancho Seco is no longer a nuclear power unit as 
defined in 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix A.
    Based on the above, application of the subject recordkeeping 
requirements to the Rancho Seco hard copy records specified above is 
not required to achieve the underlying purpose of the rule. Thus, 
special circumstances are present which the NRC may consider, pursuant 
to 10 CFR 50.12(a)(2)(ii), to grant the requested exemption.

4.0 Conclusion

    The staff agrees that 10 CFR 50.71(d)(2) allows the Commission to 
grant specific exemptions to the record retention requirements 
specified in regulations provided the requirements of 10 CFR 50.12 are 
satisfied.
    The staff agrees that the requested partial exemption from the 
recordkeeping requirements of 10 CFR 50.71(c); 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix 
A; 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B, will not present an undue risk to the 
public health and safety. The destruction of the identified hard copy 
records will not impact remaining decommissioning activities; plant 
operations, configuration, and/or radiological effluents; operational 
and/or installed SSCs that are quality-related or important to safety; 
or nuclear security.
    The staff agrees that the destruction of the identified hard copy 
records is administrative in nature and does not involve information or 
activities that could potentially impact the common defense and 
security of the United States.
    The staff agrees that the purpose for the recordkeeping regulations 
is to ensure that the NRC Staff has access to information that, in the 
event of any accident, incident, or condition that could impact public 
health and safety, would assist in the protection of public health and 
safety during recovery from the given accident, incident, or condition, 
and also could help prevent future events or conditions adversely 
impacting public health and safety. Further, since most of the Rancho 
Seco SSCs that were safety-related or important-to-safety have been 
removed from the plant and shipped for disposal, the staff agrees that 
the records identified in the partial exemption would not provide the 
NRC with useful information during an investigation of an accident or 
incident.
    Therefore, the Commission grants SMUD the requested partial 
exemption to the recordkeeping requirements of 10 CFR 50.71(c); 10 CFR 
Part 50, Appendix A; 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B, as described in the 
September 2, 2004, letter.
    Pursuant to 10 CFR Part 51, the Commission has determined that the 
granting of this exemption will not have a significant effect on the 
quality of the human environment as documented in Federal Register (69 
FR 67371, Nov. 17, 2004).
    This exemption is effective upon issuance.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 23rd day of December, 2004.
    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Daniel M. Gillen,
Deputy Director, Decommissioning Directorate, Division of Waste 
Management and Environmental Protection, Office of Nuclear Material 
Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 05-23 Filed 1-3-05; 8:45 am]
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