Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2006/04/18/06-3651/list-of-approved-spent-fuel-storage-casks-fuelsolutionstm
Timestamp: 2018-02-20 16:44:37
Document Index: 614003161

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 72', 'art 72', 'art 72', '§\u200972', 'art 51', 'art 72', 'art 72']

A Rule by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on 04/18/2006
The final rule is effective July 3, 2006, unless significant adverse comments are received by May 18, 2006. A significant adverse comment is a comment where the commenter explains why the rule would be inappropriate, including challenges to the rule's underlying premise or approach, or would be ineffective or unacceptable without a change. If the rule is withdrawn, timely notice will be published in the Federal Register.
71 FR 19806
19806-19810 (5 pages)
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/06-3651 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/06-3651
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is amending its regulations revising the BNG Fuel Solutions Corporation (FuelSolutionsTM) cask system listing within the “List of approved spent fuel storage casks” to include Amendment No. 4 to Certificate of Compliance Number 1026. Amendment No. 4 will change Technical Specification (TS) requirements related to periodic monitoring during storage operations. Specifically, the amendment will revise the TS to permit longer surveillance intervals for casks with heat loads lower than the design basis heat load and permit visual inspection of the cask vent screens or measurement of the cask liner temperature to satisfy the periodic Start Printed Page 19807monitoring requirements that govern general design criteria for spent fuel storage casks. TS 3.3.1 will be deleted to remove daily monitoring requirements. TS 3.3.2 will be revised for the W21 and W74 canisters to permit either visual inspection of vent screens or liner thermocouple temperature monitoring. Also, TS 5.3.8 will add a section to the Periodic Monitoring Program which establishes intervals for periodic monitoring that are less than the time required to reach the limiting short-term temperature limit. This program will establish administrative controls and procedures to assure that the licensee will be able to determine when corrective action is required. In addition, the amendment will update editorial changes associated with the company name change from BNFL Fuel Solutions Corporation to BNG Fuel Solutions Corporation and make other administrative changes.
You may submit comments by any one of the following methods. Please include the following number (RIN 3150-AH86) in the subject line of your comments. Comments on rulemakings submitted in writing or in electronic form will be made available for public inspection. Because your comments will not be edited to remove any identifying or contact information, the NRC cautions you against including personal information such as social security numbers and birth dates in your submission.
CoC No. 1026, the revised TS, the underlying SER for Amendment No. 4, and the Environmental Assessment (EA), are available for inspection at the NRC PDR, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD. Single copies of these documents may be obtained from Jayne M. McCausland, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, telephone (301) 415-6219, e-mail jmm2@nrc.gov.
To implement this mandate, the NRC approved dry storage of spent nuclear fuel in NRC-approved casks under a general license by publishing a final rule in 10 CFR Part 72 entitled “General License for Storage of Spent Fuel at Power Reactor Sites” (55 FR 29181; July 18, 1990). This rule also established a new Subpart L within 10 CFR Part 72, entitled “Approval of Spent Fuel Storage Casks,” containing procedures and criteria for obtaining NRC approval of spent fuel storage cask designs. The NRC subsequently issued a final rule on January 16, 2001 (66 FR 3444) that approved the FuelSolutionsTM cask system design and added it to the list of NRC-approved cask designs in 10 CFR 72.214 as CoC No. 1026.
On June 30, 2005, the certificate holder, BNG Fuel Solutions Corporation, submitted an application to the NRC to amend CoC No. 1026 to modify the TS requirements related to periodic monitoring during storage operations. Specifically, the application requested TS changes to permit longer surveillance intervals for casks with heat loads lower than the design basis heat load and permit visual inspection of the cask vent screens or measurement of the cask liner temperature to satisfy the periodic monitoring requirements of 10 CFR 72.122(h)(4). TS 3.3.1 will be deleted to remove daily monitoring requirements. TS 3.3.2 will be revised for the W21 and W74 canisters to permit either visual inspection of vent screens or liner thermocouple temperature monitoring. Also, TS 5.3.8 will add a section to the Periodic Monitoring Program which establishes intervals for periodic monitoring that are less than the time required to reach the limiting short-term temperature limit. This program will establish administrative controls and procedures to assure that Start Printed Page 19808the licensee will be able to determine when corrective action is required. In addition, the amendment will update editorial changes associated with the company name change from BNFL Fuel Solutions Corporation to BNG Fuel Solutions Corporation and make other administrative changes. No other changes to the FuelSolutionsTM cask system were requested in this application. The NRC staff performed a detailed safety evaluation of the proposed CoC amendment request and found that an acceptable safety margin is maintained. The NRC staff also has determined that there continues to be reasonable assurance that public health and safety and the environment will be adequately protected.
This direct final rule revises the FuelSolutionsTM cask system listing in 10 CFR 72.214 by adding Amendment No. 4 to CoC No. 1026. The amendment consists of changes to the requirements to permit longer surveillance intervals for casks with heat loads lower than the design basis heat load and permit visual inspection of the cask vent screens or measurement of the cask liner temperature to satisfy the periodic monitoring requirements of 10 CFR 72.122(h)(4). The particular TS which are changed are identified in the NRC staff's SER for Amendment No. 4.
The amended FuelSolutionsTM cask system, when used under the conditions specified in the CoC, the TS, and NRC regulations, will meet the requirements of Part 72; thus, adequate protection of public health and safety will continue to be ensured.
Certificate No. 1026 is revised by adding the effective date of Amendment Number 4.
This rule is limited to the changes contained in Amendment No. 4 to CoC No. 1026 and does not include other aspects of the FuelSolutionsTM cask system. The NRC is using the “direct final rule procedure” to issue this amendment because it represents a limited and routine change to an existing CoC that is expected to be noncontroversial. Adequate protection of public health and safety continues to be ensured. The amendment to the rule will become effective on July 3, 2006. However, if the NRC receives significant adverse comments by May 18, 2006, then the NRC will publish a document that withdraws this action and will address the comments received in response to the proposed amendments, published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, in a subsequent final rule. The NRC will not initiate a second comment period on this action.
The National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-113) requires that Federal agencies use technical standards that are developed or adopted by voluntary consensus standards bodies unless the use of such a standard is inconsistent with applicable law or otherwise impractical. In this direct final rule, the NRC will revise the FuelSolutionsTM cask system design listed in § 72.214 (List of NRC-approved spent fuel storage cask designs). This action does not constitute the establishment of a standard that establishes generally applicable requirements.
Under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, and the NRC regulations in Subpart A of 10 CFR Part 51, the NRC has determined that this rule, if adopted, will not be a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment and, therefore, an environmental impact statement is not required. The rule will amend the CoC for the FuelSolutionsTM cask system within the list of approved spent fuel storage casks that power-reactor licensees can use to store spent fuel at reactor sites under a general license. Amendment No. 4 will modify the present cask system design to revise the TS requirements related to periodic monitoring during storage operations. Specifically, the amendment will revise TS to permit longer surveillance intervals for casks with heat loads lower than the design basis heat load and permit visual inspection of the cask vent screens or measurement of the cask liner temperature to satisfy the periodic monitoring requirements of 10 CFR 72.122(h)(4). TS 3.3.1 will be deleted to remove daily monitoring requirements. TS 3.3.2 will be revised for the W21 and W74 canisters to permit either visual inspection of vent screens or liner thermocouple temperature monitoring. Also, TS 5.3.8 will add a section to the Periodic Monitoring Program which establishes intervals for periodic monitoring that are less than the time required to reach the limiting short-term temperature limit. This program will establish administrative controls and procedures to assure that the licensee will be able to determine when corrective action is required. In addition, the amendment will update Start Printed Page 19809editorial changes associated with the company name change from BNFL Fuel Solutions Corporation to BNG Fuel Solutions Corporation and make other administrative changes.
On July 18, 1990 (55 FR 29181), the NRC issued an amendment to 10 CFR Part 72 to provide for the storage of spent nuclear fuel under a general license in cask designs approved by the NRC. Any nuclear power-reactor licensee can use NRC-approved cask designs to store spent nuclear fuel if it notifies the NRC in advance, spent fuel is stored under the conditions specified in the cask's CoC, and the conditions of the general license are met. A list of NRC-approved cask designs is contained in 10 CFR 72.214. On January 16, 2001 (66 FR 3444), the NRC issued an amendment to Part 72 that approved the FuelSolutionsTM cask design by adding it to the list of NRC-approved cask designs in 10 CFR 72.214. On June 30, 2005, the certificate holder, BNG Fuel Solutions Corporation, submitted an application to the NRC to amend CoC No. 1026 to modify the TS requirements related to periodic monitoring during storage operations. Specifically, the amendment will revise the TS to permit longer surveillance intervals for casks with heat loads lower than the design basis heat load and permit visual inspection of the cask vent screens or measurement of the cask liner temperature to satisfy the periodic monitoring requirements of 10 CFR 72.122(h)(4). TS 3.3.1 will be deleted to remove daily monitoring requirements. TS 3.3.2 will be revised for the W21 and W74 canisters to permit either visual inspection of vent screens or liner thermocouple temperature monitoring. Also, TS 5.3.8 will add a section to the Periodic Monitoring Program which establishes intervals for periodic monitoring that are less than the time required to reach the limiting short-term temperature limit. This program will establish administrative controls and procedures to assure that the licensee will be able to determine when corrective action is required. In addition, the amendment will update editorial changes associated with the company name change from BNFL Fuel Solutions Corporation to BNG Fuel Solutions Corporation and make other administrative changes. The alternative to this action is to withhold approval of this amended cask system design and issue an exemption to each general license. This alternative would cost both the NRC and the utilities more time and money because each utility would have to pursue an exemption.
Section 72.44(g) also issued under secs. 142(b) and 148(c), (d), Pub. L. 100-203, 101 Stat. 1330-232, 1330-236 (42 U.S.C. 10162(b), 10168(c), (d)). Section 72.46 also Start Printed Page 19810issued under sec. 189, 68 Stat. 955 (42 U.S.C. 2239); sec. 134, Pub. L. 97-425, 96 Stat. 2230 (42 U.S.C. 10154). Section 72.96(d) also issued under sec. 145(g), Pub. L. 100-203, 101 Stat. 1330-235 (42 U.S.C. 10165(g)). Subpart J also issued under secs. 2(2), 2(15), 2(19), 117(a), 141(h), Pub. L. 97-425, 96 Stat. 2202, 2203, 2204, 2222, 2224 (42 U.S.C. 10101, 10137(a), 10161(h)). Subparts K and L are also issued under sec. 133, 98 Stat. 2230 (42 U.S.C. 10153) and sec. 218(a), 96 Stat. 2252 (42 U.S.C. 10198).
[FR Doc. 06-3651 Filed 4-17-06; 8:45 am]