Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2014/10/03/2014-23633/list-of-approved-spent-fuel-storage-casks-holtec-international-hi-storm-floodwind-system-certificate
Timestamp: 2018-04-23 14:08:29
Document Index: 387642488

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 72', 'art 72', 'art 20', 'art 72', 'art 51', 'art 72', 'art 72', 'art 20', 'art 72', 'art 51', 'art 72', 'art 72', 'art 72', 'art 72', 'art 52', 'art 52']

Federal Register :: List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks: Holtec International HI-STORM FLOOD/WIND System; Certificate of Compliance No. 1032, Amendment No. 1
A Rule by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on 10/03/2014
The direct final rule is effective December 17, 2014, unless significant adverse comments are received by November 3, 2014. If the direct final rule is withdrawn as a result of such comments, timely notice of the withdrawal will be published in the Federal Register. Comments received after this date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the NRC staff is able to ensure consideration only for comments received on or before this date.
79 FR 59623
59623-59626 (4 pages)
3150-AJ40
2014-23633
List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks - HOLTEC HI-STORM FW System, Amendment 1
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2014-23633 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2014-23633
Start Preamble Start Printed Page 59623
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is amending its spent fuel storage regulations by revising the Holtec International HI-STORM FLOOD/WIND (FW) System listing within the “List of approved spent fuel storage casks” to include Amendment No. 1 to Certificate of Compliance (CoC) No. 1032. Amendment No. 1 adds a new heat load pattern for the multipurpose canister (MPC)-37, broadens the back pressure range for MPC-37 and MPC-89, and updates certain definitions related to fuel classification. Also, the amendment makes a correction to the expiration date of CoC No. 1032.
Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2014-0102 when contacting the NRC about the availability of information for this direct final rule. You may access publicly-available information related to this direct final rule by any of the following methods:
Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2014-0102. Address questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-287-3422; email: Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov. For technical questions, contact the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document.
Naiem S. Tanious, Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management Programs, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-6103, email: Naiem.Tanious@nrc.gov.
This direct final rule is limited to the changes contained in Amendment No. 1 to CoC No. 1032 and does not include other aspects of the Holtec International HI-STORM FW System design. 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 December 17, 2014. However, if the NRC receives significant adverse comments on this direct final rule by November 3, 2014, then the NRC will publish a document that withdraws this action and will subsequently address the comments received in a final rule as a response to the companion proposed rule published in the proposed rule section of this issue of the Federal Register. Absent significant modifications to the proposed revisions requiring republication, the NRC will not initiate a second comment period on this action.
(3) The comment causes the NRC staff to make a change (other than editorial) to the rule, CoC, or Technical Specifications (TSs).Start Printed Page 59624
Section 218(a) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) of 1982, as amended, requires that “the Secretary [of the Department of Energy] shall establish a demonstration program, in cooperation with the private sector, for the dry storage of spent nuclear fuel at civilian nuclear power reactor sites, with the objective of establishing one or more technologies that the [ Nuclear Regulatory] Commission may, by rule, approve for use at the sites of civilian nuclear power reactors without, to the maximum extent practicable, the need for additional site-specific approvals by the Commission.” Section 133 of the NWPA states, in part, that “[the Commission] shall, by rule, establish procedures for the licensing of any technology approved by the Commission under Section 219(a) [sic: 218(a)] for use at the site of any civilian nuclear power reactor.”
To implement this mandate, the Commission approved dry storage of spent nuclear fuel in NRC-approved casks under a general license by publishing a final rule which added a new subpart K in part 72 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 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 in 10 CFR part 72 entitled, “Approval of Spent Fuel Storage Casks,” which contains procedures and criteria for obtaining NRC approval of spent fuel storage cask designs. The NRC subsequently issued a final rule on June 8, 2011 (76 FR 33121), that approved the Holtec International HI-STORM FW System design and added it to the list of NRC-approved cask designs in 10 CFR 72.214 as CoC No. 1032.
By letter dated October 13, 2011, and as supplemented on May 23, 2012, January 24, April 18, and July 23, 2013, Holtec International, Inc. (Holtec or the applicant) submitted an application to the NRC to amend CoC No. 1032. The amendment adds a new heat load pattern for the MPC-37, broadens the back pressure range for MPC-37 and MPC-89, and updates certain definitions related to fuel classification. Also, the amendment makes a correction to the expiration date of CoC No. 1032.
As documented in the safety evaluation report (SER), the NRC staff performed a detailed safety evaluation of the proposed CoC amendment request. There are no significant changes to cask design requirements in the proposed CoC amendment. Considering the specific design requirements for each accident condition, the design of the cask would prevent loss of containment, shielding, and criticality control. If there is no loss of containment, shielding, or criticality control, the environmental impacts would be insignificant. This amendment does not reflect a significant change in design or fabrication of the cask. In addition, any resulting occupational exposure or offsite dose rates from the implementation of Amendment No. 1 would remain well within the 10 CFR part 20 limits. Therefore, the proposed CoC changes will not result in any radiological or non-radiological environmental impacts that significantly differ from the environmental impacts evaluated in the environmental assessment supporting the July 18, 1990, final rule. There will be no significant change in the types or significant revisions in the amounts of any effluent released, no significant increase in the individual or cumulative radiation exposure, and no significant increase in the potential for or consequences from radiological accidents.
This direct final rule revises the Holtec International HI-STORM FW System listing in 10 CFR 72.214 by adding Amendment No. 1 to CoC No. 1032. The amendment consists of the changes previously described, as set forth in the revised CoC and TSs. The revised TSs are identified in the SER.
The amended Holtec International HI-STORM FW System design, when used under the conditions specified in the CoC, the TSs, and the NRC's regulations, will meet the requirements of 10 CFR part 72; therefore, adequate protection of public health and safety will continue to be ensured. When this direct final rule becomes effective, persons who hold a general license under 10 CFR 72.210 may load spent nuclear fuel into the Holtec International HI-STORM FW System that meet the criteria of Amendment No. 1 to CoC No. 1032 under 10 CFR 72.212.
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 Holtec International HI-STORM FW System design listed in 10 CFR 72.214. This action does not constitute the establishment of a standard that contains generally applicable requirements.
The action is to amend 10 CFR 72.214 to revise the Holtec International HI-STORM FW System listing within the “List of approved spent fuel storage casks” to include Amendment No. 1 to CoC No. 1032. Under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, and the NRC's regulations in subpart A of 10 CFR part 51, “Environmental Protection Regulations for Domestic Licensing and Related Regulatory Functions,” the NRC has determined that this rule, if adopted, would not be a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment and, therefore, an environmental impact statement is not required. The NRC has made a finding of no significant impact on the basis of this environmental assessment.Start Printed Page 59625
This direct final rule amends the CoC for the Holtec International HI-STORM FW System design 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. Specifically, Amendment No. 1 adds a new heat load pattern for the multipurpose canister MPC-37, broadens the back pressure range for MPC-37 and MPC-89, and updates certain definitions related to fuel classification. Also, the amendment makes a correction to the expiration date of CoC No. 1032.
On July 18, 1990 (55 FR 29181), the NRC issued an amendment to 10 CFR part 72 to provide for the storage of spent fuel under a general license in cask designs approved by the NRC. The potential environmental impact of using NRC-approved storage casks was initially analyzed in the environmental assessment for the 1990 final rule. The environmental assessment for this Amendment No. 1 tiers off of the environmental assessment for the July 18, 1990, final rule. Tiering on past environmental assessments is a standard process under the National Environmental Policy Act.
The Holtec International HI-STORM FW System is designed to mitigate the effects of design basis accidents that could occur during storage. Design basis accidents account for human-induced events and the most severe natural phenomena reported for the site and surrounding area. Postulated accidents analyzed for an Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation, the type of facility at which a holder of a power reactor operating license would store spent fuel in casks in accordance with 10 CFR part 72, include tornado winds and tornado-generated missiles, a design basis earthquake, a design basis flood, an accidental cask drop, lightning effects, fire, explosions, and other incidents.
Considering the specific design requirements for each accident condition, the design of the cask would prevent loss of containment, shielding, and criticality control. If there is no loss of containment, shielding, or criticality control, the environmental impacts would be insignificant. This amendment does not reflect a significant change in design or fabrication of the cask. There are no significant changes to cask design requirements in the proposed CoC amendment. In addition, because there are no significant design or process changes, any resulting occupational exposure or offsite dose rates from the implementation of Amendment No. 1 would remain well within the 10 CFR part 20 limits. Therefore, the proposed CoC changes will not result in any radiological or non-radiological environmental impacts that significantly differ from the environmental impacts evaluated in the environmental assessment supporting the July 18, 1990, final rule. There will be no significant change in the types or significant revisions in the amounts of any effluent released, no significant increase in the individual or cumulative radiation exposure, and no significant increase in the potential for or consequences from radiological accidents. The staff documented its safety findings in the SER for this amendment.
The alternative to this action is to deny approval of Amendment No. 1 and end the direct final rule. Consequently, any 10 CFR part 72 general licensee that seeks to load spent nuclear fuel into Holtec International HI-STORM FW System casks in accordance with the changes described in proposed Amendment No. 1 would have to request an exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR 72.212 and 72.214. Under this alternative, interested licensees would have to prepare, and the NRC would have to review, a separate exemption request, thereby increasing the administrative burden upon the NRC and the costs to each licensee. Therefore, the environmental impacts would be the same or less than the action.
Approval of Amendment No. 1 to CoC No. 1032 would result in no irreversible commitments of resources.
The environmental impacts of the action have been reviewed under the requirements in 10 CFR part 51. Based on the foregoing environmental assessment, the NRC concludes that this direct final rule entitled, “List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage Casks: Holtec International HI-STORM FLOOD/WIND System; Certificate of Compliance No. 1032, Amendment No. 1,” will not have a significant effect on the human environment. Therefore, the NRC has determined that an environmental impact statement is not necessary for this direct final rule.
This direct final rule does not contain any information collection requirements and, therefore, is not subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). Existing requirements were approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Approval Number 3150-0132.
Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 (5 U.S.C. 605(b)), the NRC certifies that this direct final rule will not, if issued, have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. This direct final rule affects only nuclear power plant licensees and Holtec. These entities do not fall within the scope of the definition of small entities set forth in the Regulatory Flexibility Act or the size standards established by the NRC (10 CFR 2.810).
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, the 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 June 8, 2011 (76 FR 33121), the NRC issued an amendment to 10 CFR part 72 that approved the Holtec International HI-STORM FW System design and added it to the list of NRC-approved cask designs in 10 CFR 72.214 as CoC No.1032.
On October 13, 2011, and as supplemented on May 23, 2012, January 24, 2013, April 18, 2013, and July 23, 2013, Holtec submitted an application to amend the Holtec International HI-STORM FW System as described in Section III of this document.
The alternative to this action is to withhold approval of Amendment No. 1 and to require any 10 CFR part 72 general licensee seeking to load spent nuclear fuel into the Holtec Start Printed Page 59626International HI-STORM FW System under the changes described in Amendment No. 1 to request an exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR 72.212 and 72.214. Under this alternative, each interested 10 CFR part 72 licensee would have to prepare, and the NRC would have to review, a separate exemption request, thereby increasing the administrative burden upon the NRC and the costs to each licensee.
The NRC has determined that the backfit rule (10 CFR 72.62) does not apply to this direct final rule. Therefore, a backfit analysis is not required. This direct final rule revises the CoC No. 1032 for the Holtec International HI-STORM FW System, as currently listed in 10 CFR 72.214, “List of approved spent fuel storage casks.” The revision consists of Amendment No. 1 which adds a new heat load pattern for the MPC-37, broadens the back pressure range for MPC-37 and MPC-89, and updates certain definitions related to fuel classification. Also the amendment makes a correction to the expiration date of CoC No. 1032.
Amendment No. 1 to CoC No. 1032 for the Holtec International HI-STORM FW System was initiated by Holtec and was not submitted in response to new NRC requirements, or an NRC request for amendment. Amendment No. 1 applies only to new casks fabricated and used under Amendment No. 1. These changes do not affect existing users of the Holtec International HI-STORM FW System, and the current Amendment continues to be effective for existing users. While current CoC users may comply with the new requirements in Amendment No. 1, this would be a voluntary decision on the part of current users. For these reasons, Amendment No. 1 to CoC No. 1032 does not constitute backfitting under 10 CFR 72.62, 10 CFR 50.109(a)(1), or otherwise represent an inconsistency with the issue finality provisions applicable to combined licenses in 10 CFR part 52. Accordingly, no backfit analysis or additional documentation addressing the issue finality criteria in 10 CFR part 52 has been prepared by the staff.
CoC No. 1032, Amendment No. 1 ML14118A466.
Technical Specifications, Appendix A ML14118A468.
Technical Specifications, Appendix B ML14118A467.
Safety Evaluation Report ML14118A469.
Application ML11290A019.
Application Supplemental May 23, 2012 ML12158A558.
Application Supplemental January 24, 2013 ML13028A103.
Application Supplemental April 18, 2013 ML13120A505.
Application Supplemental July 23, 2013 ML13217A050.
The NRC may post materials related to this document, including public comments, on the Federal rulemaking Web site at http://www.regulations.gov under Docket ID NRC-2014-0102. The Federal rulemaking Web site allows you to receive alerts when changes or additions occur in a docket folder. To subscribe: (1) Navigate to the docket folder (NRC-2014-0102); (2) click the “Sign up for Email Alerts” link; and (3) enter your email address and select how frequently you would like to receive emails (daily, weekly, or monthly).
Authority: Atomic Energy Act secs. 51, 53, 57, 62, 63, 65, 69, 81, 161, 182, 183, 184, 186, 187, 189, 223, 234, 274 (42 U.S.C. 2071, 2073, 2077, 2092, 2093, 2095, 2099, 2111, 2201, 2232, 2233, 2234, 2236, 2237, 2273, 2282, 2021); Energy Reorganization Act secs. 201, 202, 206, 211 (42 U.S.C. 5841, 5842, 5846, 5851); National Environmental Policy Act sec. 102 (42 U.S.C. 4332); Nuclear Waste Policy Act secs. 131, 132, 133, 135, 137, 141, 148 (42 U.S.C. 10151, 10152, 10153, 10155, 10157, 10161, 10168); sec. 1704, 112 Stat. 2750 (44 U.S.C. 3504 note); Energy Policy Act of 2005, Pub. L. 109-58, 119 Stat. 549 (2005).
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 18th day of September, 2014.
[FR Doc. 2014-23633 Filed 10-2-14; 8:45 am]