ML020850309
| ML020850309 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 03/22/2002 |
| From: | Office of Public Affairs |
| To: | |
| References | |
| Press Release-02-032 | |
| Download: ML020850309 (2) | |
See also: see also:Press Release-02-032
Text
NRC NEWS
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200
Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov
Web Site: www.nrc.gov
No.02-032
March 22, 2002
NRC AMENDS LICENSING, INSPECTION AND ANNUAL FEES RULE
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is amending its regulations for the licensing, inspection
and annual fees it charges to applicants and licensees for fiscal year (FY) 2002.
The agency is required to collect nearly all of its annual appropriated budget through two types
of fees. One type is for NRC services such as licensing and inspection activities. The other is an annual
fee paid by all licensees, which recovers generic regulatory expenses and other costs not recovered
through fees for specific services. These fees are contained in Commission regulations 10 CFR Part 170 (licensing and inspection services) and 10 CFR Part 171 (annual fees).
By law, the NRC must recover $479.5 million, or about 96 percent of its budget, for FY 2002
(October 1, 2001 - September 30, 2002). This does not include $23.7 million appropriated from the
Nuclear Waste Fund for high-level waste activities. Neither does it include $36 million appropriated for
NRCs activities related to homeland security. Funding for these activities is excluded from license fee
revenues by law. The total amount to be recovered is about $26.2 million more than last year.
There is a $6 increase over FY 2001 in the hourly labor rate proposed for NRC services
performed in the reactor program, and an $8 increase for services performed in the nuclear materials
program. The proposed hourly rates are $156 for the reactor program activities and $152 for the nuclear
material program activities.
The annual fees proposed by the NRC have been determined under the re-baselining method.
The Commission decided to re-baseline annual fees this year based on the changes in the magnitude of
the budget to be recovered through fees. Re-baselined annual fees would result in increased annual
fees for a majority of licensees, including power reactors, fuel facility licensees, and radiography and
broad-scope medical licensees. Annual fees would decrease for other categories of licensees, including
non-power research reactors.
The proposed FY 2002 annual fees for some licensees are as follows:
Categories of Licensees
FY 2001 Annual Fee
FY 2002 Annual Fee
Operating Power Reactors
$2,753,000
$2,869,000
(including spent fuel storage/
reactor decommissioning annual fee)
High-enriched Uranium Fuel Facility
$3,545,000
$4,073,000
Low-enriched Uranium Fuel Facility $1,146,000
$1,366,000
Uranium Recovery (Conventional Mills) 94,300
77,700
Radiographers
12,500
13,700
Broad Scope Medical
24,200
26,200
Distribution of Radiopharmaceuticals
3,900
4,500
The NRC is also proposing to clarify the Part 170 fee waiver provision for topical reports and
certain other documents submitted to the NRC for review and approval; to clarify that a Part 171 annual
fee exemption provision for reactors applies only to reactors licensed to operate; and to revise Part 171
to specifically authorize the assessment of annual fees to holders of Part 52 combined licenses after the
Commission has authorized operation of the reactors.
Written comments on the proposed amendments to 10 CFR Parts 170 and 171 of the
Commissions regulations should be received within 30 days after publication in the Federal Register.
They should be addressed to the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C.,
20555-0001, ATTN: Rulemakings and Adjudications staff. Comments also may be faxed to 301-415-
1101, or submitted via the NRCs electronic rulemaking Web site, at http://www.nrc.gov . Select
rulemaking from the tool bar and then rulemaking forum.