ML17279A870

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Response to ASME Concerning Recognition of the Vallecitos Boiling Water Reactor
ML17279A870
Person / Time
Site: Vallecitos Nuclear Center
Issue date: 10/17/2017
From: John Tappert
Division of Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery and Waste Programs
To: Fehring T, Loughlin T
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
JParrott NMSS/DUWP/MDB 415-6634 T-8E47
References
Download: ML17279A870 (3)


Text

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 October 17, 2017 Mr. Thomas G. Loughlin, ASME Executive Director Mr. Thomas H. Fehring, Chair, ASME History & Heritage Committee ASME Two Park Ave.

New York, NY 10016-5990

SUBJECT:

DECOMMISSIONING OF THE VALLECITOS BOILING WATER REACTOR

Dear Messrs. Loughlin and Fehring:

I am writing in response to your letter, dated July 18, 2016 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System Accession Number ML17171A209), to Victor McCree, Executive Director for Operations for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), encouraging NRC to consider the historic significance of the Vallecitos Boiling Water Reactor (VBWR), located near Pleasanton, CA, when evaluating the decommissioning plans for the facility.

The NRCs requirements for decommissioning licensed facilities are to remove a facility or site safely from service and reduce residual radioactivity to a level that permits: (1) Release of the property for unrestricted use and termination of the license; or, (2) Release of the property under restricted conditions and termination of the license. To release a facility such as the VBWR usually requires a radiological decontamination of the facility, but does not necessarily require the demolition of the facility.

As part of the NRCs environmental review of the decommissioning plan for VBWR, the NRC will consult with the California Office of Historic Preservation to fulfill its obligations under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Part of the consultation process includes identifying historic resources. Therefore, the NRC staff will reach out to ASME during its National Environmental Policy Act review and NHPA consultation process. The California Office of Historic Preservation offers various registration programs. More information can be found at http://ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1056.

Through this process, the State would also be the authority to determine the historic significance of the structure and any requirements for preservation or other recognition of the site.

I thank the ASME for its interest in this regard.

Sincerely,

/RA/

John R. Tappert, Director Division of Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery and Waste Programs Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards Docket No. 50-18 cc:

ML17279A870 *via e-mail OFC NMSS/DUWP/RDB NMSS/FCSE/ERB NMSS/DUWP/RDB NMSS/DUWP NAME JParrott JQuintero BWatson JTappert DATE 10/10/2017 10/10/2017 10/12/2017 10/17/2017