ML20033E043
| ML20033E043 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 01/25/1990 |
| From: | Rogers K NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| To: | Watkins J ENERGY, DEPT. OF |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20033E044 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9001310177 | |
| Download: ML20033E043 (2) | |
Text
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UNITE 3 STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION n
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January 25, 1990 CHAIAMAN 1
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t The Hor.orable James D. Watkins Secretary of Energy Washington, D.C.
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Dear Mr. Secretary:
-l We are responding to your November 29, 1989 request for the Nuclear Regulatory Comission's (NRC's) comments on schedules incorporated in the Department of l
Energy's (20E's) " Report to Congress on Reassessment of the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program." The schedules incorporated in the DOE' t
report show DOE starting the construction of the exploratory shaft facility in i
November 1992 and submitting its license application to NRC in October 2001.
t This would allow approximately eleven ye'rs for the ongoing pre-lictnse application phase.
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As Chaiman Carr noted during Mr. Leo Duffy's December 20, 1989 briefing on i
this sub, ject, the Comission is pleased with your comitment to ensure that'the i
scientific investigations will be the focal point for the restructured program.
As DOE noted, this should help ensure that results are technically sound and
..X uncoupled.from a scheduling process which might constrain the collection of.
sufficient infomation for a detemination of site suitability and a thorough and complete license application.
t We recognize the importance of the activities DOE is planning in 1993 and 1991 to begin implementing its restructured program. The NRC is comitted to supporting these activities by conducting reviews and interacting with 00E as early and as often as needed.
To help ensure that our planning and resource allocations are adequate to support DOE's restructured program, it is
.important that 00E and NRC begin developing consistent, detailed 1990 and 1991
. milestones and schedules for those activities where the.NRC staff's involvement will-be necessary. We believe that early interaction on the following items t
is particularly important:
(1) events necessary for meeting-the September 1990 date for NRC's acceptance of the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management's quality assurance program; (2) events necessary to ensure adequate t
technical consultation through open meetings during NRC's ongoing refinement of its regulatory requirements and guidance; (3) events necessary to support
't beginning surface-based testing in January 1991; and (4) events necessary to support beginning construction of the exploratory shaft facility in November 1992. Mr. Robert M. Bernero, Director of the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, is the appropriate contact for staff initiating interactions.
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The Honorable James D. Watkins The schedules also include significant activities in the years beyond 1991 in the areas of licensing a monitored retrievable storage (MRS) facility and certifying transport casks.
In addition to amendmercs to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, these activities will require productive interactions with the NRC staff.
For example, the reference schedule indicates a period of 18 months for NRC to license the MRS's simple receiving facility. The viability of such a schedule depends on the success of substantive review and certification activities before receipt of the MRS license application in July 1995. We believe that staff interactions should begin as soon as practicable to clarify what NRC activities would be necessary to support DOE's schedule.
The Comission continues to believe that our ability to complete the repository review in the three-year time frame prescribed by Congress depends on the effectiveness of the pre-license application program. The Comission's previous coments on 00E's programatic documents have identified key action items considered vital to achieve an effective pre-license application program.
The Comission is encouraged that the restructured program reinforces DOE's previous comitments to early identification and resolution of issues through systematic consultations with NRC and early implemention of a quality assurance program. However, it is not clear hew the restructured program will address another key item, development of a licensing support system.
Future reference schedules should include the design and development schedule for a licensing support system, consistent with DOE's revised schedule.
NRC will be prepared to reassess the reference schedules as DOE completes other I
actions described in the report to Congress that may result in further changes.
Sincerely, i
Kenneth C. Rogers Acting Chairman cc: Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management I
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