ML20043E358
| ML20043E358 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 03/27/1990 |
| From: | Carr NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| To: | Bevill HOUSE OF REP., APPROPRIATIONS |
| References | |
| BEVILL-900327, CCS, NUDOCS 9006120347 | |
| Download: ML20043E358 (3) | |
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g MR. BEVILL: Describe the specific tasks the NRC plans to perform in support of the commercial nuclear waste program.
CHAIRMAN CARR:
The specific tasks the NRC currently plans to perform in support of the com-mercial high-level nuclear waste program will be performed by a combination of NRC staff and the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses, CNWRA.
The CNWRA is a Federally-Funded Research and Development Center under contract to the NRC to provide technical assistance and conduct research for NRC's high-level nuclear waste program. These tasks are as follows:
The NWPA, as amended, requires that the NRC complete the review of the HLW repository license application within three years after submittal. To meet that requirement, the NRC will develop regulatory requirenents and extensive guidance for DOE on potential licensing issues as well as a format and content guide for use by the DOE staff when preparing the license application. The NRC will consult with the State of Nevada, the Nuclear Waste Negotiator, and the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board.
It will also be necessary for NRC to review and comment on any omendments to the DOE Mission Plan and Project Decision Schedule.
Another task, to develop technical assessment capability for repository licen-sing reviews, involves the development of methodologies, models, codes and review strategies for use by the NRC staff in evaluating DOE's site characteri-zation activities and repository license application. These methodologies, models, codes and strategies are necessary to provide the Commission with suf-ficient technical basis with which it can determine the adequacy and safety of the repository.
Developing and implementing quality assurante programs involves NRC evaluation and oversight of DOE's quality assurance programs for site characterization activities, including conducting audits of a sample of DOE and DOE contractor quality assurance programs.
The objective is to identify and resolve concerns 900612o347 900327 OC8f FDC p
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The conduct of pre-licensing reviews includes the review of updates to DOE's statutory Site Characteriza-tion Plan for the Yucca Mountain site and of associated study plans and references, it also includes the review of technical data collected during investigations of the Yucca Mountain site. An important aspect of these pre-licensing consultation reviews is to help identify any site characterization activities that could inadvertently result in disqualifying the site from a licensing perspective.
The review of transportation package certificate applications consists of pre-application efforts with DOE on spent fuel transportation package designs.
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The first application is expected to be submitted to NRC in FY 1992.
Prior to submission of the application, NRC will exchange information and technical data with DOE concerning the design, testing, and certification of the trans-portation package, as well as interact with DOE and its contractors on their plans to develop and test other package designs.
The research needed to support NRC's pre-licensing activities will continue in order to identify critical regulatory issues and to help ensure that tech-nical problems associated with these issues are understood sufficiently to support licensing decisions.
More specifically, efforts will address waste package performance and likely failure mechanisms, performance of. key features of an underground facility such as borehole and shaft seals and performance of backfill and packing materials, radionuclide transport, performance assessment methodologies, and interaction between engineered and material compunents of HLW repositories.
Legal support will be provided to NRC staff in all aspects of the HLW program, as necessary. This' support will include rule development, legislation review, providing guidance to staff following any court decision related to the repos-itory, and responding to Congressional inquiries concerning NRC's HLW program.
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Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel support will provide input and support to streamlining the licensing process and an automated document control and search system, the Licensing Support System for the repository licensing hearing.
A pre-application board is expected to be appointed six months prior to access to the LSS and will rule on petitions for access to the LSS and disputes that may arise. DOE expects that access to the LS$ could be mid to late 1993.
The Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste reports to the Chairman of the NRC and provides independent advice to the Comission on all aspects of nuclear waste management within the purview of NRC's regulatory responsibilities. The pri-mary emphasis will be on disposal, but will also include other aspects such as transportation, storage and safeguarding of high-level nuclear waste.
The Licensing Support System is designed to ensure effective discharge of NRC's responsibilities under 10 CFR Part 2, Subpart J, as they pertain to loading and subsequent use of the Licensing Support System prior to and during the N'RC's high-level waste licensing proceeding. The system will assist the NRC in meeting the three year time period for making a licensing decision.
Interaction and liaison with state, local, and Indian tribal representatives on matters concerning NRC's HLW program will also be provided.
With regard to a Monitored Retrievable Storage facility, the NRC plans to interact with DOE, as a potential applicant, as appropriate.
If the NWPAA is modified so that an MRS facility license application is submitted in the near-term, the NRC would modify its current plans to ensure that its assigned regulatory responsibilities are met, in addition to the tasks I have just described, which are directly related to DOE's high-level waste program, the NRC will also support the comercial nuc-lear waste program by reviewing and approving independent spent fuel storage at nuclear reactors.
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