ML20106F154
| ML20106F154 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 04/30/2020 |
| From: | Kristine Svinicki NRC/Chairman |
| To: | Alexander L, Barrasso J, Braun M, Kaptur M, Pallone F, Tonko P US Congress, US HR (House of Representatives) |
| Jaclyn Storch, 415-2877 | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20106F152 | List: |
| References | |
| CORR-20-0037 | |
| Download: ML20106F154 (3) | |
Text
April 30, 2020 The Honorable Mike Braun Chairman, Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety Committee on Environment and Public Works United States Senate Washington, DC 20510
Dear Mr. Chairman:
On behalf of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), I am submitting the Semiannual Status Report on the Licensing Activities and Regulatory Duties of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The enclosed report covers NRC activities from October 1, 2019, through March 31, 2020, and includes a list of rulemaking activities, their priority and schedule, and actions taken to adhere to the backfit rule, as directed in the Joint Explanatory Statement that accompanied Division C of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020.
During this period, the NRC had several noteworthy activities in the area of licensing reviews. In December 2019, the NRC staff completed all 21 chapters of the Advanced Safety Evaluation Report (Safety Evaluation Report with No Open Items) for the NuScale small modular reactor design certification application review and issued these chapters to the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards for its review. Also during this reporting period, the NRC issued an early site permit to Tennessee Valley Authority for one or more small modular reactors at the Clinch River site in Tennessee. The staff recently began the technical acceptance review of a custom combined license application for the Aurora micro-reactor, submitted by Oklo Inc. The NRC staff also completed its review and approved a renewed license for the Honeywell Uranium Conversion Facilitys operating license. The first ever subsequent license renewals were issued for Turkey Point Units 3 and 4. In March 2020, the NRC staff completed its review and issued subsequent license renewals for Peach Bottom Units 2 and 3.
The agency also submitted three reports to Congress, as required by the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act, describing the licensing process for research and test reactors, the status of the licensing process for accident tolerant fuel, and the uranium recovery flat fee pilot initiative.
Other Noteworthy Activities in the Past 6 Months From October 2019 to March 2020, the NRC staff conducted 56 security inspections at commercial nuclear power plants and Category I fuel cycle facilities, including five force-on-force inspections involving simulated attacks on the facilities to test the effectiveness of a
2 licensees physical protection program. When NRC inspectors identify a security finding during an inspection, they confirm that the licensee implements appropriate compensatory measures to correct the situation.
Additionally, from October 2019 through March 2020, the agency conducted just over 300 public meetings in the Washington, DC area and in states with NRC-licensed or proposed facilities to address a range of NRC issues. Also during this time, the NRC processed 188 of the 205 Freedom of Information Act requests it received.
As you know, on January 31, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency (PHE) for the United States to aid the nations healthcare community in responding to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). On March 11, 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak was characterized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization.
Shortly before the completion date for this reporting period, the NRC began taking precautionary measures in response to COVID-19 to ensure the health and safety of our workforce in accordance with guidance provided by the Federal Government, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as State and local authorities. Impacts to NRC licensing activities and regulatory duties during this reporting period were minimal and, where appropriate, are noted in the attached report. In particular, preparatory activities included notification in a March 28, 2020, letter by the Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation to the industry explaining the process by which NRC will be prepared to grant, upon request from individual licensees, exemptions from the work hour controls specified in 10 CFR 26.205(d)(1)-(d)(7) in accordance with the NRCs regulations in 10 CFR 26.9, Specific exemptions. Future reports will include additional details on NRC activities resulting from or impacted by the COVID-19 PHE.
Please feel free to contact me or have your staff contact Eugene Dacus, Director of the Office of Congressional Affairs, at (301) 415-1776, if you have any questions or need additional information.
Sincerely, Kristine L. Digitally signed by Kristine L. Svinicki Svinicki Date: 2020.04.30 15:08:25 -04'00' Kristine L. Svinicki
Enclosure:
As stated cc: Senator Sheldon Whitehouse
Identical letter sent to:
The Honorable Mike Braun The Honorable Bobby L. Rush Chairman, Subcommittee on Clean Air Chairman, Subcommittee on Energy and Nuclear Safety Committee on Energy and Commerce Committee on Environment and Public Works United States House of Representatives United States Senate Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20510 cc: Representative Fred Upton cc: Senator Sheldon Whitehouse The Honorable John Barrasso Chairman, Committee on Environment and Public Works United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 cc: Senator Thomas R. Carper The Honorable Frank Pallone, Jr.
Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 cc: Representative Greg Walden The Honorable Paul Tonko Chairman, Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change Committee on Energy and Commerce United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 cc: Representative John Shimkus The Honorable Marcy Kaptur Chairman, Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development Committee on Appropriations United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 cc: Representative Mike Simpson The Honorable Lamar Alexander Chairman, Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development Committee on Appropriations United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 cc: Senator Dianne Feinstein