ML20154P438
| ML20154P438 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 02/24/1981 |
| From: | Trubatch S NRC OFFICE OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL (OGC) |
| To: | Combs T NRC OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY (SECY) |
| References | |
| TASK-TF, TASK-URFO NUDOCS 9810220325 | |
| Download: ML20154P438 (7) | |
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, MEMORANDUM FOR:.
Thoman R. Combn, SECY 4,
. St,
Sheldon L.:Trubatch, 000 i..,
SUBJECT:
RANDOLPH LETTER j
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E$cioned is a. redrafted version of a proposeci response. to Quanh5cn 3 okthesub{ectletter.
In my view, the responno to thin question
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i does.,not require reference to the Conunission's recent promu'lgation
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'Enodosure as ' stated
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9810220325 010224 PDR ORG NRCGC PDR
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h,,4meenkon23(A):
How de,es tho' oonaniocion Linterpre ta Ato licenslur,
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G W ' 'Shdkion v914(a) or 'S'.
2189 provides:
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'Nothing in this'Act'nhall affect the author-
~1ty of the Nuclear Regulatory Comminnion to
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license'and regulate high-level or transur-g
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j; p storage and disposal pursuant to Section 202 r
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,' byproduct, source or special nuclear material jy
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pursuant to.Section'201(r) or auch Act.
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'lBecause'S' 2189 is not' intended to arrect the-Commissinn's licens-4 1
.o we ing p, r regulatory authority, thu Commission believen that S. 2189._
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' preserves the Commission's previous: interpretations or ilRC author-ihiha-describedbelow.
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I lCtirNently,. Section 202 of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 i-i.
provides specific authority for NRC licensing'of certa.in DOE fac-
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ilities pursuant to Chapters 6, 7. 8 and 10 of the Atomic Energy A_/
Adt,of 1954, as amended.
Since Chapter 10 or the AEA applien only f+>
' td licensing of utilization 'and production ' facilities, the DOE t
' facilities described'in Section 20P(3) would be regulated pursuant tkjbe Conunission's materia 3s licensing authority as set out in l(
.C apters 6, 7 and'8 of the AEA.
Ac. a technical matter, therefore, r
jtkMRC would be. licensing DOE's possession of source, special 0;+
.. ;&ar. and b' produr' materini rather than the fac111 tics themselves.
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t y (202(3)[ spent fueltfrom commercial power reactors is a form of L
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,DOB $nterim : storage. faci]ities for 'such spent.-fuel would -be subject s
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It iu also the Commission's positson n
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tha( DOE storage or' disposal of foreign high-level waste resulting.
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That in, if either
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i > ; g *,'1icense iissued byLNRC ~ (or AEC), the ' storage of. the npunt fuel would j ;
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- bei.sub(ect to Section 202(3) under existing law..
Sec tion :310 of' S.
m
% l2189(would_ explicitly confirm these interpretation ol' current NEC' h
la6thority.
ALfull discussion of the Commission's view or the scope
".iffit(. authority 'is contained in its Report pH.
u Lo Congress on "Regula-s 4
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'", N;/tibolof Federal Radioactive Waste Activ.ities," NUREa-05P6,.f.979 1
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.r JAlthough.the Commission's current authority would be prouerved by.
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$ '8.j2I89; in the case of long-term nhorage facilitien the Commis-
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f' T h $.sients discretion'.would be narrowed by barring the consideration
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'under:NEPA or the' Atomic Enorgy Act of any alternative to the Fdss, h.ariteria; set forth in Sections 402 or 405.
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.In durfopinion, ' the state-review provisions - of S. 2189 (Title 1X) hf d:ould not Liter the Commission's author $ty, because Section 903(c)
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@y jempl$citly providesithat any co-perative agrooment:between DOE and n,1 :
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' Although hhe: Commission believes that S. 2189 is intended to pre-
. serve current NRC 11censin6 authority, we would like to point out=
1 (atpotential problem with certain terminology which could create
. uncertainty asjto NRC's authority to licenseLDOE reposfLories'for,
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ultimate: disposal of high-level waste.
Currently, we believe NHC iias[suchauthority.underSections202(3)'and202(4)ortheEnergy'
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f eorganization Act of 1974 Those sections authorize the NRC to R
license DOE facilities for the storage of high-level waste; and the leg'islative~ history of those sectionseclearly indicates that the-Hj%
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term " storage" was intended to include " disposal."
However, S.
I2189lwould explicitly define " storage" to mean the retent'icn or I
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q nuclear. wast.e' with: the' intent to recover 'such material (Section
'201('17))and would separately define " disposal" to menn long-term
,isoiation including monitored retrievable storage.
Section 310 of
'S. N189,would amend Section 202(3) of the ERA to explicitly refer Ito. spent fuel, ' but would not alter the current languH6e which refern expressly only to storage.
Thus, by explicitly defining " storage" th exclude disposal and by retaining the term "storano" in the ER A,
- a'. 2189 fcould be interpreted an precluding NRC from licensing DOE c
.3 disposal facilities.
- SychrcaninterpretationalsoappearsinconadstentwithSection 405(c).
That section is clearly intended to provide ror NRC licenn-
.ing;of disposal facilities established by DOE pursuant to Title IV v.
-of:S. 2189. 'This intention could.not be realized if theidefinition
[ofM atorage" in'S. 2189 is interpreted as limiting the !!RC's author-ity re6ading DOE disposal facilities.because Section 40S(c) In k:
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Moreover. it would 5
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st'orage' facilities but not, more hazardous disposal facilities.
[ThArefore,/ we ? suggest the following addition:
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.4m 3 ; Amend ~ 310 of the' biR to read as follown:
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Se,c. -310.: Sect:f on 202(3) or, the Energy Heorganization 1,
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'Act:or.1974 is amended to. read:-
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T" Facilities used primarily for t,hc receipt
.and st$i' ace'or disposal of high-level rad-
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ioactive-waste or spent fuel resulting from activities licensed under such Act or spent, cl; $,
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. fuel'from foreign reactors transferred under
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- a subsequent' arrangement authorized under
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-such Act."
r, JQuistidn 3[,By :In: particular, what types of ~ fac$11 ties and what q~9 of~radioactise waste would the Commission licenee?
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Under existing law, the followins DOE facilities-contemplated by S.
I (218 would fall' within:NRC jurisdict,1on:
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, /1~.0,C Away-from-reactor facili ties for the int,erim stora6e of spent
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tfuel from: civilian nuclear power planta.
Section 306(a).
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."Lapacial nuclear-and. byproduct material at any such racility, f b. whettler in the' form of spent fuel or other high-level waste, as xf
-defined in Section 201 or otherwise.
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'QuestionL (CI:. Would the Commission's licensing authority under 3
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S.:2189, differ 3from its current licensing authority over radioactive
.'waAte management?
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For the reasons discussed above in response to rtuestiou 3(A), the y
Conndission believes-that S. 2189 preserves the NRC's current licens-I i N
'ing:'uthority.
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, ',,.SL 2189 would also. provide the Comminnion with the following now 1,1 * -
y au'thority.
Section.310 would amend Seetion 202(3) of the ERA to J. extend tlae Commission's current authority to spent fuel transferred
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othei. Atomic Energy ; Act or 1954,' as. amended, even $f neither the
.foredsn; reactor nor foreign ruci were of United States origin.
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[Section!311 or S. 2189 would extend the Commission's licensing-33 au "
' authority'to'. cover DOE's trannportation or spent fuel to federally W
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