ML20177A212

BWXT Nuclear Operations Group, Inc. Amendment 37 - Approval of Regulatory Relief from Conducting Monthly Emergency Team Training and Quarterly Emergency Organization Drills

ML20177A212
Person / Time
Site:	BWX Technologies
Issue date:	06/29/2020
From:	Kevin Ramsey NRC/NMSS/DFM/FFLB
To:	Terry C BWXT
Downs J
Shared Package
ML20177A211	List: ML20177A212 ML20177A213 ML20177A215
References
EPID: L-2020-EPR-0003
Download: ML20177A212 (3)

Text

OFFICIAL USE ONLY SECURITY-RELATED INFORMATION UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 June 29, 2020 Mr. Chris Terry, Manager Licensing and Safety Analysis BWXT Nuclear Operations Group, Inc.

P.O. Box 785 Lynchburg, VA 24505-0785

SUBJECT:

AMENDMENT 37 - APPROVAL OF REGULATORY RELIEF FROM CONDUCTING MONTHLY EMERGENCY TEAM TRAINING AND QUARTERLY EMERGENCY ORGANIZATION DRILLS (ENTERPRISE PROJECT IDENTIFIER L-2020-EPR-0003)

Dear Mr. Terry:

By letter dated May 27, 2020 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System

[ADAMS] Accession No. ML20149K365), BWXT Nuclear Operations Group, Inc. - Lynchburg (BWXT NOG-L) requested relief from certain U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulatory requirements to avoid potential impacts from the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health emergency (PHE). The letter requests relief from commitments in the BWXT NOG-L Emergency Plan to conduct monthly Emergency Team training and quarterly emergency organization drills until December 31, 2020. By email dated June 18, 2020 (ADAMS Accession No. ML20171A425), BWXT NOG-L supplemented their request by providing additional information that was requested by the NRC staff.

Section 4.2.1.2.1, Emergency Team, of the BWXT NOG-L Emergency Plan specifies the requirement that team members receive a minimum of 12 training sessions per year, which are normally performed monthly. Section 4.3, Drills and Exercises, of the BWXT NOG-L Emergency Plan specifies that drills involving the entire emergency organization shall be conducted quarterly. BWXT NOG-L stated in its letter that the next quarterly emergency organization drill is due by June 30, 2020.

As a result of the COVID-19 PHE, BWXT NOG-L recognized the potential for increased risk of virus transmission among employees during monthly Emergency Team training and quarterly emergency organization drills. In its correspondence, BWXT NOG-L committed to: (1) implementing specific compensatory measures and/or contingency plans; (2) continuing performance of monthly Emergency Team training, unless it is determined that more restrictive social distancing guidelines have been issued; and (3) returning to the training and drill periodicities specified in the Emergency Plan by December 31, 2020.

The letter transmitted contains Security-Related Information. When separated from Enclosure 2 this letter is decontrolled.

OFFICIAL USE ONLY SECURITY-RELATED INFORMATION

OFFICIAL USE ONLY SECURITY-RELATED INFORMATION C. Terry 2 The NRC staff has completed its review of the request. The staff has determined that issuance of this license amendment will maintain adequate protection of public health and safety and the environment, and not be inimical to the common defense and security. The staff also determined that, based on BWXT NOG-Ls commitments, temporary suspension of the training and drills will not decrease the preparedness level of the Emergency Team or the emergency management organization, nor will it decrease the effectiveness of the Emergency Plan.

Pursuant to 10 CFR Part 70, Materials License SNM-42 is hereby amended to add new Condition S-2(b) as follows:

As requested by the licensee in letter 20-045 dated May 27, 2020, and supplemented by email dated June 18, 2020 (ADAMS Accession No. ML20171A425), the Emergency Plan is temporarily changed to not require the performance of the monthly Emergency Team training and quarterly emergency organization drills until December 31, 2020.

After December 31, 2020, this temporary Emergency Plan change will be removed, the periodicity for the performance of the Emergency Team training will go back monthly, and the periodicity of the performance of the emergency organization drills will go back to quarterly.

All other license conditions shall remain the same. Enclosures 1 and 2 to this letter provide the amended Materials License SNM-42. The NRC staffs review is documented in a Safety Evaluation Report, which is Enclosure 3 to this letter. This letter concludes action on this submittal and Enterprise Project Identifier L-2020-EPR-0003 is considered CLOSED.

A copy of this letter, Enclosure 1, and Enclosure 3 will be available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room, or from the Publicly Available Records System component of ADAMS. The ADAMS database is accessible from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html.

If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact James Downs of my staff at 301-415-7744, or via e-mail to: James.Downs@nrc.gov.

Sincerely, Kevin M. Digitally signed by Kevin M.

Ramsey Ramsey Date: 2020.06.29 08:09:42

-04'00' Kevin M. Ramsey, Acting Chief Fuel Facility Licensing Branch Division of Fuel Management Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Docket No. 70-27 License No. SNM-42

Enclosures:

1. Amendment 37 to Materials License SNM-42

2. Amendment 37 to Materials License SNM-42 (Non-Public)

3. Safety Evaluation Report cc: bwxt@listmgr.nrc.gov OFFICIAL USE ONLY SECURITY-RELATED INFORMATION

(Pkg) ML20177A211; (Ltr) ML2017A212; (Encl. 1)

ML20177A213; (Encl. 2) ML20177A214; (Encl. 3) ML20177A215 *via email NMSS/DFM/ NMSS/DFM/ NSIR/DPR/ NMSS/DFM/

OFFICE FFLB/PM* FFLB/LA* RLB/BC* FFLB/BC (A)*

NAME JDowns ELee JAnderson KRamsey DATE 06/24/2020 06/25/2020 06/24/2020 06/29/2020