ML20207E284

Summary of 990222 Meeting with NEI Re Mission & Strategic Objectives of NEI Decommissioning Group.List of Attendees & Handouts Provided by NEI Encl

ML20207E284
Person / Time
Issue date:	03/03/1999
From:	Oconnor S NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS)
To:	Shankman S NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS)
References
NUDOCS 9903100212
Download: ML20207E284 (5)

Text

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p rar g & UNITED STATES s# j NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

1. ?!ASHINGToN, D.C. *amas aaai i

4,* ,,* March 3,.1999 MEMORANDUM TO: Susan F. Shankman, Deputy Director i Licensing and Inspection Directorate Spent Fuel Project Office Office of Nuclear Material Safety -, -

! and Safeguards [

FROM: Stephen C. O'Connor, Project anager -

i Spent Fuel Licensing Section Spent Fuel Project Office

! Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

SUMMARY

OF FEBRUARY 22,1999, MEETING WITH THE NUCLEAR ENERGY INSTITUTE i

i On February 22,1999, representatives of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and the i Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) met to discuss the mission and strategic objectives of NEl's

Decommissioning Working Group. An attendance list is included as Attachment 1.

l Attachment 2 contains the handouts provided by NEl at the meeting. This meeting was rioticed 1 on February 12,1999.

l NE! presented the Decommissioning Working Group strategic objectives as follows:

(1) Work with NRC to ensure safe, timely decommissioning;

! (2) Site cleanup and license termination; (3) Deployment of dry cask storage in time to meet industry's decommissioning needs; and (4) Safe, reliable, economical low-level waste disposal for decommissioning.

ti NEl also informed the staff that the mission of the Working Group is to provide executive

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oversight for strategic aspects of decommicsioning, including risk informed regulations.

Attachments: 1. Attendance List

2. Meeting Handouts

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t, March 3,--1999 ,

, MEMORANDUM TO: Susan F. Shankman, Deputy Director.

Licensing and Inspection Directorate .

Spent Fuel Project Office Office of Nuclear Material Safety

. and Safeguards '

FROM: Stephen C. O'Connor, Project Manager ORIGINAL SIGNED BY /s/-

Spent Fuel Licensing Section Spent Fuel Project Office i Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards i

i

SUMMARY

OF FEBRUARY 22,1999, MEETING WITH THE  ;

NUCLEAR ENERGY INSTITUTE j On February 22,1999, representatives of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and the

, Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) met to discuss the mission and strategic objectives of NEl's ,

Decommissioning Working Group. An attendance list is included as Attachment 1.

Attachment 2 contains the handouts provided by NEl at the meeting. This meeting was noticed  ;

j- on February 12,1999.

NEl presented the Decommissioning Working Group strategic objectives as follows:

(1) Work with NRC to ensure safe, timely decommissioning; -

! (2) Site cleanup and license termination; i (3) Deployment of dry cask storage in time to meet industry's decommissioning needs; and '

(4) Safe, reliable, economical low-level waste disposal for decommissioning.

NEl also informed the staff that the mission of the Working Group is to provide executive .j oversight br strategic aspeas of decommissioning, including risk informed regulations. l i

1 Attachments: 1. Attendance List

2. Meeting Handouts ,

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< l DATE' '03/02/99 03/ 2 /99 'j C = COVER E = COVER & ENCLOSURE ~ N = NO COPY OFFICIAL RECORD COPY

i February 22,1999, Meeting between Nuclear Energy Institute and Nuclear Regulatory Commission ATTENDANCE LIST Name Affiliation E. William Brach NRC/SFPO Susan Shankman NRC/SFPO Wayne Hodges NRC/SFPO Lawrence Kokajko NRC/SFPO Tim McGinty NRC/SFPO Stephen O'Connor NRC/SFPO Lynnette Hendricks NEl Alan Nelson NEl Mike Meisner Maine Yankee Arthur Bone GPU Nuclear Corporation A.E. Scherer Southem Califomia Edison Co.

Nancy Chapman SERCH/Bechtel i

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Attachment 1 l

- MISSION STATEMENT Decommissioning Working Group j

Mission:

Provide executive oversight for strategic aspects of decommissioning including risk l informed regulations for decommissioning and site cleanup / license termination, dry i cask storage, and low-level waste. Executive oversight is required to provide strategic direction and to interface with NRC Commiasioners and senior level l

! management and members of Conmess, where appropriate, to ensure industry's j

strategic objectives are met.

l Strategic Objectives: 1 1

, 1. Work with NRC to ansure safe, timely decommissioning by

! . Devoting resources to process critical reviews in a timely manner. l 1

• Developing decommissioning requirements that accurately reflect the reduced risk posed by shutdown plants. A Commission determination j that the back6t rule applies to decommissioning issues is essential to this l process.

• Supporting alternatives to traditional decommissioning approaches, e.g., ,

i entombment.

. Correcting NRC's funding formula to reflect accurate low-level waste disposal costs and expedite revision of NRC rules to permit use of site specific funding methodology in lieu of NRC's formula to set minimum funding levels.

• Ensuring timely completion of NRC rulemakings to reduce or eliminate operating requirements that are not applicable to permanently shutdown plants, e.g., emergency preparedness, fire protection, safeguards. ,

2. Site Cleanup and License Termination

. Work through Congress to prevent EPA from listing decommissioned sites on Superfund and, ultimately, to resolve overlap in regulatory authority by removing EPA from radiation issues. EPA's challenge to NRC's recently promulgated dose based standard undermines industry's efforts to ensure adequate funding for decommissioning by adding uncertainty and lack of finality to site cleanup standards.

• Work with NRC to ensure timely decisionmaking on survey methodology and dose assessment issues related to license termination.

3. Deployment of dry cask storage in time to meet industry's decommissioning needs:

Work with NRC to ensure approaches and resources for licensing dry cask storage systems are appropriate to meet industry's needs for plant 3

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operability and decommissioning. Executive oversight will help ensure NRC meets its ambitious goals ofissuing SERs for casks in one year and that their " rules of engagement" for the licensing process are appropriately applied to meet industry needs,

. Provide executive oversight to help ensure that industry is working to ansure excellence in licensing, fabrication and deployment of dry cask storage. The public is very interested in dry cask storage. Mistakes in implementation will severely impact industry's ability to deploy dry cask storage in a timely manner.

4. Safe, reliable, economical low level waste disposal for decommissioning.

. Provide the decommissioning perspective to the NEI LLW Working Group for retaining access to existing national facilities, i.e., Barnwell and Envirocare. .

. Provide the decommissioning perspective to the LLW Working Group to re assess the value of regional siting efforts.

. Provide the decommissioning perspective to the NEI LLW Working Group on developing a contingency plan for industry driven disposal solutions. (Alternatives to evaluate include gaining wider access to Hanford, gaining access to DOE disposal facilities, and private disposal

/ storage projects.)

. Work with NRC and industry to get site specific approvals and rulemaking for clearance of materials.

. Support rulemaking to address storage of greater than Class C low-level waste at decommissioned sites.

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