ML20212K576
| ML20212K576 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 03/25/1999 |
| From: | Landau M NRC |
| To: | Gerard Jackson NRC |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20138F537 | List:
|
| References | |
| FRN-64FR15876, RULE-PR-170, RULE-PR-171 AG08-1-019, NUDOCS 9910060317 | |
| Download: ML20212K576 (8) | |
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From: Mindy Landau pp To: Glenda Jackson Date: . 3/25/9911:21am Subject Draft Press Release on Fees Glenda, attached is a draft press release approved by Bill Beecher if you have any technical modifications, please let me know.-
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1 9910060317 991001
'FDR FR 1 170.64FR15376 FDR 89joDL,6 30
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-G:\dpr\ fees.wpd March 25, 1999
- 'MSLs 4:03 pm D'-R/A F<T 4; \
(FR! Notice'
-NRC. SEEKS' COMMENT ON PROPOSAL'.TO AMEND LICENSING, INSPECTION AND ANNUAL FEE POLICIES I
The Nuclear Regulatory' Commission is' seeking comment on major _ policy options it'is considering to restructure the fees it !
ch'arges to licensees for the 19991 fiscal year.
, .The agency.is' legally required to collect nearly all of.its operating., budget through~two types.of fees. One type is an
. annual fee paid by all licensees, which recovers general
' regulatory and overhead. expenses. The other is for hourly billable services, such as inspections and other activities. For fiscal (year 1999, the Commission must recover $449.6 million in L
l-fees.
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As part of the new options under consideration, the NRC is
.l proposing that one of two methods be used for establishing annual fees: rebaselining, or rebaselining with a'50 percent cap on any fee increase.
Also being proposed.this year, are: a new category of storage / decommissioning license annual fee,-expansion of cost recovery for certain special inspections and enforcement activities, and. elimination of " flat" fees for small materials licensees, j
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'Under the rebaselining method, the agency determines the approximate costs attributable to each type.of licensee such~as power reactors or materials facilities. These costs,.less the l
estimated amounts to be recovered through other one-time license
-or application fees, comprise the annual fee The NRC last applied the rebaselining method five years ago, in an. effort to. simplify and stabilize its fee program. The agency had not intended'to rebaseline again for another year, but moved'up its decision because of recent events, such as strategic planning' efforts, downsizing, reorganization of resources, and l
the addition of a new fee class.
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L s Rebaselining this-year would decrease fees for power
-reactors and some materials licensees, but increase them for i
- other materials licensees such as solution-injection uranium mines, uranium mills, fuel facilities and transportation casks.
g (41999.
Theotheroption--torebaselinewithacap--wouldenslure that:no licensee's annual fee increases more than 50 perceny/. If -
this approach in adoptedr--the-annual-feemurch&rge of 38tv 0UD~~~
1 woul y located _among-other-classes-of-licensees. This -
l op_ tion _would-result-in Wrightly lower annual fees for power '
, reactors. bub-slight-1,f-higher-f eerfor7ther livensees. --
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The'new fee class introduced provides that a spent fuel i
! storage / decommissioning annual fee be assessed to all power
, reactors ~regardless of their operating status. Currently, foes L
ar.e_ assessed for posETTeactors with facilities being d_ecommissioned and with NFent fuel stored in a pool. But no such f_e e s_a rA.curre n t-l y-c h a rged -i. v licensees that store fuel in dry l
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cask~ f~aciliticc. 1 Also under the'new proposal, fees would be assessed for all i inspections, including licensee-specific performance reviews, evaluations, and incident investigations. Although results of l
7 these investigations may be generally applied, they primarily affect a specific licensee. Fees also would be assessed for 8'
-certain enforcement actions:such as issuance of notices of violations and the imposition-of. civil penalties.
For small materials licensees, " flat" fees are now assessed based on the average time it takes to complete amendment reviews.
Under the proposed fee rule, " flat fees" would be eliminated to increase efficiency, and instead would be added to these licensees' annual fees, r t W 1999 proposed fee ts is an increase in hourly rates-for inspe o rpofessional Etaff services. T a_ rates _.were lower 7h3F'Yequired because vi a ~
/
r 4n '999.
7 calcula s
The $449.6 million to be recovered from fees this year does N
not include 4 17 million appropriated from the Nuclear Waste Fund
'for high-level wastsNactivities. Neither does it include $3.2 million appropriated for NRC's a Qivities related to dommercial vitrification of waste stored at th pa tment of Energy's Hanford, Washington, site. Funding for this acb'vity is excluded from' license fee revenues by law. The total amount t s be
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recoYred(in fees is about $5.2 million less than that recovered the previou s al year.
Because of the two policy decis being proposed (rebaselining, or rebaselining with a ca' o different fee structures are being presented for 1999. They re:
. pClass of Licensees Pronosed FY 1999 Annual Fee (Wit out a cap) (With a cap)_
\ N Power Reactor N censees: $2,769,000 $2,775,000 (Including spent'Tpel storage / decommissioning annu fee; down from $2,980.000 last'N ear) ,
h Spent Fuel Storage /
Decommissioning $199,000 $199,000
.Nonpower Re tor Licensees $85, 00 $85,600 (up from 57,300 last year)
High-Enriched Uranium Fuel Facility. Licensees $3,281,000 $3,288,000 J
(up from $2,607,000- last year) ~
p e Low-Enriched Uranium Fuel Fabrication Facility Lice es Which Manufacture F 1 for Nucle r wer Plants $1,100,000 $1,103,000.
(down'from $1,280,000 last year)
Written comments on the proposed amendments to Parts 170 and 171 of the Commission's regulations should be received 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. They should be addressed to the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C., 20555-0001, ATTN: Rulemakings and Adjudications staff. Comments may also be submitted via the NRC's electronic rulemaking website at http://www.nrc. gov. Select "rulemaking" from the tool bar and then "rulemaking forum." ;
l Because the agency is soliciting comments on two potential i
fee schedules for FY 1999, for this year only, the final rule will be mailed to all licensees. The final rule will also be
e' e'
published in the Federal Register and will be available on the internet, at htto://ruleforum.11n1. gov /.
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