ML20356A271
| ML20356A271 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 01/05/2021 |
| From: | James Rubenstone Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards |
| To: | |
| Rubenstone J | |
| References | |
| Download: ML20356A271 (2) | |
Text
ASSESSMENT OF NRC READINESS FOR THE REGULATION OF LARGE-SCALE COMMERCIAL TRANSPORTATION OF SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL Project Outline Project Goal The goal of this project is to assess and document the readiness of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to regulate the potential large-scale commercial transportation of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in the U.S. The project will assess the existing regulations and regulatory guidance, the availability of relevant information, and the resources needed for regulation of such a transportation campaign. The project will provide recommendations for any identified program enhancements and a plan for addressing those recommendations, if approved. The project will also develop an outreach and communication plan for informing the public, States, Tribes, and other stakeholders of the regulatory role of NRC and other agencies in the safe and secure transportation of SNF.
Implementation The Division of Fuel Management in the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards and the Division of Physical and Cyber Security Policy in the Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response are the lead organizations for the project, with support from other NRC Offices and coordination with Federal partners as needed. The project will document its assessment results and recommendations in a public report and integrated overview of the regulatory framework for commercial SNF transportation. The public documentation will include a roadmap for implementation of the proposed enhancements. Public outreach to communicate to stakeholders the results of the assessment and the respective roles and responsibilities for the cognizant agencies will also be part of the project implementation.
Background Information The NRC staff has recognized that a large-scale commercial SNF transportation campaign could impact NRC planning, activities, and resources in coming years. The results of the transportation regulatory readiness project will enable the NRC to ensure its preparedness for a national commercial SNF transportation campaign so that the agency can continue to perform its regulatory role in the safe and secure transportation of SNF.
The NRC staff has previously determined that the current safety and security regulatory framework is sufficiently complete and flexible to provide for effective oversight of commercial SNF transportation. This conclusion is supported by the NRCs experience to date for commercial SNF transportation. The staff recognizes that some additional enhancements may be of benefit to the framework for more efficient implementation for a potential large-scale commercial SNF transportation campaign. The current project assessments will serve to clearly document the full regulatory framework and identify possible enhancements to improve efficiency. In addition, the project will build on NRCs longstanding participation in stakeholder forums, international organizations, and technical conferences on commercial transportation of SNF to communicate the results of the assessment to the stakeholders and general public.
Project Schedule The assessment report, integrated overview, and implementation roadmap will be completed for public release no later than May 2021.
Public outreach on the assessment results will begin as the assessments and reports are completed.
Project Contact James Rubenstone, Chief Material Control and Accounting Branch Division of Fuel Management Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards