ML25219A454
| ML25219A454 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07000113 |
| Issue date: | 08/18/2025 |
| From: | Stephen Poy NRC/NMSS/DFM/FFLB |
| To: | Read A Pennsylvania State Univ |
| References | |
| EPID L-2025-NFA-0007 | |
| Download: ML25219A454 (1) | |
Text
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 Andrew F. Read, Ph.D., Senior Vice President for Research The Pennsylvania State University 304 Old Main University Park, PA 16802-1589
SUBJECT:
ACCEPTANCE FOR REVIEW OF THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY SUBMITTAL TO AUTHORIZE REMOVAL OF A LINE ITEM AND A POSSESSION LIMIT FROM THEIR MATERIAL LICENSE AND TO AUTHORIZE AN ADDITION TO POSSESSION LIMITS CORRESPONDING TO SEALED SOURCES OF THREE DIFFERENT PLUTONIUM NUCLIDES - ENTERPRISE PROJECT IDENTIFIER NO. L-2025-NFA-0007
Dear Andrew Read:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff has received your submittal dated June 23, 2025 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System [ADAMS] Accession No. ML25184A058), transmitting your request to authorize removal of a line item and a possession limit from The Pennsylvania State University (PSU) material license and to authorize an addition to possession limits corresponding to sealed sources of three different plutonium nuclides.
We have completed our acceptance review of your submittal and have identified no administrative omissions or deficiencies that would prevent us from proceeding with a detailed technical review. Your submittal has been assigned Enterprise Project Identification No. (EPID)
L-2025-NFA-0007. Please reference this EPID No. and Docket No. 70-0113 in any future correspondence associated with this request.
Based on the NRC staffs acceptance review of the license application and environmental report, NRC staff anticipate completing the review of the PSU application by end of June 2026, which is 2 months shorter than our metric of 12 months for amendments1. The schedule and resource estimates are based, in part, on the staffs preliminary determination that the license amendment request could meet the criteria in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 51.22(c)(11).
1 https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/generic-schedules.html August 18, 2025
A. Read 2
When possible, the NRC staff will conduct review steps and concurrence in parallel and review technical areas on an accelerated schedule. The NRC staff will focus their review on the most safety/risk significant items and narrowly focus on the changes included in the amendment, recognizing that PSU is an existing NRC licensee. The schedule below is based, in part, on several assumptions: (1) PSU providing request for additional information (RAI) responses within 30 days of receiving draft RAIs, unless another date is agreed upon, (2) RAI responses resolving issues with limited need for follow-up RAIs, (3) clarification calls and audits being scheduled and conducted promptly, and (4) any additional supporting non-docketed information being provided timely. To achieve this schedule, the NRC staff intends to engage PSU frequently to resolve open items and address emerging technical and regulatory issues. Not meeting these assumptions could result in changes to the review schedule. The NRC requests that PSU inform us in writing, as early as possible, should potential delays arise in its support of the schedule.
The table below provides key milestones for the safety review. The review will include the decommissioning funding & financial assurance, chemical process safety, environmental safety, radiation protection, fire safety, integrated safety analysis, material control & accounting, nuclear criticality safety, emergency preparedness, human factors, hydrology, geotechnical, general information & organization, and quality assurance/management measures portions of the review.
Review Milestones Estimated Completion Draft Safety Evaluation (SE)2 November 2025 Issuance of RAIs January 2026 Advanced SE3 April 2026 Final SE4 and licensing decision June 2026 Notes:
- 3. Begin NRC management and legal review of SE sections
- 4. Final SE compiled and issued The June 2026 date could change depending on the findings of our technical review, need for additional/supplementing information or other factors. We will promptly communicate any significant changes to this schedule. The NRC staff estimates that completing the review of your submittal will require approximately 410 staff hours. We will promptly communicate significant schedule changes, if any.
A. Read 3
In accordance with 10 CFR Part 2, Agency Rules of Practice and Procedure, a copy of this letter will be available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room (PDR) or from the Publicly Available Records component of the NRCs ADAMS. The NRCs ADAMS is accessible from the NRC website at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. The PDR is open by appointment. To make an appointment to visit the PDR, please send an email to PDR.Resource@nrc.gov or call 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
eastern time (ET), Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
If you have any questions regarding this communication, please contact me at 301-415-7135 or via email to stephen.poy@nrc.gov.
Sincerely, Stephen Poy, Project Manager Fuel Facility Licensing Branch Division of Fuel Management Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Docket No.: 70-0113 License No.: SNM-95 Signed by Poy, Stephen on 08/18/25
ML25219A454 OFFICE NMSS/DFM NMSS/DFM NMSS/DFM NMSS/DFM NAME SPoy WWheatley SLav SPoy DATE 8/11/2025 8/15/2025 8/15/2025 8/18/2025