Press Release-06-035, NRC Completes Minnesota Agreement to Regulate Use of Certain Radioactive Materials

Press Release-06-035: NRC Completes Minnesota Agreement to Regulate Use of Certain Radioactive Materials

ML060760243
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Issue date:	03/17/2006
From:	Office of Public Affairs
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Press Release-06-035
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NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov Web Site: http://www.nrc.gov No.06-035 March 17, 2006 NRC COMPLETES MINNESOTA AGREEMENT TO REGULATE USE OF CERTAIN RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has completed an agreement with the state of Minnesota to assume part of the agencys regulatory authority over certain radioactive materials in the state.

Minnesota becomes the 34th state to sign such an agreement with the NRC. The agreement will become effective March 31, 2006.

Under the agreement, the NRC will transfer to Minnesota the responsibility for licensing, rulemaking, inspection and enforcement activities for: (1) radioactive materials produced as a result of processes related to the production or utilization of special nuclear material (SNM); (2) uranium and thorium source materials; and (3) SNM in quantities not sufficient to form a critical mass.

The NRC will transfer approximately 150 licenses, most for medical and industrial uses of radioactive material, to Minnesotas jurisdiction. The NRC will retain jurisdiction over a number of activities identified in 10 CFR Part 150, including regulation of commercial nuclear power plants and federal agencies using certain nuclear material in the state. In addition, NRC will retain authority for the review, evaluation and approval of sealed sources and devices containing certain nuclear materials manufactured in Minnesota and distributed throughout the country.

Before approving the agreement, NRC reviewed Minnesotas radiation control program to ensure it was adequate to protect public health and safety and was compatible with NRCs program for regulating the radioactive materials covered in the agreement. An announcement of the proposed agreement was made in November, inviting comments from the public. No comments were received.

The agreement will be announced shortly in the Federal Register. Copies of the agreement, the Governor of Minnesotas request and supporting documents, as well as the NRC staffs assessment will be available through the NRCs ADAMS online document library. Help in using ADAMS is available by contacting the NRC Public Document Room staff at (301) 415-4737 or 1 (800) 397-4209, or by e-mail at PDR@nrc.gov .

Thirty-three other states have previously signed such agreements with NRC. They are:

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New

Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin.