Press Release-18-026, NRC Considering Wyomings Request to Become an Agreement State
| ML18177A327 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 06/26/2018 |
| From: | Office of Public Affairs |
| To: | |
| Category:Press Release | |
| References | |
| Press Release-18-026 | |
| Download: ML18177A327 (1) | |
Text
No: 18-026 June 26, 2018 CONTACT: Dave McIntyre, 301-415-8200 NRC Considering Wyomings Request to Become an Agreement State The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is considering a request from Wyoming Gov. Matthew H.
Mead to assume part of the NRCs regulatory authority over certain radioactive materials in the state. If the request is accepted, Wyoming will become the 38th state to sign such an agreement with the NRC.
Under the proposed agreement, the NRC would transfer to Wyoming the responsibility for licensing, rulemaking, inspection and enforcement activities related to the extraction and concentration of uranium and thorium milling and the management and disposal of milling waste, or mill tailings.
If the proposed Agreement is approved, the NRC would transfer 14 specific licenses for radioactive material to Wyomings jurisdiction.
By law, NRC would retain jurisdiction over commercial nuclear power plants (there are none in Wyoming), federal agencies using certain nuclear material in the state, and uses of nuclear material currently regulated by the NRC other than uranium and thorium milling activities.
Before entering into the agreement, the NRC must determine that Wyomings radiation control program is adequate to protect public health and safety, and is compatible with the NRCs regulations.
The proposed agreement between the NRC and Wyoming and the NRC staffs draft assessment of the Wyoming program was published for public comment on June 26 in the Federal Register, and will be repeated weekly for four weeks. Comments may be submitted through July 26 at regulations.gov under Docket ID NRC-2018-0104.
Copies of the proposed agreement, the governors request and supporting documents, and the NRC draft staff assessment are available on the NRC website.
Thirty-seven other states have signed similar agreements with the NRC. They are: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
More information about the Agreement State program is available on the NRCs website.