81_FR_13312 81 FR 13263 - Physical Protection of Category 1 and Category 2 Quantities of Radioactive Material

81 FR 13263 - Physical Protection of Category 1 and Category 2 Quantities of Radioactive Material

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 49 (March 14, 2016)

Page Range13263-13265
FR Document2016-05260

On March 19, 2013, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) published a final rule that amended its regulations to establish security requirements for the use and transport of category 1 and category 2 quantities of radioactive material. Specifically, the final rule provided reasonable assurance of preventing the theft or diversion of category 1 and category 2 quantities of radioactive material, and included security requirements for the transportation of irradiated reactor fuel that weighs 100 grams or less in net weight of irradiated fuel. In December 2014, the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate directed the NRC to evaluate the effectiveness of the new regulations and determine whether the requirements are adequate to protect ``high-risk radiological material.'' In response to this mandate, the NRC is implementing a retrospective program review to provide an objective assessment of the new requirements and associated implementation guidance. This action seeks information that will be used in developing a report to Congress. The NRC plans to hold a series of public meetings to facilitate public participation. These meetings will consist of a public meeting and a series of webinar teleconferences, and the staff will publicly notice the date and times of these meetings. The staff is planning to conduct these meetings in March 2016.

Federal Register, Volume 81 Issue 49 (Monday, March 14, 2016)
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 49 (Monday, March 14, 2016)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 13263-13265]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-05260]



========================================================================
Rules and Regulations
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains regulatory documents 
having general applicability and legal effect, most of which are keyed 
to and codified in the Code of Federal Regulations, which is published 
under 50 titles pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 1510.

The Code of Federal Regulations is sold by the Superintendent of Documents. 
Prices of new books are listed in the first FEDERAL REGISTER issue of each 
week.

========================================================================


Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 49 / Monday, March 14, 2016 / Rules 
and Regulations

[[Page 13263]]



NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

10 CFR Part 37

[NRC-2015-0109]


Physical Protection of Category 1 and Category 2 Quantities of 
Radioactive Material

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Request for comment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: On March 19, 2013, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 
(NRC) published a final rule that amended its regulations to establish 
security requirements for the use and transport of category 1 and 
category 2 quantities of radioactive material. Specifically, the final 
rule provided reasonable assurance of preventing the theft or diversion 
of category 1 and category 2 quantities of radioactive material, and 
included security requirements for the transportation of irradiated 
reactor fuel that weighs 100 grams or less in net weight of irradiated 
fuel. In December 2014, the Committees on Appropriations of the House 
of Representatives and the Senate directed the NRC to evaluate the 
effectiveness of the new regulations and determine whether the 
requirements are adequate to protect ``high-risk radiological 
material.'' In response to this mandate, the NRC is implementing a 
retrospective program review to provide an objective assessment of the 
new requirements and associated implementation guidance. This action 
seeks information that will be used in developing a report to Congress.
    The NRC plans to hold a series of public meetings to facilitate 
public participation. These meetings will consist of a public meeting 
and a series of webinar teleconferences, and the staff will publicly 
notice the date and times of these meetings. The staff is planning to 
conduct these meetings in March 2016.

DATES: Submit comments by May 13, 2016. Comments received after this 
date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the NRC is 
able to ensure consideration only for comments received on or before 
this date.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods 
(unless this document describes a different method for submitting 
comments on a specific subject):
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2015-0109. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3463; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact 
the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of 
this document.
     Mail comments to: Cindy Bladey, Office of Administration, 
Mail Stop: OWFN-12-H08, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, 
DC 20555-0001. Please include the Docket ID NRC-2015-0109 in the 
subject line of your submission.
    For additional direction on obtaining information and submitting 
comments, see ``Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments'' in the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: George Smith, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-7201, email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Obtaining Information and Submitting Comments

A. Obtaining Information

    Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2015-0109 when contacting the NRC 
about the availability of information for this action. You may obtain 
publicly-available information related to this action by any of the 
following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2015-0109.
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-available documents online in the 
ADAMS Public Documents collection at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select ``ADAMS Public Documents'' and 
then select ``Begin Web-based ADAMS Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, 
please contact the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 
1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by email to [email protected]. The 
ADAMS accession number for each document referenced (if it is available 
in ADAMS) is provided the first time that it is mentioned in the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.
     NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public 
documents at the NRC's PDR, Room O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555 
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

B. Submitting Comments

    Please include Docket ID NRC-2015-0109 in your comment submission.
    The NRC cautions you not to include identifying or contact 
information that you do not want to be publicly disclosed in your 
comment submission. The NRC will post all comment submissions at http://www.regulations.gov as well as enter the comment submissions into 
ADAMS. The NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to remove 
identifying or contact information.
    If you are requesting or aggregating comments from other persons 
for submission to the NRC, then you should inform those persons not to 
include identifying or contact information that they do not want to be 
publicly disclosed in their comment submission. Your request should 
state that the NRC does not routinely edit comment submissions to 
remove such information before making the comment submissions available 
to the public or entering the comment into ADAMS.

II. Background

    The NRC and Agreement States ensure the safety and security of 
approximately 80,000 category 1 and category 2 radioactive sources used 
in medical, commercial, and research activities. The NRC considers 
category 1 and category 2 quantities of radioactive material to be risk 
significant, and these quantities refer specifically to 16 radioactive 
materials listed in appendix A to part 37 of title 10 of the Code of 
Federal Regulations (10 CFR), ``Physical Protection of Category 1 and 
Category 2

[[Page 13264]]

Quantities of Radioactive Material.'' The NRC and its partners in 37 
Agreement States took steps to strengthen the security of risk-
significant radioactive materials immediately after the terrorist 
attacks of September 11, 2001. Since that time, the NRC issued various 
orders imposing increased controls, implemented requirements for 
fingerprinting and criminal background checks for people with access to 
certain radioactive materials, and established the National Source 
Tracking System. The NRC cooperates with the U.S. Departments of 
Homeland Security and Energy as well as other Federal, State, and local 
agencies on security matters, and chairs the inter-agency Radiation 
Source Protection and Security Task Force (Task Force).
    The Task Force was established by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, 
which directed this Task Force to evaluate and provide recommendations 
relating to the security of radiation sources in the United States from 
potential terrorist threats, including acts of sabotage, theft, or use 
of a radiation source in a radiological dispersal device or a radiation 
exposure device. The Task Force is comprised of experts from 13 Federal 
agencies and one State organization. The Task Force members represent 
agencies with broad authority over all aspects of radioactive source 
control, including regulatory security, intelligence, and international 
activities. This Task Force concluded in its 2006, 2010, and 2014 
reports to Congress and the President that the risk-significant 
radioactive sources were being protected and found no significant gaps 
in security that were not already being addressed. These reports can be 
found on the NRC's public Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/security/byproduct/task-force.html.
    On June 15, 2010 (75 FR 33902), the NRC published a proposed rule 
to establish security requirements for the use and transport of 
category 1 and category 2 quantities of radioactive material, which the 
NRC considers to be risk-significant and, therefore, to warrant 
additional protection. The NRC received and addressed over 1,500 
comments on the proposed rule from licensees, State agencies, industry 
organizations, individuals, and a Federal agency.
    On March 19, 2013 (78 FR 16922), the NRC published a final rule 
amending its regulations to establish security requirements for the use 
and transport of category 1 and category 2 quantities of radioactive 
material. The category 1 and category 2 thresholds are based on the 
quantities established by the International Atomic Energy Agency in its 
Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources, 
which the NRC endorses (http://www-ns.iaea.org/tech-areas/radiation-safety/code-of-conduct.asp). The objective of this final rule is to 
provide reasonable assurance of preventing the theft or diversion of 
category 1 and category 2 quantities of radioactive material. The 
regulations also include security requirements for the transportation 
of irradiated reactor fuel that weighs 100 grams or less in net weight 
of irradiated fuel. The final rule incorporated lessons learned by the 
NRC and the Agreement States in implementing security measures 
resulting from the events on September 11, 2001, as well as stakeholder 
input on the proposed rule.
    The final rule became effective on May 20, 2013, and NRC licensees 
were required to comply by March 19, 2014. Agreement States licensees 
were issued NRC orders that provided for the same level of physical 
protection as NRC licensees, pending Agreement States issuing 
compatible requirements. Agreement States will have until March 19, 
2016, to issue compatible requirements for their licensees.
    In February 2013, the NRC published a guidance document, NUREG-
2155, ``Implementation Guidance for 10 CFR part 37, `Physical 
Protection of Category 1 and Category 2 Quantities of Radioactive 
Material' '' (ADAMS Accession No. ML13053A061). Subsequently, in 
January 2015, the NRC published Revision 1 to NUREG-2155 (ADAMS 
Accession No. ML15016A172).
    The guidance document is intended for use by applicants, licensees, 
and NRC and Agreement State staff, and describes optional approaches 
and methods acceptable for implementing the requirements of the 
regulations. As a guidance document, NUREG-2155 does not establish 
additional requirements, and licensees are able to propose alternative 
ways for demonstrating compliance with the requirements in 10 CFR part 
37.
    In May 2014, the NRC published NUREG-2166, ``Physical Security Best 
Practices for the Protection of Risk-Significant Radioactive Material'' 
(ADAMS Accession No. ML14150A382). This NUREG provides guidance to NRC 
licensees and applicants on developing and implementing a physical 
protection program for the protection of risk-significant radioactive 
material (e.g., category 1 and category 2 quantities of radioactive 
material). The intent of NUREG-2166 is to provide NRC licensees or 
applicants guidance with specific emphasis on physical security best 
practices. The approaches and methods in this document are not 
requirements; however, the NRC considers them to be acceptable for 
demonstrating compliance with the requirements in 10 CFR part 37.
    On December 16, 2014, the President of the United States signed 
Public Law 113-235, ``Consolidated and Further Continuing 
Appropriations Act, 2015.'' The statute provides annual funding for 
Federal agencies, including the NRC. Section 403 of the legislation 
requires `` . . . the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) shall provide 
a report to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of 
Representatives and the Senate that evaluates the effectiveness of the 
requirements of 10 CFR part 37 and determines whether such requirements 
are adequate to protect high-risk radiological material.''
    As part of the NRC's commitment to the principles of good 
regulation--independence, openness, efficiency, clarity, and 
reliability--and consistent with the direction in the Public Law 113-
235, the NRC is now conducting a review and assessment of the 
requirements in 10 CFR part 37, and is requesting input from members of 
the public.
    The information received from this request will provide insights 
for this process and will be used by the NRC to develop a report to 
Congress.

III. Specific Considerations

    The NRC is requesting general and specific comments on the overall 
effectiveness and clarity of the requirements for security measures to 
protect category 1 and category 2 sources of radioactive material as 
defined in appendix A to 10 CFR part 37, as presented by the questions 
in this section. For example, the NRC would like to gain insight on 
different regulatory requirements in 10 CFR part 37 that may conflict 
or need to be modified to maximize effectiveness and provide greater 
clarification. The NRC is also requesting comments on the usefulness of 
the guidance documents associated with its regulations in 10 CFR part 
37.
    To facilitate comments, the questions are categorized by the 
specific subparts of 10 CFR part 37: Subpart A--General Provisions; 
subpart B--Background Investigations and Access Control Program; 
subpart C--Physical Protection Requirements During Use; and subpart D--
Physical Protection in Transit.
    Please be cautious in providing comments that contain specific 
examples and do not provide any specific official-use-only, safeguards, 
and/or classified information related to the security at a specific 
facility.

[[Page 13265]]

 Subpart A--General Provisions:

    1. Are the definitions (in 10 CFR 37.5, ``Definitions'') clear, 
unambiguous, and consistent with their usage in other parts of the 
regulations?
    2. Is the rule clear as to when a licensee can use physical 
barriers to render aggregated sources below the category 2 aggregated 
quantity?

Subpart B--Background Investigations and Access Control Program:

    3. Are the requirements of subpart B clear for use in determining 
individuals to be trustworthy and reliable?
    4. While the regulations provide the type of information that must 
be gathered before making a Trustworthiness and Reliability (T&R) 
determination, NUREG-2155 provides additional guidance on determining 
whether someone is T&R. Is the information in Annex A to NUREG-2155 
adequate in helping a Reviewing Official make a T&R determination?

Subpart C--Physical Protection Requirements During Use:

    5. Do the requirements of subpart C clearly define what is needed 
to support the physical protection of licensed category 1 and category 
2 quantities of radioactive material during use?
    6. Which requirements in 10 CFR 37.45, ``LLEA [local law 
enforcement agency] coordination,'' have you found to be instrumental 
in ensuring an adequate LLEA response, should an LLEA response be 
needed? Is there other information you think should be required to be 
shared with an LLEA?
    7. Isolation of category 1 and category 2 quantities of radioactive 
material by the use of continuous physical barriers that allow access 
to the security zone only through established access control points is 
required in 10 CFR 37.37, ``Security zones.'' Is the rule clear as to 
what qualifies as an adequate physical barrier?
    8. Do the requirements in 10 CFR 37.57, ``Reporting of events,'' 
clearly define a licensee's responsibility to notify the LLEA and the 
NRC's Operations Center?

Subpart D--Physical Protection in Transit:

    9. Do the requirements of subpart D clearly define what is needed 
to support the physical protection of licensed category 1 and category 
2 quantities of radioactive material in transit?
    10. Are the requirements in 10 CFR 37.81, ``Reporting of events,'' 
clear in defining the licensee's responsibility to notify LLEA and the 
NRC's Operations Center within 1 hour when a determination is made that 
a shipment of a category 1 quantity of radioactive material is lost or 
missing?

Implementation Guidance Documents:

    Please specify the sections of NUREG-2155 and NUREG-2166 in your 
responses to the extent practicable.
    11. How have you utilized NUREG-2155 to implement the 10 CFR part 
37 regulatory requirements in order to protect your licensed category 1 
and category 2 quantities of radioactive material? If utilized, are 
there certain areas of NUREG-2155 that you have found to be 
particularly useful? Are there areas of NUREG-2155 that you think could 
be clarified or supplemented to make it a more useful tool?
    12. How have you utilized NUREG-2166 to implement the 10 CFR part 
37 regulatory requirements in order to protect your licensed category 1 
and category 2 quantities of radioactive material? If utilized, are 
there certain areas of NUREG-2166 that you have found to be 
particularly useful?
    Are there areas of NUREG-2166 that you think could be clarified or 
supplemented to make it a more useful tool?

IV. Public Comments Process

    The NRC is committed to keeping the public informed and values 
public involvement in its assessment effort. Responses to this 
solicitation will be considered by NRC in preparing a report to the 
Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the 
Senate, pursuant to Public Law 113-235, Section 403. The NRC, however, 
does not intend to provide specific responses to comments or other 
information submitted in response to this request.

V. Public Meetings

    The NRC plans to hold a series of licensee-specific webinars, and 
one in-person meeting, during the public comment period for this 
action. The public meetings will provide forums for the NRC staff to 
discuss the issues and questions with members of the public. The 
information received will be used by NRC to develop a report to the 
Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the 
Senate. The NRC does not intend to provide detailed responses to 
information or other comments submitted during the public meetings. 
Each public meeting will be noticed on the NRC's public meeting Web 
site at least 10 calendar days before the meeting. Members of the 
public should monitor the NRC's public meeting Web site for additional 
information about the public meetings at http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/public-meetings/index.cfm. The NRC will post the notices for 
the public meetings and may post additional material related to this 
action to the Federal rulemaking Web site at www.regulations.gov under 
Docket ID NRC-2015-0109. The Federal rulemaking Web site allows you to 
receive alerts when changes or additions occur in a docket folder. To 
subscribe: (1) Navigate to the docket folder (NRC-2015-0109); (2) click 
the ``Sign up for Email Alerts'' link; and (3) enter your email address 
and select how frequently you would like to receive emails (daily, 
weekly, or monthly).

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 1st day of March, 2016.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Daniel S. Collins,
Director, Division of Material Safety, State, Tribal and Rulemaking 
Programs, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2016-05260 Filed 3-11-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P



                                                                                                                                                                                                13263

                                                Rules and Regulations                                                                                         Federal Register
                                                                                                                                                              Vol. 81, No. 49

                                                                                                                                                              Monday, March 14, 2016



                                                This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER                    to conduct these meetings in March                    ADAMS Public Documents collection at
                                                contains regulatory documents having general            2016.                                                 http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/
                                                applicability and legal effect, most of which                                                                 adams.html. To begin the search, select
                                                are keyed to and codified in the Code of                DATES: Submit comments by May 13,
                                                                                                        2016. Comments received after this date               ‘‘ADAMS Public Documents’’ and then
                                                Federal Regulations, which is published under                                                                 select ‘‘Begin Web-based ADAMS
                                                50 titles pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 1510.                   will be considered if it is practical to do
                                                                                                        so, but the NRC is able to ensure                     Search.’’ For problems with ADAMS,
                                                The Code of Federal Regulations is sold by              consideration only for comments                       please contact the NRC’s Public
                                                the Superintendent of Documents. Prices of              received on or before this date.                      Document Room (PDR) reference staff at
                                                new books are listed in the first FEDERAL                                                                     1–800–397–4209, 301–415–4737, or by
                                                                                                        ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
                                                REGISTER issue of each week.                                                                                  email to pdr.resource@nrc.gov. The
                                                                                                        by any of the following methods (unless               ADAMS accession number for each
                                                                                                        this document describes a different                   document referenced (if it is available in
                                                NUCLEAR REGULATORY                                      method for submitting comments on a                   ADAMS) is provided the first time that
                                                COMMISSION                                              specific subject):                                    it is mentioned in the SUPPLEMENTARY
                                                                                                          • Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to                INFORMATION section.
                                                10 CFR Part 37                                          http://www.regulations.gov and search                    • NRC’s PDR: You may examine and
                                                                                                        for Docket ID NRC–2015–0109. Address                  purchase copies of public documents at
                                                [NRC–2015–0109]                                         questions about NRC dockets to Carol                  the NRC’s PDR, Room O1–F21, One
                                                Physical Protection of Category 1 and                   Gallagher; telephone: 301–415–3463;                   White Flint North, 11555 Rockville
                                                Category 2 Quantities of Radioactive                    email: Carol.Gallagher@nrc.gov. For                   Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
                                                Material                                                technical questions, contact the
                                                                                                        individual listed in the FOR FURTHER                  B. Submitting Comments
                                                AGENCY:  Nuclear Regulatory                             INFORMATION CONTACT section of this                     Please include Docket ID NRC–2015–
                                                Commission.                                             document.                                             0109 in your comment submission.
                                                ACTION: Request for comment.                              • Mail comments to: Cindy Bladey,                     The NRC cautions you not to include
                                                                                                        Office of Administration, Mail Stop:                  identifying or contact information that
                                                SUMMARY:   On March 19, 2013, the U.S.                  OWFN–12–H08, U.S. Nuclear                             you do not want to be publicly
                                                Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)                     Regulatory Commission, Washington,                    disclosed in your comment submission.
                                                published a final rule that amended its                 DC 20555–0001. Please include the                     The NRC will post all comment
                                                regulations to establish security                       Docket ID NRC–2015–0109 in the                        submissions at http://
                                                requirements for the use and transport                  subject line of your submission.                      www.regulations.gov as well as enter the
                                                of category 1 and category 2 quantities                   For additional direction on obtaining               comment submissions into ADAMS.
                                                of radioactive material. Specifically, the              information and submitting comments,                  The NRC does not routinely edit
                                                final rule provided reasonable assurance                see ‘‘Obtaining Information and                       comment submissions to remove
                                                of preventing the theft or diversion of                 Submitting Comments’’ in the                          identifying or contact information.
                                                category 1 and category 2 quantities of                 SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of                    If you are requesting or aggregating
                                                radioactive material, and included                      this document.                                        comments from other persons for
                                                security requirements for the                           FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:                      submission to the NRC, then you should
                                                transportation of irradiated reactor fuel               George Smith, Office of Nuclear                       inform those persons not to include
                                                that weighs 100 grams or less in net                    Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S.                  identifying or contact information that
                                                weight of irradiated fuel. In December                  Nuclear Regulatory Commission,                        they do not want to be publicly
                                                2014, the Committees on                                 Washington, DC 20555–0001; telephone:                 disclosed in their comment submission.
                                                Appropriations of the House of                          301–415–7201, email: George.Smith@                    Your request should state that the NRC
                                                Representatives and the Senate directed                 nrc.gov.                                              does not routinely edit comment
                                                the NRC to evaluate the effectiveness of                                                                      submissions to remove such information
                                                the new regulations and determine                       SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
                                                                                                                                                              before making the comment
                                                whether the requirements are adequate                   I. Obtaining Information and                          submissions available to the public or
                                                to protect ‘‘high-risk radiological                     Submitting Comments                                   entering the comment into ADAMS.
                                                material.’’ In response to this mandate,
                                                the NRC is implementing a retrospective                 A. Obtaining Information                              II. Background
                                                program review to provide an objective                    Please refer to Docket ID NRC–2015–                    The NRC and Agreement States
                                                assessment of the new requirements and                  0109 when contacting the NRC about                    ensure the safety and security of
                                                associated implementation guidance.                     the availability of information for this              approximately 80,000 category 1 and
                                                This action seeks information that will                 action. You may obtain publicly-                      category 2 radioactive sources used in
                                                be used in developing a report to                       available information related to this                 medical, commercial, and research
                                                Congress.                                               action by any of the following methods:               activities. The NRC considers category 1
jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with RULES




                                                   The NRC plans to hold a series of                      • Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to                and category 2 quantities of radioactive
                                                public meetings to facilitate public                    http://www.regulations.gov and search                 material to be risk significant, and these
                                                participation. These meetings will                      for Docket ID NRC–2015–0109.                          quantities refer specifically to 16
                                                consist of a public meeting and a series                  • NRC’s Agencywide Documents                        radioactive materials listed in appendix
                                                of webinar teleconferences, and the staff               Access and Management System                          A to part 37 of title 10 of the Code of
                                                will publicly notice the date and times                 (ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-                     Federal Regulations (10 CFR), ‘‘Physical
                                                of these meetings. The staff is planning                available documents online in the                     Protection of Category 1 and Category 2


                                           VerDate Sep<11>2014   11:39 Mar 11, 2016   Jkt 238001   PO 00000   Frm 00001   Fmt 4700   Sfmt 4700   E:\FR\FM\14MRR1.SGM   14MRR1


                                                13264              Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 49 / Monday, March 14, 2016 / Rules and Regulations

                                                Quantities of Radioactive Material.’’ The               its Code of Conduct on the Safety and                 requirements; however, the NRC
                                                NRC and its partners in 37 Agreement                    Security of Radioactive Sources, which                considers them to be acceptable for
                                                States took steps to strengthen the                     the NRC endorses (http://www-                         demonstrating compliance with the
                                                security of risk-significant radioactive                ns.iaea.org/tech-areas/radiation-safety/              requirements in 10 CFR part 37.
                                                materials immediately after the terrorist               code-of-conduct.asp). The objective of                    On December 16, 2014, the President
                                                attacks of September 11, 2001. Since                    this final rule is to provide reasonable              of the United States signed Public Law
                                                that time, the NRC issued various orders                assurance of preventing the theft or                  113–235, ‘‘Consolidated and Further
                                                imposing increased controls,                            diversion of category 1 and category 2                Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015.’’
                                                implemented requirements for                            quantities of radioactive material. The               The statute provides annual funding for
                                                fingerprinting and criminal background                  regulations also include security                     Federal agencies, including the NRC.
                                                checks for people with access to certain                requirements for the transportation of                Section 403 of the legislation requires
                                                radioactive materials, and established                  irradiated reactor fuel that weighs 100               ‘‘ . . . the Nuclear Regulatory
                                                the National Source Tracking System.                    grams or less in net weight of irradiated             Commission (NRC) shall provide a
                                                The NRC cooperates with the U.S.                        fuel. The final rule incorporated lessons             report to the Committees on
                                                Departments of Homeland Security and                    learned by the NRC and the Agreement                  Appropriations of the House of
                                                Energy as well as other Federal, State,                 States in implementing security                       Representatives and the Senate that
                                                and local agencies on security matters,                 measures resulting from the events on                 evaluates the effectiveness of the
                                                and chairs the inter-agency Radiation                   September 11, 2001, as well as                        requirements of 10 CFR part 37 and
                                                Source Protection and Security Task                     stakeholder input on the proposed rule.               determines whether such requirements
                                                Force (Task Force).                                        The final rule became effective on                 are adequate to protect high-risk
                                                   The Task Force was established by the                May 20, 2013, and NRC licensees were                  radiological material.’’
                                                Energy Policy Act of 2005, which                        required to comply by March 19, 2014.                     As part of the NRC’s commitment to
                                                directed this Task Force to evaluate and                Agreement States licensees were issued                the principles of good regulation—
                                                provide recommendations relating to                     NRC orders that provided for the same                 independence, openness, efficiency,
                                                the security of radiation sources in the                level of physical protection as NRC                   clarity, and reliability—and consistent
                                                United States from potential terrorist                  licensees, pending Agreement States                   with the direction in the Public Law
                                                threats, including acts of sabotage, theft,             issuing compatible requirements.                      113–235, the NRC is now conducting a
                                                or use of a radiation source in a                       Agreement States will have until March                review and assessment of the
                                                radiological dispersal device or a                      19, 2016, to issue compatible                         requirements in 10 CFR part 37, and is
                                                radiation exposure device. The Task                     requirements for their licensees.                     requesting input from members of the
                                                Force is comprised of experts from 13                      In February 2013, the NRC published                public.
                                                Federal agencies and one State                          a guidance document, NUREG–2155,                          The information received from this
                                                organization. The Task Force members                    ‘‘Implementation Guidance for 10 CFR                  request will provide insights for this
                                                represent agencies with broad authority                 part 37, ‘Physical Protection of Category             process and will be used by the NRC to
                                                over all aspects of radioactive source                  1 and Category 2 Quantities of                        develop a report to Congress.
                                                control, including regulatory security,                 Radioactive Material’ ’’ (ADAMS
                                                                                                                                                              III. Specific Considerations
                                                intelligence, and international activities.             Accession No. ML13053A061).
                                                This Task Force concluded in its 2006,                  Subsequently, in January 2015, the NRC                   The NRC is requesting general and
                                                2010, and 2014 reports to Congress and                  published Revision 1 to NUREG–2155                    specific comments on the overall
                                                the President that the risk-significant                 (ADAMS Accession No. ML15016A172).                    effectiveness and clarity of the
                                                radioactive sources were being                             The guidance document is intended                  requirements for security measures to
                                                protected and found no significant gaps                 for use by applicants, licensees, and                 protect category 1 and category 2
                                                in security that were not already being                 NRC and Agreement State staff, and                    sources of radioactive material as
                                                addressed. These reports can be found                   describes optional approaches and                     defined in appendix A to 10 CFR part
                                                on the NRC’s public Web site at                         methods acceptable for implementing                   37, as presented by the questions in this
                                                http://www.nrc.gov/security/byproduct/                  the requirements of the regulations. As               section. For example, the NRC would
                                                task-force.html.                                        a guidance document, NUREG–2155                       like to gain insight on different
                                                   On June 15, 2010 (75 FR 33902), the                  does not establish additional                         regulatory requirements in 10 CFR part
                                                NRC published a proposed rule to                        requirements, and licensees are able to               37 that may conflict or need to be
                                                establish security requirements for the                 propose alternative ways for                          modified to maximize effectiveness and
                                                use and transport of category 1 and                     demonstrating compliance with the                     provide greater clarification. The NRC is
                                                category 2 quantities of radioactive                    requirements in 10 CFR part 37.                       also requesting comments on the
                                                material, which the NRC considers to be                    In May 2014, the NRC published                     usefulness of the guidance documents
                                                risk-significant and, therefore, to                     NUREG–2166, ‘‘Physical Security Best                  associated with its regulations in 10
                                                warrant additional protection. The NRC                  Practices for the Protection of Risk-                 CFR part 37.
                                                received and addressed over 1,500                       Significant Radioactive Material’’                       To facilitate comments, the questions
                                                comments on the proposed rule from                      (ADAMS Accession No. ML14150A382).                    are categorized by the specific subparts
                                                licensees, State agencies, industry                     This NUREG provides guidance to NRC                   of 10 CFR part 37: Subpart A—General
                                                organizations, individuals, and a                       licensees and applicants on developing                Provisions; subpart B—Background
                                                Federal agency.                                         and implementing a physical protection                Investigations and Access Control
                                                   On March 19, 2013 (78 FR 16922), the                 program for the protection of risk-                   Program; subpart C—Physical Protection
                                                NRC published a final rule amending its                 significant radioactive material (e.g.,               Requirements During Use; and subpart
jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with RULES




                                                regulations to establish security                       category 1 and category 2 quantities of               D—Physical Protection in Transit.
                                                requirements for the use and transport                  radioactive material). The intent of                     Please be cautious in providing
                                                of category 1 and category 2 quantities                 NUREG–2166 is to provide NRC                          comments that contain specific
                                                of radioactive material. The category 1                 licensees or applicants guidance with                 examples and do not provide any
                                                and category 2 thresholds are based on                  specific emphasis on physical security                specific official-use-only, safeguards,
                                                the quantities established by the                       best practices. The approaches and                    and/or classified information related to
                                                International Atomic Energy Agency in                   methods in this document are not                      the security at a specific facility.


                                           VerDate Sep<11>2014   11:39 Mar 11, 2016   Jkt 238001   PO 00000   Frm 00002   Fmt 4700   Sfmt 4700   E:\FR\FM\14MRR1.SGM   14MRR1


                                                                   Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 49 / Monday, March 14, 2016 / Rules and Regulations                                                13265

                                                Subpart A—General Provisions:                           of a category 1 quantity of radioactive               public meetings at http://www.nrc.gov/
                                                   1. Are the definitions (in 10 CFR 37.5,              material is lost or missing?                          public-involve/public-meetings/
                                                ‘‘Definitions’’) clear, unambiguous, and                                                                      index.cfm. The NRC will post the
                                                                                                        Implementation Guidance Documents:
                                                consistent with their usage in other                                                                          notices for the public meetings and may
                                                                                                          Please specify the sections of                      post additional material related to this
                                                parts of the regulations?
                                                   2. Is the rule clear as to when a                    NUREG–2155 and NUREG–2166 in your                     action to the Federal rulemaking Web
                                                licensee can use physical barriers to                   responses to the extent practicable.                  site at www.regulations.gov under
                                                                                                          11. How have you utilized NUREG–                    Docket ID NRC–2015–0109. The Federal
                                                render aggregated sources below the
                                                                                                        2155 to implement the 10 CFR part 37                  rulemaking Web site allows you to
                                                category 2 aggregated quantity?
                                                                                                        regulatory requirements in order to                   receive alerts when changes or additions
                                                Subpart B—Background Investigations                     protect your licensed category 1 and                  occur in a docket folder. To subscribe:
                                                and Access Control Program:                             category 2 quantities of radioactive                  (1) Navigate to the docket folder (NRC–
                                                  3. Are the requirements of subpart B                  material? If utilized, are there certain              2015–0109); (2) click the ‘‘Sign up for
                                                clear for use in determining individuals                areas of NUREG–2155 that you have                     Email Alerts’’ link; and (3) enter your
                                                to be trustworthy and reliable?                         found to be particularly useful? Are                  email address and select how frequently
                                                  4. While the regulations provide the                  there areas of NUREG–2155 that you                    you would like to receive emails (daily,
                                                type of information that must be                        think could be clarified or                           weekly, or monthly).
                                                gathered before making a                                supplemented to make it a more useful
                                                                                                                                                                Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 1st day
                                                Trustworthiness and Reliability (T&R)                   tool?
                                                                                                                                                              of March, 2016.
                                                determination, NUREG–2155 provides                        12. How have you utilized NUREG–
                                                                                                        2166 to implement the 10 CFR part 37                    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
                                                additional guidance on determining
                                                                                                        regulatory requirements in order to                   Daniel S. Collins,
                                                whether someone is T&R. Is the
                                                                                                        protect your licensed category 1 and                  Director, Division of Material Safety, State,
                                                information in Annex A to NUREG–
                                                                                                        category 2 quantities of radioactive                  Tribal and Rulemaking Programs, Office of
                                                2155 adequate in helping a Reviewing                                                                          Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
                                                Official make a T&R determination?                      material? If utilized, are there certain
                                                                                                        areas of NUREG–2166 that you have                     [FR Doc. 2016–05260 Filed 3–11–16; 8:45 am]
                                                Subpart C—Physical Protection                           found to be particularly useful?                      BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
                                                Requirements During Use:                                  Are there areas of NUREG–2166 that
                                                   5. Do the requirements of subpart C                  you think could be clarified or
                                                clearly define what is needed to support                supplemented to make it a more useful                 NUCLEAR REGULATORY
                                                the physical protection of licensed                     tool?                                                 COMMISSION
                                                category 1 and category 2 quantities of                 IV. Public Comments Process                           10 CFR Part 72
                                                radioactive material during use?
                                                   6. Which requirements in 10 CFR                        The NRC is committed to keeping the                 [NRC–2015–0270]
                                                37.45, ‘‘LLEA [local law enforcement                    public informed and values public
                                                                                                        involvement in its assessment effort.                 RIN 3150–AJ71
                                                agency] coordination,’’ have you found
                                                to be instrumental in ensuring an                       Responses to this solicitation will be                List of Approved Spent Fuel Storage
                                                adequate LLEA response, should an                       considered by NRC in preparing a report               Casks: Holtec International HI–STORM
                                                LLEA response be needed? Is there other                 to the Committees on Appropriations of                100 Cask System; Certificate of
                                                information you think should be                         the House of Representatives and the                  Compliance No. 1014, Amendment No.
                                                required to be shared with an LLEA?                     Senate, pursuant to Public Law 113–                   10
                                                   7. Isolation of category 1 and category              235, Section 403. The NRC, however,
                                                2 quantities of radioactive material by                 does not intend to provide specific                   AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory
                                                the use of continuous physical barriers                 responses to comments or other                        Commission.
                                                that allow access to the security zone                  information submitted in response to                  ACTION: Direct final rule.
                                                only through established access control                 this request.
                                                points is required in 10 CFR 37.37,                                                                           SUMMARY:    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
                                                                                                        V. Public Meetings                                    Commission (NRC) is amending its
                                                ‘‘Security zones.’’ Is the rule clear as to
                                                what qualifies as an adequate physical                     The NRC plans to hold a series of                  spent fuel storage regulations by
                                                barrier?                                                licensee-specific webinars, and one in-               revising the Holtec International (Holtec
                                                   8. Do the requirements in 10 CFR                     person meeting, during the public                     or applicant) HI–STORM 100 Cask
                                                37.57, ‘‘Reporting of events,’’ clearly                 comment period for this action. The                   System listing within the ‘‘List of
                                                define a licensee’s responsibility to                   public meetings will provide forums for               approved spent fuel storage casks’’ to
                                                notify the LLEA and the NRC’s                           the NRC staff to discuss the issues and               include Amendment No. 10 to
                                                Operations Center?                                      questions with members of the public.                 Certificate of Compliance (CoC) No.
                                                                                                        The information received will be used                 1014. Amendment No. 10 adds new fuel
                                                Subpart D—Physical Protection in                        by NRC to develop a report to the                     classes to the contents approved for the
                                                Transit:                                                Committees on Appropriations of the                   loading of 16×16-pin fuel assemblies
                                                  9. Do the requirements of subpart D                   House of Representatives and the                      into a HI–STORM 100 Cask System;
                                                clearly define what is needed to support                Senate. The NRC does not intend to                    allows a minor increase in manganese in
                                                the physical protection of licensed                     provide detailed responses to                         an alloy material for the system’s
                                                category 1 and category 2 quantities of                 information or other comments                         overpack and transfer cask; clarifies the
jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with RULES




                                                radioactive material in transit?                        submitted during the public meetings.                 minimum water displacement required
                                                  10. Are the requirements in 10 CFR                    Each public meeting will be noticed on                of a dummy fuel rod (i.e., a rod not
                                                37.81, ‘‘Reporting of events,’’ clear in                the NRC’s public meeting Web site at                  filled with uranium pellets); and
                                                defining the licensee’s responsibility to               least 10 calendar days before the                     clarifies the design pressures needed for
                                                notify LLEA and the NRC’s Operations                    meeting. Members of the public should                 normal operation of forced helium
                                                Center within 1 hour when a                             monitor the NRC’s public meeting Web                  drying systems. Additionally,
                                                determination is made that a shipment                   site for additional information about the             Amendment No. 10 revises Condition


                                           VerDate Sep<11>2014   11:39 Mar 11, 2016   Jkt 238001   PO 00000   Frm 00003   Fmt 4700   Sfmt 4700   E:\FR\FM\14MRR1.SGM   14MRR1



Document Created: 2016-03-12 01:00:54
Document Modified: 2016-03-12 01:00:54
CategoryRegulatory Information
CollectionFederal Register
sudoc ClassAE 2.7:
GS 4.107:
AE 2.106:
PublisherOffice of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
SectionRules and Regulations
ActionRequest for comment.
DatesSubmit comments by May 13, 2016. Comments received after this date will be considered if it is practical to do so, but the NRC is able to ensure consideration only for comments received on or before this date.
ContactGeorge Smith, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-7201, email: [email protected]
FR Citation81 FR 13263 

2025 Federal Register | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy
USC | CFR | eCFR