Issues raised by a group of senators about the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s ongoing rulemaking for reactors shifting to decommissioning have and will be considered as the proceeding advances, according to NRC Chairman Kristine Svinicki.
“The specific issues in your letter – regulation by exemption, public participation and awareness, spent fuel storage, and financial and physical protection — were examined by the NRC staff in developing the proposed rule that is now before the Commission,” Svinicki wrote in an Aug 28 letter to the four lawmakers. “Your letter has been added to the rulemaking docket as part of the official record of comments on this matter and the Commission will evaluate these issues in our deliberations on the staff’s draft proposed rulemaking.
The letter was posted Thursday to the NRC website. There was no immediate response from Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), who spearheaded the initial Aug. 3 letter with Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
The senators highlighted a number of concerns in their four-page message to Svinicki, including: the absence of a “comprehensive set of decommissioning and cleanup regulations”; the NRC staff recommendation against requiring commission approval for nuclear operators’ plant decommissioning plans; and the proposed reduction in on-site and off-site liability insurance requirements for decommissioning sites, respectively to $50 million and $100 million.
The NRC rulemaking, dating to 2015, has resulted in set of recommendations intended to reduce the need for license amendments or regulatory exemptions for nuclear power plants that have ceased operations and are moving into cleanup. Staff proposals include a graded approach for relaxing requirements for emergency preparedness, physical security, cybersecurity, and off- and on-site insurance at closed nuclear power plants. The proposal has been submitted to the five-person commission for consideration and possible revisions, with a vote on the completed plan expected in fall 2019.
