Vermont on April 10 formally applied to become the 39th agreement state to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
If the application is approved, Vermont would assume authority from the federal agency for licensing and regulation of byproduct materials, source materials, and limited amounts of special nuclear materials. That is expected to cover 36 licenses in Vermont, according to NRC spokesman David McIntyre.
“These will be industrial companies, medical facilities, or academic institutions that use devices containing radioactive materials,” he said by email.
The NRC will retain regulatory authority over the retired Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, the sole atomic energy facility in the state, along with federal use of radioactive materials in Vermont.
Any fuel cycle facilities would also remain under NRC oversight, but there are none in Vermont, McIntyre noted.
The application was posted Monday to the NRC website. It contains separate sections addressing legal elements, regulatory requirements, licensing program elements, the state inspection and licensing programs, technical staffing and training, and the event and allegation program.
The application process began in July 2015 with a letter of intent from then-Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin. Staff at the NRC has already reviewed the state’s draft application. A number of steps remain in the approval process, including staff development of a draft analysis and agreement, public input, final versions of the documents, and a decision by the commission.
“We look forward to working with the NRC on the completion of our Application to Become an Agreement State over the course of the next several months,” William Irwin, radiation control program director at the Vermont Department of Health, wrote in the introductory letter to the application.
