[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 223 (Thursday, November 19, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72454-72455]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-29537]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2011-0267]


In the Matter of All Operating Reactor Licensees With Mark I and 
Mark II Containments

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Director's decision under 10 CFR 2.206; issuance.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a 
director's decision with regard to a petition dated July 29, 2011, 
filed by Mr. David Lochbaum, Director for Nuclear Safety Project of 
Union of Concerned Scientists (the petitioner), requesting that the NRC 
take action with regard to all operating General Electric (GE) boiling-
water reactor (BWR) licensees with Mark I and Mark II primary 
containment designs (referred hereafter as the licensees).

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2011-0267 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may obtain publicly-available information related to this document 
using any of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2011-0267. 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.
     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 a document is referenced.
     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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John G. Lamb, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington DC 
20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-3100, email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is hereby given that the Director, 
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, has issued a director's decision 
(ADAMS Accession No. ML15132A625) on a petition filed by the petitioner 
on July 29, 2011 (ADAMS Accession No. ML11213A030).
    The petitioner requested that the NRC issue a demand for 
information (DFI) of the operating licenses of all GE BWRs that utilize 
the Mark I and Mark II primary containment designs.
    The NRC sent a copy of the proposed director's decision to the 
petitioner and the licensees for comment on April 17, 2015 (ADAMS 
Accession No. ML12215A283). The petitioner and the licensees were asked 
to provide comments within 30 days on any part of the proposed 
director's decision that was considered to be erroneous or any issues 
in the petition that were not addressed. The NRC staff received 
comments on the proposed director's decision from the petitioner by 
letter dated May 8, 2015 (ADAMS Accession No. ML15128A388). The NRC 
staff responses to the comments are attached to the director's 
decision.
    The Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation denies the 
petition because the NRC staff has reasonable assurance that the design 
and operation of SFP cooling systems for BWRs with Mark I and II 
containment designs provide adequate assurance of public

[[Page 72455]]

health and safety and satisfy current regulations. The concern 
associated with development of harsh environmental conditions following 
a beyond-design-basis event that induces a sustained loss of spent fuel 
pool forced cooling was resolved through the issuance of orders and 
implementing guidance associated with the lesson-learned as a result of 
the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident. The reasons for this decision are 
explained in the director's decision (DD-15-11) pursuant to section 
2.206 of title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), of the 
Commission's regulations.
    The NRC will file a copy of the director's decision with the 
Secretary of the Commission for the Commission's review in accordance 
with 10 CFR 2.206. As provided by this regulation, the director's 
decision will constitute the final action of the Commission 25 days 
after the date of the decision unless the Commission, on its own 
motion, institutes a review of the director's decision in that time.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 2nd day of November 2015.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
William M. Dean,
Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 2015-29537 Filed 11-18-15; 8:45 am]
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